Phone to Facebook: you actually sell?

Facebook is reportedly considering some sort of phone experience, but there is a nagging issue surrounding the device: Will sell?

The saga around the phone to Facebook was fun to watch in recent days. here is a brief summary:

Add and Zuckerberg indicates that Facebook does not work on an operating system, talk to those responsible for the phone and is basically watching a tricked out Android device with social networking experience.

Zuckerberg said in the interview TechCrunch:

Our role is to be a platform to do all of these more social applications, and is sort of an extension of what we see happening on the Web, with the exception of mobile telephony, which I think will be even more important than the web in a few years – perhaps even earlier.But the basic thing that we found from building social applications and this platform ourselves is that almost any experience or app can be better if you social and has your friends with you and we expect only that there is really enormous inconvenience for the next five years.

From there, Zuckerberg talked about single Sign-on and inclusion in all aspects of the phone.

As for me, just can't get wound up on this thing phone Facebook — unless of course this device somehow cures cancer or makes teleporting a reality (commuting sucks). After pondering these developments phone Facebook — and wondering if I needed some sort of therapy tech blogger for not giving a hoot — that struck me: I think not only a mobile phone of Facebook is going to be all that.

We've seen this show before technology.I.e.:

Years ago, Microsoft entered each category that was going to crush the competition.Now we know how that turned out. Google has filled that void. Now every new category that Google enters is a big problem, but the company remains largely a one-trick pony through prospecting. Look no farther than Google's various efforts for evidence to be social. Now Facebook is the big dog. Facebook knows social and realizes that needs some mobile game to control over their own destiny (in particular ad sales). The social graph is mobile.The rub: there is no guarantee that Facebook know much of anything on mobile devices.

What we learned from history?Microsoft knows Windows and Office, but not much more. Google sa research and not much more.If you play the string, it is likely that Facebook knows social and probably not much more.

The enthusiasm around Facebook phone is partially based on numbers. Facebook has 500 million users.If sells phones to 10 percent of his base, which is 50 million phones.Facebook is a slam dunk on a cell phone! well, not really.It seems that we are to tips for a software version of Motorola's blur. or maybe Facebook Facebook creates a souped up HTC Sense overlapped.

Sure, 27 percent of Gen Y accessing social networking sites from mobile phones, but other generations late. chances are good that will do better than kin of Microsoft phone Facebook — a spectacular failure — but may not be nearly as big as the we think Can Facebook really. create a great experience profound social without hardware and OS integration? here is a look at Forrester's latest demographics on modalities of interaction of generations with their phones.

The reality is that most popular uses for devices not completely revolve around social networking. Chore of Facebook is to revolutionize the text messaging and email — the basic tasks on a phone. Just do not see Facebook completing that task with a skin of Android.

You will find us at its time. A phone Facebook will sell well?

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Larry Dignan is editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director SmartPlanet and of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic.

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