Facebook is working on a custom Android phone and app platform

Nov 22, 2011 15:50 GMT  ·  By

In yet another case of deja vu, the Facebook phone is back. The first rumors surfaced a year ago, but Facebook was quick to dismiss them. Then some 'real' Facebook phones launched, not-so-great Android devices with a Facebook button, and everyone though that was it.

Not so fast, there is such a thing as a Facebook phone, it's the same project that the rumors last year talked about and it's still not coming any time soon.

Still, All Things D managed to get a few more details on the project. Apparently, Facebook has recently decided to stick with HTC as the manufacturing partner.

Facebook will handle the software side though and the customizations will go beyond sticking a Facebook logo and a Facebook button on the phone.

The project is codenamed Buffy, as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can imagine that one vampire is Google. Another one is Apple.

Apparently, Facebook is working on its own version of Android, just like Amazon did for the Kindle Fire. However, it's unclear how deep the changes will go.

At the very least, Facebook could simply build Facebook into the contacts list, the calendar app and so on. At the other end of the spectrum, Facebook's Android may be similar to Amazon's, a completely new interface, new apps and so on.

One thing that is certain and which will be key to the phone, is that it will support HTML5 mobile apps, like the ones Facebook is pushing. And you can bet that they'll be available in a Facebook app store which will rely on Facebook credits.

Facebook already supports HTML5 but also native apps in its iPad app. However, Apple would not allow it to add any monetization features to it and it would not allow it to offer a competing app store. Having its own phone would fix that.

For Facebook, there is no question that it needs a phone platform. Facebook is the most popular or among the most popular mobile app on all mobile platforms. But neither Apple nor Google would ever allow Facebook to have too much control over their phones.

A Facebook version of Android, free of Google apps as well as the Android Market, would give the social network a free reign. That said, any actual phone coming out of the project won't be available for at least another year, a year and a half.