Facebook continues to tease the world about launching its own smartphone. The latest tidbit came last night, when the company sent invitations to reporters for a press event on April 4 at its offices in Menlo Park, CA. The title of the invitation read: “Come See Our New Home on Android.”
The speculation continues, despite recent denials by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that there are no smartphone plans for the social media giant. “The phone just doesn’t make any sense,” Zuckerberg said at a conference last year.
But that has not stopped rumors about Facebook’s mobile plans. The April 4 event could simply be the launch of a new service or application, but analysts expect something bigger. Facebook has been rumored to be collaborating with Taiwanese manufacturer HTC.
A good bet is that Facebook will launch a branded smartphone, built by HTC, with software that is a customized version of Google’s Android operating system.
Facebook has, at times, been criticized for ‘not getting’ mobile. A Facebook-centric phone allow the company to craft an exceptional experience for users. Expect to see a heavy reliance on native Facebook apps, such as Messenger.
Don’t expect hardware to be the focus when the Facebook phone does appear. This is about software. More details should emerge in the coming week, leading up to the unveiling on April 4.