Speculation that the leading social networking provider Facebook has been in talks with Nokia has proven to be correct as sketchy details emerge about how the Facebook website would be integrated directly into Nokia handsets.
Whilst Facebook is also said to be meeting with Palm and Motorola about a similar partnership, the idea of linking with Nokia must be significantly more appealing given the turmoil currently being experienced by these two US-based companies. The discussions between Facebook and Nokia are thought to be centred around the management and storage of Facebook contact information directly into Nokia handsets. This would enable users to check to see if friends were online or send messages through their phone's contact list.
Current Facebook mobile applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry make it relatively easy to call or text a Facebook contact whose phone number is in the system, but users cannot sync their contacts with a phone's main system.
In the UK, social networking site Bebo announced that O2 would be its first partner for its Bebo Open Mobile programme, which offers mobile networks a suite of tools to deliver Bebo to mobile handsets.
For more on this story:
Brand Republic and Cnet
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