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Facebook is up to something really big. Awhile ago they brought on Brandon Walkin (http://www.brandonwalkin.com/blog/ http://www.brandonwalkin.com/blog/) who i

Facebook is up to something really big. Awhile ago they brought on Brandon Walkin (http://www.brandonwalkin.com/blog/ http://www.brandonwalkin.com/blog/) who is, arguably, one of the most detailed-oriented user interface designers on the planet. He's also a very talented Cocoa developer and apps that he's worked on have won Apple Design Awards. Next, they acquired Sofa, another Apple Design Award-winning design & software firm who have created some of the best-looking apps for OS X. Now they nabbed Push Pop Press, founded by Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, who were both instrumental to the launch of the iPhone on the software side. Facebook is building an army of UI designers/developers who 1) used to work at Apple, or 2) have built apps Apple has deemed best-in-class. I'd be really surprised if Facebook isn't working on something big to go up against Apple and Google. There were rumors of a Facebook phone, perhaps Facebook is building their own hardware and need a world-class design team to craft its OS? I can't see Facebook sticking all this amazing talent on a redesign of Photos or Chat, or updating icons in Facebook's iPhone app.

hv23 15y ago
+1, there's definitely an interesting pattern of Facebook acquiring top Apple-related design talent. TechCrunch has a series of posts on "Project Spartan", a high-priority project within Facebook where they're rumored to be making a new massive mobile distribution platform based on HTML5 (http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/facebook-project-spartan/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/facebook-project-spartan/). Maybe related? //end rampant speculation
- koopajah 15y ago
  And they also hired Geohot last month. Might really well add to the facebook phone idea!
fuckall 15y ago
Also the great Ben Barry (http://blog.designforfun.com/ http://blog.designforfun.com/) of the design cult forum theroot42.org and other places now works at Facebook.
jkincaid 15y ago
I doubt Facebook would build a hardware device. Instead, I think they'll do a 'social OS' that uses Android for all the low-level stuff, but with the Google apps all replaced with apps that have deep Facebook integration (messages, contacts, photos, etc.). Microsoft Bing apps (e.g. Maps) could round out the features that FB doesn't build themselves, and they could use Amazon's Appstore in lieu of Android Market. But to your point, it's possible these designers are at work making this social OS beautiful. Android in the back, iOS in the front.
- cullenking 15y ago
  Facebook won't build their competing phone OS on top of android - Google controls android and Google is facebook's biggest competitor.
  - Steko 15y ago
    "Google controls android" Meh, they control it to an extent. The core open sourced Android (gingerbread atm) is clearly "good enough" that all anyone has to do to credibly fork it and still deliver a high end device is bring as much to the table as Google itself does. That's not a herculean task although only a handful of companies qualify and most of those are better off jumping through Google's hoops to get the full experience anyway. Facebook probably isn't one that wants to jump through Google's hoops though. I'm not saying the FB phone will be a success. Clearly some people want it. Let's go benefit of the doubt and say it will be technically awesome. Well so were a lot of other flops. I think a FB phone is one of those things on a knifes edge that could be a Vista/Zune/Edsel level flop or could be the iDevice killer every tech pundit has been waiting on for the last decade.
- fraserharris 15y ago
  More likely built on WP7 than Android. Microsoft + Facebook are all ready in bed with Skype
null_para 15y ago
Wow..thats awesome! May be building next-gen HTML5 stuff (based on TC reports abt HTML5)
tlrobinson 15y ago
Push Pop also won an ADA... I think you're on to something.
rfurmani 15y ago
No no no, there's no way a Facebook phone would take off (especially in the already crowded market). Facebook's environment is built around iterating quickly, with okay solutions, and checking for bugs by pushing it out. It's a great hacking spirit and probably fun to work with, but is really ill suited to hardware and consumer products (look at how long it even took Google to get used to having discrete releases)
- Steko 15y ago
  A Facebook phone is really just any gingerbread phone the hardware maker is currently making minus Google apps plus Facebook apps. Obviously Facebook is making a huge effort to change their design DNA.
varenc 15y ago
They also recently hired George Hotz (geohot), a well known iphone unlocker...
varenc 15y ago
They also recently hired George Hotz (geohot), a well known iphone unlocker...

hv23 15y ago

+1, there's definitely an interesting pattern of Facebook acquiring top Apple-related design talent. TechCrunch has a series of posts on "Project Spartan", a high-priority project within Facebook where they're rumored to be making a new massive mobile distribution platform based on HTML5 (http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/facebook-project-spartan/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/facebook-project-spartan/). Maybe related? //end rampant speculation

koopajah 15y ago
And they also hired Geohot last month. Might really well add to the facebook phone idea!

fuckall 15y ago

Also the great Ben Barry (http://blog.designforfun.com/ http://blog.designforfun.com/) of the design cult forum theroot42.org and other places now works at Facebook.

jkincaid 15y ago

I doubt Facebook would build a hardware device. Instead, I think they'll do a 'social OS' that uses Android for all the low-level stuff, but with the Google apps all replaced with apps that have deep Facebook integration (messages, contacts, photos, etc.). Microsoft Bing apps (e.g. Maps) could round out the features that FB doesn't build themselves, and they could use Amazon's Appstore in lieu of Android Market. But to your point, it's possible these designers are at work making this social OS beautiful. Android in the back, iOS in the front.

cullenking 15y ago
Facebook won't build their competing phone OS on top of android - Google controls android and Google is facebook's biggest competitor.
- Steko 15y ago
  "Google controls android" Meh, they control it to an extent. The core open sourced Android (gingerbread atm) is clearly "good enough" that all anyone has to do to credibly fork it and still deliver a high end device is bring as much to the table as Google itself does. That's not a herculean task although only a handful of companies qualify and most of those are better off jumping through Google's hoops to get the full experience anyway. Facebook probably isn't one that wants to jump through Google's hoops though. I'm not saying the FB phone will be a success. Clearly some people want it. Let's go benefit of the doubt and say it will be technically awesome. Well so were a lot of other flops. I think a FB phone is one of those things on a knifes edge that could be a Vista/Zune/Edsel level flop or could be the iDevice killer every tech pundit has been waiting on for the last decade.
fraserharris 15y ago
More likely built on WP7 than Android. Microsoft + Facebook are all ready in bed with Skype

null_para 15y ago

Wow..thats awesome! May be building next-gen HTML5 stuff (based on TC reports abt HTML5)

tlrobinson 15y ago

Push Pop also won an ADA... I think you're on to something.

rfurmani 15y ago

No no no, there's no way a Facebook phone would take off (especially in the already crowded market). Facebook's environment is built around iterating quickly, with okay solutions, and checking for bugs by pushing it out. It's a great hacking spirit and probably fun to work with, but is really ill suited to hardware and consumer products (look at how long it even took Google to get used to having discrete releases)

Steko 15y ago
A Facebook phone is really just any gingerbread phone the hardware maker is currently making minus Google apps plus Facebook apps. Obviously Facebook is making a huge effort to change their design DNA.

varenc 15y ago

They also recently hired George Hotz (geohot), a well known iphone unlocker...

varenc 15y ago

They also recently hired George Hotz (geohot), a well known iphone unlocker...