facebook and ‘Buffy’ team up
Facebook is looking to enter the cell phone business.
The social networking site has partnered with Taiwan-based mobile phone maker HTC to build a smartphone that would run on its own version of Goodle’s Android, All Things D reported.
The phone — code-named “Buffy,” after the 1997-2003 TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar — also would support HTML5 as a platform for applications.
The device is said to be 12-18 months away from becoming available to consumers.
According to AllThingsD, the phone marks a “significant shift” for Facebook, whose mobile initiatives thus far have been centered on “light collaborations with hardware makers looking to create more socially oriented phones.”
A Facebook spokesman refused to comment on the phone but did give a statement on the company’s mobile strategy.
“We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social,” the spokesman said. “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 also had no comment.
