Remember the HTC Chacha (AKA HTC Status sold by AT&T) or the HTC Salsa? Both were supposed to be Facebook phones that were unveiled as the Mobile World Congress in 2001 back in February and both were a complete bust.

According to All Things Digital Facebook is still entertaining the thought of a Facebook phone and this time the new phone has been dubbed ‘Buffy”, after the television vampire slayer, the phone is planned to run on a modified version of Android that Facebook as tweaked heavily (scary thought) to deeply integrate its services.

Facebook once again has chosen HTC to manufacture the Facebook phone after also considering Samsung. While the idea may sound “cool” to have a Facbook phone I really don’t see the practically of it. I like most readers here do have a Facebook account and I probably spend more time than I should on Facebook but I really don’t see the need to have a phone designed specifically for just Facebook. When I am out-in-about other than checking-in, I rarely open the application on my phone.

If the reports from All Things Digital are correct, Facebook may follow Amazon.com’s path in creating its own highly customized version of Android to power the phone. The problem with this strategy is, you lose access to core services of such as the Android Market and Gmail. This may be a moot issue to Facebook who probably consider running its own messaging and e-mail services on the device.

Again, going back to my previous statement, the idea may sound “cool” to have a Facebook powered phone but the practicality of it is not there. I have used HTC’s and Samsung’s integrated Facebook applications that sync my whole address book with Facebook and the outcome is always a huge address book filled with a bunch of people whom I maintain little to no contact with.

The Smartphone business is a very competitive business and with this idea still in development stages meaning we would not see an actual Facebook phone for at least another 12 to 18 months which would allow Google, Apple and Microsoft to leap way ahead in innovations leaving Facebook in the dust. If I were Facebook I would file this idea away and work on better Facebook applications for our devices.

Looks like HTC and AT&T are at it again with the exclusive phones. Reminding us a lot of now year-old disastrous KIN and KIN 2 Social Phones released by Microsoft and Sharp in June 2010, The HTC Status is a phone designed to be aimed at the average user of  Facebook and their addiction to – you guessed it – Status Updates. The phone – though very reminding of the feature phone – is actually a fully featured Android 2.3 device with Sense – remarkably in the opposite direction of specifications –  a 800 Mhz processor and 512MB of RAM – a tiny 2.6″ HVGA-L screen and direct buttons – both on the sceen and on the keyboard – for easy Facebook use. Don’t hesitate to tell HTC and AT&T your thoughts on that new Status Page of theirs for the HTC Status

Is this phone TOO Facebook oriented – or will the kids love us? You tell us, Press Release is below.

Today, HTC launched a new page on Facebook, all about the HTC Status, coming exclusively to AT&T this summer. You know those priceless moments with your friends on Facebook—that quick pic, inside joke, or perfectly timed post? The first device with a Facebook share button, the HTC Status ensures those moments happen more often, keeping you at the center of your social circle. The HTC Status lets you share just about anything with just one touch, including music, photos, location and status updates. HTC Status also features a chat widget that allows you to, at a glance, see when your friends are online. You can start a live instant chat and juggle between as many private conversations as you want, all straight from the device.

“HTC Status brings a Facebook experience to people who want to share their experiences with their friends faster and easier than ever before,” said Jason Mackenzie, President, HTC Americas. “With a dedicated Facebook share button combined with the hallmark HTC Sense experience, HTC Status makes it easy for people to stay connected to the things that are important to them.”

Dedicated Facebook share button

• One touch to share- Press the Facebook share button from your home screen to instantly post on your wall.
• Snap, shoot, share- Take a picture or shoot a video and share it instantly with a press of the Facebook share button. You can even post pictures automatically as you’re taking them..
• Quick-on-the-draw check-in- Just long press the Facebook share button to check in your location with Facebook Places.
• Be first with the news- See something cool on the web? Share your latest find with a quick press of the Facebook share button.
• Post to your wall – or a friend’s wall – From the home screen, a quick tap of the Facebook HTC share button makes sharing anything on your mind quick and easy.
• Share what you’re listening to- The Facebook share button glows when you’re listening to music, to let you know you can share. Let your friends in on the music you love with the push of a button.

Lock screen shortcuts

Instead of a barrier, the HTC shortcut lock screen just became a launch pad to what you want to do now! Open your favorite apps by just dragging their shortcut icons into the lock screen ring.

See what’s happening before you pick up

Every time you get or make a call, you see your friend’s profile picture and latest status update right on the call screen. If it’s their birthday that week, you’ll see that, too.

Special effects for photos and videos

Anyone can be an artist. Use camera effects to make your photos and videos look like they’ve been taken through special lenses and filters—like Sepia for an old-fashioned look, or Aqua for a touch of cool. Apply effects right in the viewfinder, or apply them afterwards in the Gallery.

Front and back cameras

Take a spontaneous self-portrait or a quick cheek-to-cheek pic with your best pal on the VGA front-facing camera—or just double-check your hair with the Mirror app. With the 5.0 MP main camera with LED flash, you can capture every moment, with pictures or high-quality video.

A smarter ringer

The “Quiet ring on pickup” setting reduces the ring volume when you pick the phone up. The “Pocket mode” setting increases ring volume when your phone is in a pocket or bag, and then returns the volume to a reasonable level when you take it out.

Tech Specs

• Platform: Android 2.3 + HTC Sense
• Display: 2.6-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution
• Network: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900
• Memory: 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
• Processor: MSM7227, 800 MHz
• Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 1250 mAh
• Camera resolution: 5 MP main camera with autofocus, VGA  front-facing camera

Please check out the HTC Status Facebook page and the AT&T Facebook page for more information on the device as we get closer to retail availability. Both places will be a one-stop for all news and announcements related to HTC Status. Please let me know if you have any questions.

UPDATE

The rumor spreading about the suspected “Facebook” phone have been shut down. There is no more speculating to be done. Facebook came forward and denied the rumors that a FB-branded handset was going to be announced.

Dan Rose, head of business development at the company however did say, “This is really just another example of a manufacturer who has taken our public APIs (application programming interfaces) and integrated them into their device in an interesting way. The rumours around there being something more to this HTC device are overblown.”

So there you go geeks. Don’t you love when rumors are proven right or wrong?

END OF UPDATE:

Some people in this day in age just can’t get enough of Facebook can they? At least that’s how I look at it now, especially with HTC being rumored to have their very own “Facebook” phone. This device is said to be accounced at The Mobile World Congress show which will be very soon, February 14th through the 17th, in Barcelona, Spain.

The source of the information says that the rumors are true and HTC could possibly even show more than one “Facebook” phone at the MWC show. We aren’t sure how true this is but if so, HTC would potentially be increasing their revenue even more with all of the facebook fans out there. What do you think?

Some of the features rumored are that the phone will run on a tweaked version of Google’s Android operating system and will prominently display users’ Facebook messages and news feed on the home screen. Also suspected is the option of being able to call or email friends from information stored on their Facebook page.

Is there really a need for this? Would you get one yourself? We want to hear your thoughts. Let us know what you think in the comments box below.

Source: IM & CAM