A Facebook phone that supposedly would be made by HTC has been rumored for some time now. It was earlier believed to be slated for launching by the end of 2012, but now it is said that the launch of the device would be deferred until 2013, possibly in the middle of the year. The delay reportedly is due to HTC’s decision to prioritize its other products over the Facebook phone.
Facebook and HTC have neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the handset, so all this could be just gossip or wishful thinking on the part of Facebook fans.
Two products that were thought to be Facebook phones called the HTC Cha Cha and the HTC Salsa had already been released. Both devices featured a dedicated button that allowed for easy access to Facebook. However, they have not been named as the official Facebook handset. Thus, the wait for the real Facebook phone continues.
The Facebook phone that is speculated to arrive next year is said to be named after Buffy, the fictional character in the television series called Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. It is expected to carry Android OS that will be slightly altered to allow for an integration of the social network’s services. Moreover, it will allegedly have support for HTML5.
At present, smartphones and even feature phones typically allow users to access the social network. Thus, if Facebook and HTC do push through with the Facebook phone, the device should offer enticing features that would convince people to purchase the device for reasons other than because of the brand names that it carries.