You love using Facebook. It’s a part of your life. You’re sick and tired of always have to switch on that Facebook app on your smartphone – it lags way too much and is cumbersome. Fret no more, as Facebook users have a friend in the new HTC Cha Cha.

Launched in tandem with its counterpart, the HTC Salsa, the Cha Cha grooves its way into prominence with a specialised Facebook button integrated in both devices.

Lennard Hoornik, President of HTC Corporation’s South Asia Pacific operations, noted that with more than 500 million Facebook users worldwide, HTC “wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal”.

And with the Facebook button, the HTC Cha Cha has become the pioneer in establish direct connections with the social networking platform.

Accompanied with a 5.0 megapixel camera and a front-facing VGA camera for shooting casual selcas, the phone, equipped with an LED flash for the back camera is programmed in such a way that once a photo is taken, the button glows and prompts its user if he or she wants to post up the photo on Facebook. Clicking on it directs the user to a screen, at which he is able to set the title, comments and even privacy settings, so those who matter get to view these photos.

Apart from the speedy photo-uploading function, the HTC Cha Cha has incorporated Facebook Chat as a hallmark in its integration with the option launched in April 2008. Working in the vein of popular instant-messaging apps like WhatsApp and MSN Talk on Android, Facebook Chat lets users view and talk to online friends, without having to launch the browser and viewing the page in full desktop mode – a slow and inconvenient process.

One click of the ‘f’ button also enables the user to perform ‘check-ins’ at specific locations in Facebook Places. And with the function being introduced to Singapore in February 2011, users can now check in with much more ease at locations they visit, without having to fiddle endlessly at their phones just to find the listing of their workplace, home or favourite eatery.

The nifty device comes in a 10.7mm body, weighing a mere 124g with its battery and a 2.6-inch touch-screen, boasting a viewing resolutions of 2.6 inches.

The size of the screen means that unlike other Android phones, users would not have to go through the hassle of having to re-orientate their phones to a certain angle to watch videos on them.

As a product demonstrator explained, “YouTube videos can be watched instantly in their normal definition, offering a more user-friendly viewing experience. And if you’d like to know more information about a particular video, there’s always the ‘back’ button that switches out from the fullscreen mode.”

Doing away with an onscreen keyboard is also another hallmark of the HTC Cha Cha, as it features a full, physical QWERTY keyboard. This keyboard eliminates the trouble of mistypings associated with onscreen keyboards, so users can be assured that what they touch will be what they type.

Running on Android’s Gingerbread platform, the successor to Froyo, the HTC Cha Cha offers a relatively lag-free user experience for app junkies.

Available in 3 distinct colours, namely Modern White, Phantom Black and Amethyst Purple, the phone can be purchased from SingTel and its exclusive retailers at a suggested retail price of $438. Facebook fans will certainly jump for joy at the offer of this social network-integrated device.

For more product information, check out the official HTC Cha Cha page on the HTC website.