An Ignoble Experiment

eBook: TV Everywhere Gets Personal

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) announced a press event April 4 to "come see our new home on Android." A number of reports indicate the company is planning to announce an HTC phone running a modified version of Android that offers deep and direct access to Facebook features including its News Feed, VoIP calling and messaging services.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook plans to announce new software for Android that displays content from a user's Facebook account on a smartphone's home screen--thereby pushing Facebook's services above the level of a third-party app. The report indicated Facebook will demonstrate the service on a phone from HTC.

Separately, TechCrunch reported that Facebook plans to announce a "software layer" running on top of Android that would provide direct access to Facebook services like Messenger and VoIP calling. For voice calling specifically, the report indicated that the Facebook software would route calls over a standard cellular connection if the recipient doesn't have a Facebook-capable phone--thereby making Facebook's software a phone's default calling mechanism.

Finally, 9to5Google reported that Facebook and HTC are planning a major advertising initiative to support a Facebook phone.

Facebook has long been rumored to be planning to release some kind of "Facebook phone." Indeed, the company has made mobile a central part of its business, and in recent months has reorganized its operational structure to make its mobile efforts directly tied into its overall product strategy. Further, Facebook has managed to get its software built into Apple's iOS operating system, and has added messaging and voice calling into its apps in an effort to capture a greater portion of its users' communications.

As for a teaming between Facebook and HTC, the companies previously collaborated on HTC's ChaCha and Salsa phones, which featured a dedicated Facebook button.

Facebook now boasts more than 680 million mobile monthly active users in all. The company has repeatedly denied rumors it will expand its business into the mobile hardware segment. In addition, insiders say Facebook has privately promised both Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) that a branded smartphone is not in the cards.

For more:
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- see this TechCrunch article
- see this 9to5Google article

Read more about: Facebook, HTC
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FierceCable discusses the latest technologies TV networks and content owners use to drive increased ratings and revenue from various video devices. Download for free today.

2. Kantar: Android smartphone sales surge after Samsung slashes prices

By Jason Ankeny

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3. Sprint updates Samsung Galaxy S II to Android Jelly Bean

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android mobile operating system led U.S. smartphone sales during the three-month period ending in February 2013, buoyed by gains made by partners Samsung Electronics and Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reports.

Android powers 51.2 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S. during the three months in question, up from 45.4 percent during the same timeframe a year earlier. Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS follows at 43.5 percent, down from 47 percent a year ago. Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone grew from 2.7 percent market share to 4.1 percent, and BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) plummeted from 3.6 percent to just 0.7 percent. (BlackBerry unveiled its overhauled BlackBerry 10 operating system in late January; the Z10, its first smartphone running the new OS, did not go on sale to American subscribers until late last month.)

Kantar credits Android's growth in part to price cuts made by Samsung in late 2012, stating the manufacturer's move prompted a chunk of smartphone and feature phone owners to upgrade their devices. "Of those who changed their phone over the last year to a Samsung smartphone, 19 percent had previously owned a Samsung feature phone, 15 percent owned a HTC smartphone, 14 percent owned an LG feature phone, 10 percent owned a Samsung smartphone and 9 percent owned a BlackBerry," Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Analyst Mary-Ann Parlato said. "It's apparent that Samsung is successful at capturing users from across the competitor set and not just gaining from their own loyalists."

Kantar also notes that Sprint enjoyed a significant increase in smartphone sales between December and February, translating to an additional boost for the Android platform. Sprint accounted for 15 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S. during the three-month period, up from 12.9 percent a year ago; Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) remains in the overall smartphone sales lead at 35 percent, down from 36.1 percent, trailed by AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) at 26.7 percent, dropping from 30.4 percent in the year-earlier period. T-Mobile USA increased from 9.3 percent to 9.8 percent, and smaller, regional operators accounted from the remaining 13.5 percent, up from 11.3 percent a year ago.

"Last month we saw that Android's increases were thanks to a large increase in Samsung sales within Sprint," Parlato stated. "This month, while the increases for Samsung are less pronounced, we're still seeing an increase in uptake of the brand, which is now impacting on Sprint's overall share in smartphone sales."

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech conducts more than 240,000 consumer interviews per year in the U.S. alone, tracking mobile phone behaviors including purchases, device usage and billing.

For more:
- read this release

Read more about: Verizon Wireless, Samsung Electronics
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By Jason Ankeny

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4. BlackBerry adds MLB.com At Bat 13, upgrades Facebook, Twitter apps

Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) is rolling out Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android 4.1 Jelly Bean mobile operating system update to Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S II smartphone. Subscribers may download the over-the-wire update via PC using Samsung's Simple Upgrade Tool; Windows and Mac users may also select the manufacturer's Kies content sync and software application.

Samsung Galaxy S II

Alongside core Android 4.1 features like the Project Butter UI engine, a revamped homescreen and Google Now, which includes personalized information such as local weather and traffic, the Sprint upgrade features Easy Mode, which promises first-time smartphone owners a more simplified user experience including large homescreen widgets spotlighting contacts, clock and alarm and favorite apps. The Jelly Bean update also delivers Blocking Mode, which lets consumers disable incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a designated period of time, as well as a new social media ticker that scrolls along the bottom of the lock screen and a data usage calculator that allows subscribers to set monthly consumption limits.

Sprint and Samsung also are expanding a series of features previously limited to Samsung Galaxy III devices to the Galaxy II. Smart Stay tracks eye movement to guarantee the device screen is always on while it's viewed, preventing the backlight from dimming or becoming idle; Direct Call converts the phone's text message interface to the voice call interface when raised to the ear, and Pop Up Play allows users to view video content while simultaneously accessing another application.

According to Google's Android Developers dashboard, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 currently powers 14.9 percent of all devices worldwide. Samsung has pledged to update more than a dozen devices in its portfolio to run Jelly Bean.

For more:
- read this Sprint Community blog post

Read more about: Sprint Nextel
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By Jason Ankeny

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