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Facebook Home is a full-on launcher replacement for Android phones that places Facebook's many services at the core of your Android smartphone experience. So if you don't like Facebook, then move on.

Launchers are full-on custom replacements that do more than just give your phone a new coat of paint. Facebook Home not only splashes your home screen with full-screen photos and status updates, but also blurs the line between SMS and Facebook chat. Though your main Android operating system still powers your device under the hood, your phone will hardly be recognizable when compared with the stock … Read more

Facebook's signature app is updated often but still manages to be too slow for many users. Sadly, most of the apps that offer a faster experience don't have much else to offer. You can add FB Plus for Facebook to that list as well. Not only is it slower than Facebook's own app, scrolling can make you a little green around the gills.

This app doesn't offer any big improvements over Facebook's app. FB Plus for Facebook offers a layout Facebook abandoned a few updates ago, with a few weirdly placed buttons and annoying banner … Read more

Facebook's flashy, new phone software is Android only for now, but it might not be that way forever, the company said today.

When asked about whether the software was headed to Apple's mobile platform anytime soon, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn't count it out, but noted that such a feature would require cooperation.

"We have a great relationship with Apple," Zuckerberg told reporters in a Q&A session after the unveiling of Home. "Anything that happens with Apple is going to happen with partnership. Google's Android is open so we don't … Read more

It had to come to this, didn't it? You can't trust yourself to stay away from Facebook long enough to get any work done before lunch. And don't get us started on YouTube. We mean that: don't get us started on YouTube. Hours vanish. So you're thinking about software that blocks Facebook and YouTube at specific times because something must stop the madness. That's where FB Limiter from AxiomCoders enters the scene. This free tool prevents users from accessing Facebook, YouTube, or both. Your password controls access. You can keep your kids from going … Read more

Give Facebook this much: They know how to bait a hook.

After sending out a media invitation last week to "Come and See What We're Building," we're all chomping at the bit to learn more. Many on Wall Street believe this is going to be a Very Big Deal in the company's ongoing efforts to better monetize its billion-plus users.

Is it a phone? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last summer denied that was in the works. But it's possible. Is it a new building? Nobody cares. How about something tied to search? That's … Read more

FB Flicker by Guppy Media is free software that promises to make your Facebook albums more exciting, and while it didn't quite live up to the hype, it was extremely easy to use. One of the main drawbacks is that your friends will also need to have the app installed to see the effects you've added to your albums.

The application is an add-on that will work with Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or any system running on Windows. There are no Help files or wizards to aid the user, but there is really no need. Once installed, … Read more

Facebook's stock is dropping again, this time hitting an all-time low of $19.91 today.

The social-network company's stock price has been hovering around $20 a share, occasionally dipping under.

How bad is that? Well, $19 a share puts Facebook at half the value of its offering price of $38.

Facebook closed at $20.88 yesterday, but its lowest closing price to date is $20.84.

The stock has been on a continuous decline since Facebook reported second-quarter earnings last week.

In today's show, Yahoo gets a fresh coat of CEO, iCloud gets a lift and it's IPO week for Facebook:

After four months on the job, Scott Thompson resigned as Yahoo's chief executive. Although he has been in the middle of a scandal about the false statements made about his education, he also is leaving for health reasons. It's been reported that Thompson told the board he's battling thyroid cancer. Yahoo named ad-guru Ross Levinsohn as interim CEO. Levinsohn is the sixth Yahoo CEO in the past five years.

After Best Buy dropped the prices … Read more

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Sony launches Sony Music Unlimited, the company's own music store.

The FBI gets ready to outline wire-tapping policies for digital communication.

Google announces Google One Pass, a subscription service for newspapers and magazines that will compete with Apple's recently announced iTunes subscription service.

The iPhone rumor mill is predicting a smaller, $99 version of the iPhone this summer.

Warner Bros. announces App Editions of "Inception" and "The Dark Knight."

Sony announces its zero-tolerance policy for hacking the PlayStation 3.

The more Facebook friends you have, the more … Read more