HTC Salsa dips into Facebook with integrated updates, events and chat

Say ola, señors and señoritas, to the HTC Salsa! It's HTC's latest hot-blooded Latin lover, saying ándale ándale to Android. ¡Olé!

The Spanish-themed smart phone boasts Android version 2.4, known as Gingerbread like 2.3, as it's only a crumb of an update. Salsa and Gingerbread: we don't recommend trying that combination in real life.

The Salsa sports a capacitive touchscreen. It's encased in odd-looking two-tone checkerboard casing.

The Salsa's most interesting feature is a little button with a familiar F on it. That, mis amigos, is a Facebook button. Press the Facebook button to instantly update your status -- or post to Twitter -- and check in wherever you are with Facebook Places.

Facebook events and messages appear in the phone's built-in apps. Facebook events show up in the phone's calendar alongside your other events and appointments, and even show the event's wall and who's going. Facebook messages are included in the phone's unified inbox, alongside your emails and texts.

The Salsa also checks your address book to see who's online in Facebook Chat.

You'll be able to dip the Salsa in the summer. It sashays into shops alongside the HTC ChaCha, also announced at phonefest Mobile World Congress. We've tried out the new phones already, so click here for our hands-on previews of the ChaCha and the Salsa, as well as the new Incredible S, Wildfire S and Desire S.