What has been a long standing rumor was recently confirmed by City A.M., who reports that HTC will launch two Facebook branded mobile phones next month.
The HTC smartphones will run on a modified version of Android and be the first Facebook branded phones designed to mimic’s the site’s look, feel, and colors.
To the delight of Facebook addicts everywhere, the phone will display all Facebook messages and news feed directly on the home screen without forcing the user to open up any kind of app.
It is said the phone will further link Facebook profiles with information like email addresses and phone numbers so users can call and email from directly within FB, making it the epicenter of the mobile experience.
The brains behind the operation are Facebook’s Joe Hewitt (creator of Facebook’s iPhone application and Firefox developer) and Matthew Papakipos (former chief member behind the Google Chrome browser team).
Although unannounced, rumor has it that these two are responsible for developing and launching the smartphones.
The partnership with HTC seems like an obvious choice since the company has a history of tweaking the Android operating system.
The information about Facebooks mobile phone comes almost immediately after the company confirmed its growing commitment in the mobile space. CTO Bret Taylor went as far as to call mobile services “our primary focus for our platform this year.”
Of course beyond this Facebook branded smartphone, Taylor means the company will put more focus on its mobile UI and mobile features like its check-in service Facebook Places.
