Earlier this month, technology website Tech Crunch reported a “leak” pertaining to a new social media-geared phone created and powered by Facebook.Other tech sites such as Gizmodo.com and CNET immediately picked up the story.
What Facebook wants to do is not clear yet, but a spokesperson told CNET that “Facebook is not building a phone. Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating …into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this.”
The idea is that the company is planning on creating software that will reflect the “social” aspects of a phone and invest with a major phone company like HTC or Samsung to build the platform.
A Gizmodo.com representative said, “Facebook employees Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos are leading the charge on the OS [operating system], using their previous careers as Firefox browser creator and Chrome OS builder, respectively, to launch something Facebook can be proud of.”
In spite of the leak, many University of Tampa students have not heard anything about the new phone.
Kourtnaye Lewis, a sophomore, said, “I haven’t heard anything at all.”
She is not the only one; many others responded in a “similar fashion or just had a confused look. Those that do know about this are either surprised or just don’t care.
Liza Pichette, a junior, said, “The article was kind of confusing. I think they are trying to create a phone network for Facebook. That’s kind of what I got out of it.”
Why would Facebook want to create something like this? Remember back in January when Google created the phone that they named “Nexus One”?
That flopped. Due to the lack of support from major wireless networks, the phone was short lived.
Another phone that took this route was the “Kin.”
Around Super Bowl, these phones were advertised like crazy as the new “social phone.” Then, it vanished from television.
However, the Android or Droid, which is often credited towards Google, took off and competes with the ever successful iPhone.
After the release of their article, Tech Crunch took the opportunity to sit down and interview Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, at their headquarters in Palo Alto, California to clarify the story.
From the interview, one can ascertain that Facebook is not revolutionizing the phone, just the way it works.
Instead of signing into each of your “social networks” only one sign-on will be required.
Zuckerberg said in his interview, “We can do a single sign-on if we do a good integration with a phone, rather than just doing something where you go to an app and it’s automatically social or having to sign into each app individually…Just make it so that you log into your phone once, and then everything that you do on your phone is social.”
A few questions come to mind such as the look of the phone, the release date and the name, all of which as of now go unanswered.
It would be revolutionary, just like Facebook itself, but would anyone buy it?
Taylor DeMesa, a freshman, said she would buy the “Facebook phone.”
“I’m already on Facebook on my phone anyways, why not have a Facebook phone?” she said. Others say no way. T.J. Koziol, a sophomore, said, “I really don’t see the point. I use my phone to call and text; I use my computer for everything else.It’s just really redundant. I’m sure there are many people who will buy it because of the brand name. [Just] like Apple.”
Another pressing question is whether it will surpass the iPhone. Many students say no.
When asked if she would purchase a “Facebook phone,” Lewis, owner of an iPhone, said “Probably not, I have an iPhone and it does everything I need.
I’ve had it for two years. I don’t think I’ll ever get a different phone. Competition might be a problem for them.
Just look at the competition already between the iPhone and BlackBerry.”
Most students prefer their iPhones over anything else. Pichette said, “The iPhone is easier to deal with the Internet.”
DeMesa believes that no matter what Facebook comes up with, the iPhone will be first.
Whether it is the new movie The Social Network, or the constant checking of our account, Facebook will always be a subconscious thought to many people.
Laurel Sanchez can be reached at laura.sanchez1@gmail.com.