The Facebook phone

[Pliablemoose]

Wow, I mean wow. A flipping Facebook phone?

I can't decide if it's a massive fail or the most genius move by Facebook ever.

My fear is that's it's a genius move :hmm:

 

[zerocool84]

Wow, I mean wow. A flipping Facebook phone?

I can't decide if it's a massive fail or the most genius move by Facebook ever.

My fear is that's it's a genius move :hmm:

Of course it's a genius movie, all the kids would want a Facebook phone. The only thing though is what features it'd have over facebook apps. Maybe it'd have exclusive Zuckerberg naked pics in it.

 

[boomhower]

Is it a smartphone or featurephone? I think it would work better as a featurephone. Most folks that want a smartphone aren't going to go for a Facebook phone. Market it towards younger age teens and price it with a lower priced data plan and it could work. More or less it could be what the Kin should have been.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Is it a smartphone or featurephone? I think it would work better as a featurephone. Most folks that want a smartphone aren't going to go for a Facebook phone. Market it towards younger age teens and price it with a lower priced data plan and it could work. More or less it could be what the Kin should have been.

This. If they manage to price it right and don't require high schoolers to go crying to their parents about a $30 data plan, it'll probably do well. If it carries a smartphone price / data price, it's going to fail, unless it brings something REALLY unique to the table.

Personally, I try to avoid Facebook as much as possible, so it has no affect on my life.

 

[Patranus]

I don't get it.

I can have Facebook on my current phone.

 

[IGemini]

From the sounds of it, it's a high-end HTC smartphone with Facebook branding. And there will be two of them.

http://mashable.com/2011/01/26/htc-to-unveil-2-facebook-phones-next-month/

HTC will be debuting not one, but two Facebook-branded smartphones next month, according to a new report. The phones will be the first to sport Facebook’s official colors and branding, according to City A.M. And in line with previous rumors, Facebook’s phones will run on modified versions of Google’s Android OS.
The Facebook phones are expected to make their first appearance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. City A.M. has a good track record on mobile phones: it was the first to break the news of the second-generation Google Nexus phone.
The HTC devices will reportedly include Facebook integrations that will make it easier to call and message your Facebook friends. They will also prominently display the news feed on the home screen. We’d expect any Facebook phone to also include Facebook Chat, Messages, Events and Photos integration.
Last year, the rumor mill went wild about the potential launch of a Facebook phone. Facebook has repeatedly denied that it was working on a phone. Even Mark Zuckerberg told us it wasn’t in the phone business when we interviewed him last year. While Facebook won’t technically be manufacturing a smartphone, it still is an about-face from its previous statements, if the report is true.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

more ways for them to gather data on us

 

[zerocool84]

more ways for them to gather data on us

???

If you're already using Facebook they already know everything about your life.

 

[gsaldivar]

Personally, I try to avoid Facebook as much as possible

This.

 

[zerocool84]

Just wanted to bump this thread:

Yes folks, the leaks were for real, HTC really is bringing out a pair of new handsets adorned with a dedicated, delicately illustrated Facebook key front and (almost) center. HTC is very careful not to call its Salsa -- a 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 touchscreen device -- and portrait QWERTY-sporting ChaCha "Facebook phones," however Mark Z's highly successful social network is indeed the focus around which both are built. The OS is Android 2.4 underneath, however the Sense customizations have taken on an extra few tweaks and functions to accommodate a Facebook-centric lifestyle. That royal blue button is context-aware, with a pulsating light surrounding it any time there's an opportunity to share whatever you're doing with the phone through Facebook.

In terms of specs, you're looking at a lot of common components between these two. There's a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 -- which didn't seem to struggle unduly with basic functions during our quick play around with the Salsa -- 512MB of both RAM and ROM, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, and a VGA front-facing cam. The resolution on the ChaCha is 480 x 320 as well, which should provide decent pixel density on that 2.6-inch screen. Both are expected to launch globally before the end of Q2 2011, at pricing points above the newly announced Wildfire S, but below the similarly fresh Desire S and Incredible S handsets. We'll have more in-depth impressions and hands-on galleries for you as soon as we can get them, stay tuned!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/htc-salsa-and-chacha-bring-the-dedicated-facebook-button-to-andr/

 

[Bateluer]

From the sounds of it, it's a high-end HTC smartphone with Facebook branding. And there will be two of them.

http://mashable.com/2011/01/26/htc-to-unveil-2-facebook-phones-next-month/

With these specs, neither can be considered high end.

*
3.4-inch 480×320 display (Salsa)
*
2.6-inch 480×320 display (ChaCha)
*
600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
5MP autofocus camera with dual-LED flash (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
VGA front-facing camera (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
512MB RAM/512MB ROM (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC Sense (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
Q2 release date (Salsa and ChaCha)
*
Coming to AT&T (Salsa and ChaCha)

Flyer

 

[dpodblood]

Interesting piece of marketing, but I wonder how well they will really sell. I don't see the market for these phone outside of young kids, so they would need to be priced pretty cheap. I am a facebook user my self, but it seems like all this can be achieved on any standard Android phone, with the facebook mobile app, and a widget.

 

[kaerflog]

Failed written all over it.
Unless they make a pact with carriers to give free data access to FB, who ould buy this flipping phone ??
For the same data plan you can have your choice of any high end phone.

 

[rcpratt]

If I ever see someone with one of these phones, I will not hesitate to punch them in the face.

 

[Red Storm]

As others have said, it's the cost of data that will determine whether this is does well or fails. Personally I think it will fail.

 

[AstroManLuca]

They're just low-end smartphones with a Facebook button. There is nothing at all special about them.

 

[preslove]

This is a win for HTC. They can use use the facebook brand to sucker low-information consumers into buying phones with old components. I met this girl with a moto cliq who fucking loves her phone. She doesn't really know enough to understand that it sucks. This type of phone will be a hit with people like her.

 

[simonizor]

The fuck is the point in this? Haven't they heard of apps? Don't they know that everyone already has facebook on their android phones? Why do we need one that says it's a facebook phone, but doesn't do anything that the others can't? Here's one to hoping that this tanks like a lead balloon.

 

[YoungGun21]

The fuck is the point in this? Haven't they heard of apps? Don't they know that everyone already has facebook on their phones? Why do we need one that says it's a facebook phone, but doesn't do anything that the others can't? Here's one to hoping that this tanks like a lead balloon.

To make money?

 

[simonizor]

To make money?

Making money is one thing, but saturating the market with crap that doesn't add anything new or useful is just stupid, and will backfire in the long run.

 

[zerocool84]

Making money is one thing, but saturating the market with crap that doesn't add anything new or useful is just stupid, and will backfire in the long run.

What do you mean doesn't add anything new? If you read the articles you'd see it integrates Facebook even more so. That seems like something people who love Facebook would like and something new that other phones don't have. I don't use Facebook at all but it's not that hard to see why this would appeal to people seeing as how huge Facebook is.

 

[gsaldivar]

I met this girl with a moto cliq who fucking loves her phone. She doesn't really know enough to understand that it sucks. This type of phone will be a hit with people like her.

Sounds like my kind of girl!