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Facebook Appears Set to Debut iPhone Competitor Built on Android on April 4

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Facebook today invited members of the press to an Android-related event on April 4, and TechCrunch reports that the event will likely see the debut of the long-rumored Facebook phone. According to reports, the device would be an HTC handset running a Facebook-modified version of Android.

If true, the move would turn Facebook into an Amazon-style competitor in the smartphone market for Apple, as Amazon has heavily modified Android for its own Kindle Fire tablet devices.

There have been persistent rumors of Facebook working on a smartphone, with Bloomberg reporting in 2010 that the phone would be based on a "stripped-down" version of Android. Last year, the New York Times reported that Facebook was hiring former Apple iPhone and iPad engineers to work on a "Facebook phone."

TechCrunch highlights one of the key reasons why Facebook would want to create a smartphone device of its own:
With deeper control of a modified operating system would come huge opportunities to collect data on its users. Facebook knows that who you SMS and call are important indicators of who your closest friends are. Its own version of Android could give it that info, which could be used to refine everything from what content you're shown in the news feed to which friends faces are used in ads you see.
Click to expand...
Facebook currently has two of the more popular free apps in the App Store with Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Recently, the company has updated its main Facebook app to add free VoIP calling in a number of countries.

Article Link: Facebook Appears Set to Debut iPhone Competitor Built on Android on April 4
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/28/facebook-appears-set-to-debut-iphone-competitor-built-on-android-on-april-4/
D

dennno

macrumors regular
Jul 22, 2011
120
0
Facebook as a phone brand? No. Their brand does not translate to smartphones at all.
 
J

JDee

macrumors 6502a
Aug 31, 2008
535
11
Ireland
Facebook can't even get their smartphone app right, why are they making a smartphone?

Next up... Angry Birds phone.
 
E

etchie

macrumors newbie
Sep 14, 2012
3
0
Too late

People are already becoming restless and wanting to leave. The only reason people are still on Facebook is because everyone else is a member. This would have sold a ton around 2008-2009.
 
Dulcimer

Dulcimer

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2012
892
702
A "stripped-down version of Android" in the same vain as Amazon's? No thanks.

Even worse, Facebook will be collecting a lot of data from its phone users, which is really concerning.
 
slffl

slffl

macrumors 65816
Mar 5, 2003
1,303
4
Seattle, WA
SJism23 said:
A "stripped-down version of Android" in the same vain as Amazon's? No thanks.

Even worse, Facebook will be collecting a lot of data from its phone users, which is really concerning.
Click to expand...

Really? Google has been doing it for a decade. They even scan your email to get information about you. If you're worried about anyone, worry about Google.
 
KylePowers

KylePowers

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2011
1,688
197
Facebook Appears Set to Debut iPhone Competitor Built on Android on April 4
Click to expand...
Took me about 10 tries before I understood what this title was trying to say. Am I dumb?
 
haruhiko

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,529
5,875
So whatever photos you take on this phone are automatically uploaded to FB.... of course, with the privacy setting at your control :p

Next: the Twitter phone, Google+ Phone, Flickr Phone, Flipboard phone

:eek:
 
slffl

slffl

macrumors 65816
Mar 5, 2003
1,303
4
Seattle, WA
At least it's designed by Americans. I'm all for people using Amazon or Facebook products over Korean and Taiwanese products from Samsung, LG, and HTC.
 
A

advancewarsbest

macrumors regular
Mar 28, 2013
120
77
I work at a high school. Last time I made a joke facebook reference he kids mocked me for bringing up facebook. If you did not know this, yes facebook is for old people now.

Given this insight, aside from people trying to look hip and young, without the young people interested I would not think a facebook phone would do well. Reminds me of that one phone that had that "1 button click to facebook" feature. It may have been a nokia, I forget, didn't do well at all.

However I do hope that it has some new and interesting features which will push apple to make a better iOS7. Thats my 2 cents.
 
b166er

b166er

macrumors 68020
Apr 17, 2010
2,062
18
Philly
Everything about this is a no for me. Given we haven't seen it yet, but what I'm sure will be a heavily modified version of android (so no updates) and HTC hardware are both not for me. I'm positive if facebook rolls out a phone it won't be capable of anything that a nicer Android or an iPhone can't already do.
 
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