Official Facebook phone coming from HTC?

Social networking juggernaut Facebook is apparently finally making its own smartphone, and has tapped Taiwan-based HTC to build the gadget.

 

Tech site All Things Digital said the phone, codenamed "Buffy," may run on a heavily tweaked version of Google's Android OS.

 

AllThingsD cited sources who said the "Buffy" OS will deeply integrate Facebook services, as well as to support HTML5 as a platform for applications.

 

But the AllThingsD report said the phones may take some time before hitting the market, potentially as long as 12 to 18 months.

 

The report also said Facebook chose HTC after also considering Korea's Samsung.

 

Facebook CTO Bret Taylor is leading the project, AllThingsD quoted several sources as saying.

 

On the other hand, it said a Facebook spokesman declined to comment on "Buffy" directly.

 

"Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social. We’re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world," it quoted the spokesman as saying.

 

Shift for Facebook

 

The AllThingsD report said "Buffy" represents a significant shift for Facebook, which has focused much of its mobile work on light collaborations with hardware makers.

 

It said Facebook's partnership with HTC is the latest incarnation of the long-running project.

 

HTC is one of several companies that have built phones with a dedicated Facebook button.

 

On the other hand, France Telecom’s Orange unit last week announced a series of Facebook-centric phones aimed at emerging markets in Europe and Africa.

 

But with "Buffy," the integration will go much deeper, bringing friends and social activities deep into the mobile interface.

 

“Mobile devices are inherently social,” Taylor himself said at an industry conference earlier this year.

 

Mobile critical to Facebook's future

 

The AllThingsD report said mobile is critical to Facebook’s future, with moving directly into the phone business being essential for Facebook.

 

Facebook claims to have 350 million active mobile users, and relationships with 475 global mobile operators.

 

On the other hand, Apple has fought to maintain strict control over payments within its mobile apps, including those that run off of Facebook’s platform.

 

Apple also made Twitter its social partner.

 

For its part, Google is increasingly a direct competitor, working to promote and integrate its own social network Google+ across all its products. — TJD, GMA News