Vodafone is the latest company to unveil a Facebook phone, although the Vodafone 555 Blue is more likely to be a hit in emerging mobile markets like India than in the UK.
The device is a feature phone running Vodafone's proprietary operating system, rather than Android or another smartphone OS.
Made by TCL, the device has a 2.4-inch screen with a physical Qwerty keypad, but lacks 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity, settling for 2.5G / EDGE instead. It has a two-megapixel camera and Micro-SD card slot, with a dedicated Facebook button on the keypad.
Buyers will log into their Facebook account as soon as they turn the 555 Blue on, and will be able to sign up for the social network if they don't already have an account.
Joanna Shields, Facebook's vice president and managing director EMEA, said that the company hopes the device will drive new signups in the developing world. Currently, 250 million people access Facebook from their phones.
"What they've done here is truly created the most brilliant product from the ground up," said Shields. "It's Facebook-enabled in all aspects."
The 555 Blue will go on sale in August across various Vodafone markets, including the UK. It is expected to cost less than $100 (around £60) on a prepay tariff, which will include a bundle of data usage.
"This is all about driving data growth in the pre-pay segment," said Peter Becker-Pennrich, group terminals marketing director at Vodafone Group. "How can we create an experience that is truly differentiating, and very relevant and enjoyable to that segment?"
Questioned about the lack of 3G or Wi-Fi, Becker-Pennrich suggested that users will not feel a negative impact, since updates and messages will be pushed to them over the air. However, as prices continue to fall for Android smartphones on pre-pay contracts, the 555 Blue will face stiff competition in countries like the UK.
The deal is the latest mobile partnership for Facebook, which has repeatedly denied suggestions that it wants to launch one dedicated 'Facebook Phone', touting instead a strategy of deep integration with many handsets.
To that end, Facebook is a core feature of Microsoft's Windows Phone OS, while handset manufacturer HTC has released two Android smartphones with dedicated buttons for Facebook sharing: the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha - the Vodafone 555 Blue's design is similar to the latter right down to the blue Facebook button.
INQ unveiled two Facebook phones of its own earlier this year: the INQ Cloud Touch and INQ Cloud Q, which also run Android.
Apple has thus far resisted the temptation to integrate Facebook into its iOS, striking a deal instead with Twitter, which will be a flagship feature of the upcoming iOS 5 software.
Facebook is thought to be working on an HTML5-based platform for social mobile web apps, codenamed Project Spartan according to TechCrunch's scoop earlier this year.
It is expected to bring Facebook's apps platform to iOS and other smartphones, complete with the Facebook Credits payment system.
However, handsets like the 555 Blue sit more alongside Facebook's efforts to drive usage in emerging markets. In May 2010, the social network launched 0.facebook.com, a stripped-down mobile site with zero data charges thanks to partnerships with operators around the world.
More recently, Facebook launched a new Every Phone Java application that runs on more than 2,500 feature phones, and again signed deals with operators to remove data charges, albeit for a 90-day period only.
- TechTabs
- Ishan Farooq
