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Tag: facebook-smartphone

  • Facebook smartphone denied by Zuckerberg

    There were many rumors the last months about a possible release of a Facebook smartphone in the near future. We even heard of its specifications. However, they do not seem to be realistic anymore.

    According to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, "it wouldn't really make much sense" for such a move and the possibility of creating their own smartphone. This means that all the rumors all these months about a Facebook smartphone, its possible design and its specifications were nothing more than rumors, with no credibility at all. There was even a rumor about Facebook collaborating with HTC and employing engineers to build hardware, but Mark Zuckerberg was quite clear.

    Was he? Some Facebook "experts" believe that he might be hiding his plans, in order to surprise them all at a future announcement. Not many CEOs like to provide details about their plans and this might be another case of it. Even though they might not expect to release a Facebook smartphone right now, how can we be sure that they won't do it in the future?

    It is obvious that Facebook focuses a lot on mobile market lately, especially after the acquisition of Instagram for 1$ billion. This meant that they try to be part of the profitable mobile industry and the possibility of having their own smartphone to combat the others, and not just an application, might not be a bad idea. Of course the competition would be high and they already risked a lot with their IPO, but do such companies act with cautiousness?

  • Facebook and HTC to Launch New Smartphone

    Facebook is working with HTC to build a smartphone, which will be released mid next year. According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, initially, the two companies wanted to have the smartphone released until the end of 2012, but HTC asked for more time because it had to work on other products too.

    Also, Facebook wants to create an improved operating system for its first smartphone, and Mark Zuckerberg has gathered many former Apple programmers to improve the Facebook application for iPhone.

    More than a half of the 900 million users of the social network are using the service from a mobile device, but Facebook did not obtain any money from the 3.15 billion dollars from the advertising on the phone.

    "Internet users are now going mobile and Facebook failed to cover this new market, but a smartphone with many applications and a lot of advetisement could be a great solution," said Victor Anthony, analyst at the Topeka Capitals Markets.

    Facebook shares fell by 23% since the listing in May 17th, partly due to the investors' fears that the company does not obtain sufficient revenues from mobile advertising. Facebook securities ended on Wednesday up by 3.1%, at $ 29.34 per unit.

    Facebook has also worked with HTC in two phones that have a button dedicated to the social network, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa, but the new model seems to be more focused on the Facebook services.
    Initial speculations were aiming at a launch in Q3 2012, but the Facebook smartphone will be launched only in the summer of 2013.

    Some rumors also aims at the interest shown by Microsoft towards the Facebook phone, so the option that the new smartphone to run WP 8 is not ruled out.