The rumors that Facebook has been working on the release of a phone appear to have been true. Somini Sengupta of The New York Times has reported for Yahoo Finance, Facebook Is Expected to Introduce Its Phone. Today, Facebook is expected to introduce a moderately priced phone, made by HTC, which is powered by Google’s Android operating system, and which will showcase Facebook and its apps on the home screen.
Rebecca Lieb, an analyst with the Altimeter Group, has said, “Facebook would like to be, literally and figuratively, as close to its users as its users are to their phones, within arm’s reach when they are searching for information, news, time wasting, shopping, communication.” Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, has noted that by partnering with HTC, which is a phone maker based in Taiwan, Facebook is signaling that it is “making an international push." Pachter has also said, "The more people you get to use it on phones, the more ads you can deliver.”
Greg Sterling has reported on this story for Marketing Land, Leak Reveals “Facebook Phone” Is More Than A Phone It’s Also Homescreen Strategy. It has been confirmed that Facebook is planning to announce an HTC phone (“Myst”). This phone offers a slightly modified version of Android and also an immersive homescreen experience which is called “Facebook Home.” Facebook Home is also anticipated to be a stand-alone app that is offered through Google Play for other handsets. This app would basically make Facebook your homescreen.
