Facebook is stepping up its mobile phone offering via new handsets with its social networking services at their heart.
HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, and INQ, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, will this month unveil touchscreen mobiles, based on Google’s Android operating system, that feature greater Facebook integration on the handsets. Other manufacturers are expected to follow suit.
While neither is branded as a “Facebook phone”, HTC’s handset will have a dedicated button that takes users straight to Facebook, according to people familiar with the device.
INQ has worked with Facebook engineers to create apps for its “Cloud” touchscreen and Qwerty keyboard devices, blending Facebook Events with the phone’s calendar and placing Facebook features prominently on its home screen.
“Facebook is now much bigger than a social network,” said Frank Meehan, INQ’s chief executive. “It’s a communications platform.” HTC is expected to unveil its device at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona next week. “It’s one of HTC’s main pushes for this year,” a person familiar with its strategy told the Financial Times. HTC declined to comment.
The manufacturers claim the devices are a step up from previous attempts to integrate social networks into phones, such as Motorola’s “Motoblur” interface or Vodafone’s “360” service.
Henri Moissinac, Facebook’s head of mobile business, said: “Mobile now is a top priority for the company. We believe every phone will become social, right from the moment you open the box.”
The Facebook-centric phones feature video and photo alerts, rather than just text, and “live” home screens that update as friends post messages and pictures on the site.
Users will only have to sign in to Facebook once, when setting up the device, allowing their credentials to be used automatically by third-party applications.
As more handset makers adopt Google’s free Android software, manufacturers are looking for ways to differentiate their products.
Facebook’s smartphone application is already one of the most popular apps on Apple iPhone and Google Android handsets.
These latest devices distribute the app’s features around the phone, meaning users see Facebook “deep linked” across several features and menus.
INQ’s “people app” uses data from Facebook to learn who the user’s closest friends are, prioritising the updates from those people.
The “Cloud” devices also allow people to “check-in” from the home screen on Facebook Places, which shares the user’s location with friends and provides special offers from retailers.
Facebook and INQ share an investor in Li Ka-shing, the Hong Kong billionaire and Hutchison Whampoa chairman. “It places us in quite a unique position,” Mr Meehan said.
The INQ Cloud phones, which will also integrate European music service Spotify, will be available in the UK from April through Carphone Warehouse with plans to ship to other countries in the coming months.
HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, and INQ, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, will this month unveil touchscreen mobiles, based on Google’s Android operating system, that feature greater Facebook integration on the handsets. Other manufacturers are expected to follow suit.
While neither is branded as a “Facebook phone”, HTC’s handset will have a dedicated button that takes users straight to Facebook, according to people familiar with the device.
INQ has worked with Facebook engineers to create apps for its “Cloud” touchscreen and Qwerty keyboard devices, blending Facebook Events with the phone’s calendar and placing Facebook features prominently on its home screen.
“Facebook is now much bigger than a social network,” said Frank Meehan, INQ’s chief executive. “It’s a communications platform.” HTC is expected to unveil its device at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona next week. “It’s one of HTC’s main pushes for this year,” a person familiar with its strategy told the Financial Times. HTC declined to comment.
The manufacturers claim the devices are a step up from previous attempts to integrate social networks into phones, such as Motorola’s “Motoblur” interface or Vodafone’s “360” service.
Henri Moissinac, Facebook’s head of mobile business, said: “Mobile now is a top priority for the company. We believe every phone will become social, right from the moment you open the box.”
The Facebook-centric phones feature video and photo alerts, rather than just text, and “live” home screens that update as friends post messages and pictures on the site.
Users will only have to sign in to Facebook once, when setting up the device, allowing their credentials to be used automatically by third-party applications.
As more handset makers adopt Google’s free Android software, manufacturers are looking for ways to differentiate their products.
Facebook’s smartphone application is already one of the most popular apps on Apple iPhone and Google Android handsets.
These latest devices distribute the app’s features around the phone, meaning users see Facebook “deep linked” across several features and menus.
INQ’s “people app” uses data from Facebook to learn who the user’s closest friends are, prioritising the updates from those people.
The “Cloud” devices also allow people to “check-in” from the home screen on Facebook Places, which shares the user’s location with friends and provides special offers from retailers.
Facebook and INQ share an investor in Li Ka-shing, the Hong Kong billionaire and Hutchison Whampoa chairman. “It places us in quite a unique position,” Mr Meehan said.
The INQ Cloud phones, which will also integrate European music service Spotify, will be available in the UK from April through Carphone Warehouse with plans to ship to other countries in the coming months.
