Facebook Phones Arrive for Android Users
While an official Facebook phone has yet to arrive, INQ Mobile will soon offer two smartphones, the INQ Cloud Touch and INQ Cloud Q, custom-designed for social networks.
Crafted with Facebook’s direct input, the mobile handsets incorporate status update, picture, video and additional feeds right onto their home screens. One-touch links also provide immediate access to chat sessions, wall posts, notifications, messages and more. Users can also tap into location-based restaurant or bar check-in features via Facebook Places right from the home screen, while Facebook Events will synchronize directly with Google Calendar on both devices.
Initially planned for an April launch in the UK, the gadgets will come with music streaming service Spotify prepackaged, and run on the Android 2.2 operating system. The Cloud Q will boast a 2.6-inch touchscreen. The Cloud Touch will feature a 600Mhz Qualcomm processor, 3.5-inch capacitative touchscreen, 4MB of upgradeable onboard memory, accelerometer, microSD storage and 5MP digital camera.
While no official U.S. release date has been announced, over 200 million users today access Facebook via their mobile phones. A North American launch likely by the end of 2011.