Rumours have been swirling for sometime that Facebook would launch its own smartphone. Earlier this year two HTC ‘Facebook phones’ were launched but were simply smartphones with a Facebook app button on the front.
Now, however, a fresh rumour started by All Things Digital suggests Facebook is building a phone and it will be called ‘Buffy’. (Yes, after the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, apparently).
All Things Digital says, “the phone is planned to run on a modified version of Android that Facebook has tweaked heavily to deeply integrate its services”.
Facebook, of course, has been quick not to confirm or deny the speculation and instead put out the usual release that it thinks “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”.
HTC and Samsung have been mentioned as possible partners in building ‘Buffy’. What’s most interesting about this rumour is the simple question – why? Why would Facebook want its own phone with Facebook deeply integrated into it? The Facebook apps for Android and the iPhone are already very good.
Apart from wanting to really take on the iPhone and Apple, Facebook also has its eye on the future – a future where people will use their smartphones for pretty much everything: shopping, paying for goods, web browsing, sharing recommendations and communicating. As the planet becomes smart and mobile, Facebook will no doubt want to have its own devices that tie users deeper into the social fabric of its online network.

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