The Facebook phone is on its way. The device is set to debut on the Hutchinson-owned ‘3‘ in the UK and Australia next week.
Social networking sites have been revolutionizing the way people interact with each other, the internet, and the technology they use to access the internet. The idea that your online social life ends when you put your computer to sleep/away is one that people are slowly starting to dislike. Progressively, users are wanting to access their email, online profiles, and online friends/messages on a regular, uninterrupted basis. Consequently, the technology that people are using to access their accounts is developing to allow for immediate and live access to online information.
The Facebook phone is going to be one of the pioneering inventions in this field. It is a handset that places social networking site Facebook at its centre. It is low cost and includes additional applications that allow for immediate mobile Skype, email, and IM usage.
The Facebook element of the phone is an application that runs in the background. The user gets regular updates on Facebook activity just like an SMS or text message. So, if someone writes on your wall, you get an announcement. Moreover, as already said, Skype, email, and Windows Live Messenger are additional applications that work in the exact same way. One can also install widgets for Google, eBay, and the like as well as music sites like Last.fm. Consequently, with your mobile you can have unlimited access to information transpiring online without being locked to a computer.
The technology is quite functional. According to Last100:
“However, as Om Malik notes, one potential flaw of the INQ1’s web centric misson is that its candy bar form factor doesn’t allow for a QWERTY keyboard. Instead users will need to interact with all the included messaging applications via a 12-key dialpad…Technology-wise, the INQ1 is based on Qualcomm’s 6260 chipset and uses the Brew OS, although The Guardian reports that the handset’s maker did consider Google’s Android OS but concluded that it would requires a more powerful and expensive processor, defeating the goal of producing a low-cost alternative to existing smartphones.”
The device is being launched by both ‘3′ and their sister-company INQ Mobile for a reasonable price and contract. “The handset will be free on an 18-month contract, with a tariff of £15 a month ($22). This includes unlimited Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger usage and up to 1 GB of web access, unlimited emails, unlimited texting, and unlimited calls to other “3″ customers, plus 75 minutes of talk time to competitor’s networks.”
It is a fairly inexpensive plan. In an interview with Unstrung, INQ Mobile’s CEO, Frank Meehan said that “you need to drive data usage higher right across all the handset segments. You want the majority of customers, not the top-end of the community that rules strategy at the moment.”
That being said it is a device that is designed with user wants equally in mind with the need of affordability for the widest demographic. Mark Zuckerberg, creator and CEO of Facebook, made a video-appearance at the launch announcement in London last week. He seemed very happy with the product-as we are sure users will be as well. Watch for the Facebook phone, which should be available within the next week.
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