Facebook Looking To Compete with Google’s Android Phones?

The stories keep coming about Google’s efforts to dominate the smartphone market with their Android Operating system. Well itturns out another internet media powerhouse is trying to make a play for stardom and riches in the world-wide mobile market.

TechCrunch (no relation to Observer Publishing LLC) reported this week that Facebook may be trying to develop its own smartphone OS and accompanying hardware.

Specifically, Facebook wants to integrate deeply into the contacts list and other core functions of the phone. It can only do that if it controls the operating system.

Two high level Facebook employees – Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos – are said to be secretly working on the project, which is unknown even to most Facebook staff.

Its a novel concept to hear about Facebook trying to find a deeper connection with its userbase. Back in 2006, I often referred to Facebook as an online operating system and that was before they opened the platform up to developers and proved that FB was more than an “app” but a network for its customers to connect via a number of applications. If you’ve ever used Facebook you’d realize how hard they make it to export contact info into other e-mail applications. This would allow FB to have a stranglehold on their customers information and relationships.

Personally, we don’t see this being successful if it happens at all. Its a lot easier to integrate Facebook into a smartphone UI like HTC’s ‘Sense UI’ than it is to have a stand-alone phone operating system. Some carriers may want to distribute a FB branded phone, but to think that they could capture a meaningful share is a bit of a stretch.

More to come as the story unfolds….