Published on May 29th, 2012 | by Paterson Prosper

Facebook phone may finally become reality

You’ve heard it before, but this time it may come to fruition: Facebook is working on its own phone. Facebook is also looking at buying Opera, the mobile Web browser prized for its efficiency.

Why would it be different this time than in the past, when such an effort was reported, although denied by the social networking giant?
There are at least a few reasons: Google, definitely not Facebook’s BFF, recently completed the purchase of Motorola Mobility; and ahead of Facebook’s recent IPO, the company acknowledged that mobile is a key area in which it needs to grow, with more and more Facebook users accessing the site via mobile than on computers. And right now, the social network has not pushed advertising — its key revenue source — onto mobile. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg contends that will change, saying recently that transforming its mobile and advertising experience are top priorities in 2012.
“We don’t comment on rumor and speculation,” said a Facebook spokeswoman when asked for comment by msnbc.com about the Facebook phone. But, she added, “Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social. 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.”

via MSN