Facebook: We're Not "Building" a Smartphone

From DailyTech: Yesterday, TechCrunch broke the news that Facebook was secretly building its own smartphone, or at least developing a deeply integrated OS for a smartphone.

In a quick follow-up, CNET asked the social media company for comment and received this in return; "Facebook is not building a phone," a Facebook spokesperson told CNET. "Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating deeply into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this."

But, it appears that the "Facebook phone" is still a possible reality, in the same way that the Nexus One was "the Google phone." Google had a huge say in the design and specifications of the phone, while the actual building was done by a third-party manufacturer (HTC). It makes much more sense for Facebook to go this route, developing an Android-based smartphone with deep Facebook integration to run on a single carrier with exclusivity, ala the Apple iPhone.

CNET noted that although the company denied building a smartphone, it did not respond when asked whether it was developing a Facebook-branded phone with the help of a third party. Another source told CNET that "the concept is in the very early stages and Facebook apparently has not determined whether to proceed."

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