14 DAY TRIAL // Even though Facebook has denied all rumors pointing to a partnership with handset manufacturer INQ, it seems that the latest INQ Cloud Touch smartphone may be in fact the first Facebook phone.
The following news has been leaked thanks to a submission from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) website coming from INQ, which was made on December 23rd.
Apparently one of the two rumored Facebook phone will be called INQ Cloud Touch and will run on the Android platform.
According to INQ's submission on Bluetooth SIG:
“INQ Cloud Touch is an Android smartphone built to make messaging faster and smarter. It’s designed around the way people naturally communicate and has Facebook built into its core. The homescreen features multiple entry points to different Facebook functions, while a dynamic widget displays a feed of status updates, albums, videos and photos.”
Given the rumors of a partnership between Facebook and INQ, which have been stirring since September 2010, the Cloud Touch might be the first result of this “secret” collaboration between the two companies.
It looks like the information about the phone's specs is pretty scarce for the moment, but rumors say that the first Facebook phone should feature a Blackberry-style look with a full QWERTY keyboard, as well as touch screen.
The second Facebook phone is rumored to feature an iPhone-like design, but lacking a physical keyboard.
Obviously, there's no information regarding the phone's release date, but rumors speculate that INQ Cloud Touch might be available on the market later this year.
Furthermore, it is likely that the smartphone will be launched through a major carrier and rumors point to AT&T as the exclusive carrier that will retail the first Facebook phone.
Even if INQ's Cloud Touch won't be one of the Facebook-branded phones, it is certainly one of the closest to fit the profile.
