????還記得首款Facebook手機，就是宏達電出的那款嗎？恐怕沒幾個人記得。

????還記得首款Facebook手機，就是宏達電（HTC）出的那款嗎？恐怕沒幾個人記得，雖然這款手機今年4月份才剛剛推出。

????這款名為First的手機，是Facebook首款搭載了定制軟件Facebook Home的手機，對谷歌（Google）大受歡迎的Android操作系統某些方面做了些改動，使用戶能輕松查看Facebook狀態更新并給好友發信息。這款手機也是迄今為止Facebook進軍移動領域的一次重大嘗試。但據報道，First手機在美國本土的銷量極差，以至于HTC取消了這款手機在英國的發行。隨后，First獨家運營商美國電話電報公司（AT&T）把它的定價急劇下調到0.99美元。據最新報道，AT&T已決定停售該手機。

????現在有人猜測，Facebook首席執行官馬克?扎克伯格最近訪韓時，曾主動與三星（Samsung）移動部門總裁申宗均聯系，商談生產下一款Facebook Home 智能手機事宜。一位消息人士向《韓國先驅報》（The Korea Herald）表示：“Facebook熱切希望成為下一個谷歌。因此，據稱扎克伯格已邀請三星與它共同推出一款采取Facebook界面的手機，以增進雙方的合作。”

????對于這樣的消息我們應該采取保留態度。但三星推出搭載Facebook Home界面的智能手機可能對雙方來說都是個好主意。三星最暢銷的拳頭產品GalaxyS4智能手機的銷量已明顯放緩，引起了部分分析人士的擔憂。評級機構惠譽（Fitch Ratings）最近向路透社（Reuters）透露：“三星還需證明自己的‘創造性’創新，即在超凡的制造工藝之外，創造出一款全新的產品或者說一個新的細分市場。”Facebook Home也許是三星產品陣容多元化的一條出路。（三星已經開始著手擴展S4產品線。）反過來，Facebook也可受益于三星廣闊的市場覆蓋范圍——據市場調研機構高德納（Gartner）稱，2013年第一季度，三星在全球智能手機市場占據了近31％的份額。

????三星可在以下三個方面比HTC做得更好：

????更尖端出色的手機。即便放到去年，HTC First也絕對算不上尖端產品，更不要說今年了。Facebook在四月的發布會上甚至羞于披露First的硬件配置。現在我們知道原因了。1.4GHz雙核處理器、1GB內存、4.3英寸顯示屏，跟三星S4簡直是云泥之別。后者配備有5英寸全高清顯示屏和1.9GHz四核處理器。（更不要提國際版更高端的1.6GHz八核處理器了。）如今Android智能手機市場新品層出不窮，雖然時尚的外形和尖端的配置并不能保證一定成功，但它們也許能夠幫助Facebook Home手機贏得更多的關注。

????更多運營商。HTC First的最大失誤是只選擇了一家運營商AT&T。雖然AT&T目前仍然是美國最大的兩家運營商之一，但更多運營商的支持無疑是提高用戶數量的關鍵所在。至少目前來看，極少有Facebook用戶會為了手機而更換運營商。所以，為什么不主動送上Facebook手機呢？選擇威瑞森（Verizon）甚至T-Mobile作為合作伙伴對于起步階段的Facebook Home絕對大有幫助。

????開發多款Facebook手機。除非是新款iPhone，否則單憑一款手機就想大獲成功無異于天方夜譚。精通機海戰術的三星憑借著眾多款采用塑料外殼的超薄智能手機一飛沖天，這家公司要想發布不同價位、不同屏幕尺寸和硬件配置的Facebook Home手機簡直小菜一碟。盡管一般而言智能手機用戶如今越來越傾向大屏幕，但畢竟用戶對屏幕大小的偏好不一樣。三星可以先發布一款“旗艦”手機和一款配備5英寸以上屏幕的“平板手機”切入市場。我認為，三星造Facebook Home手機越多越好。（財富中文網）

????譯者：項航

????Remember the first Facebook phone, the HTC First? Not many do -- despite its recent April launch.

????The First was Facebook's (FB) first phone with Facebook Home, customized software that modifies areas of Google's (GOOG) popular Android operating system so users can readily check status updates and text friends. The phone is also one of Facebook's biggest stabs at mobile yet. But stateside First sales were reportedly "a disaster," prompting HTC to ax the smartphone's U.K. release. Then AT&T (T), the phone's exclusive carrier, slashed pricing to $0.99 and has reportedly decided to discontinue sales.

????Now comes speculation that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg approached Samsung Mobile co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun about making the next Facebook Home smartphone during a recent trip to Korea. "Facebook has every intention of becoming the second Google, and with that intent in mind, Zuckerberg is said to have asked Samsung to step up cooperation by launching a phone with a Facebook interface," a source told The Korea Herald.

????Such stories should be taken with a grain of salt. But a Samsung smartphone with Facebook Home might not be a bad idea for either party. Sales of Samsung's bestselling flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone have apparently slowed, causing some analysts to worry. "Samsung has yet to prove its 'creative' innovation, that is, launching a product or a market segment that has not existed before in addition to prowess in manufacturing technology," the ratings agency Fitch Ratings recently told Reuters. Facebook Home may be one way for Samsung to diversify its lineup. (Extensions of the S4 line are already in the works.) In turn, Facebook could benefit from Samsung's vast market reach -- it accounted for nearly 31% of global smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2013, according to Gartner Research.

????Here are three ways Samsung could trump HTC's effort:

????Make a worthy device. The HTC First wouldn't have been a cutting-edge phone late last year, let alone this year. Case in point: Facebook didn't even bother with hardware specifications during the April announcement, and now we know why. That 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 1-gigabyte of RAM, and 4.3-inch display are ho-hum next to the Samsung S4, with its bright 5-inch full high-definition display and 1.9 GHz quad-core processor. (And let's not even touch the more gnarly 1.6 GHz eight-core international edition.) Obviously, stylish looks and advanced parts don't guarantee success in a market already inundated with Android smartphones, but they could help a Facebook Home phone stand out more.

????Make it multi-carrier. The HTC First's other achilles heel was its AT&T exclusivity. AT&T remains one of the top two U.S. mobile networks, but carrier availability is obviously key to growing a healthy user base. For now at least, it's clear very few Facebook users are willing to switch phones and carriers. So why not bring the phone to them? Having the device offered by Verizon (VZ) and even T-Mobile (TMUS) would go a long way toward upping Facebook Home's chances at taking off.

????Make more than one. Unless it's a new iPhone, one device does not guarantee success. Samsung, which soared on the sheer, plastic backs of many, many different smartphone models, could release multiple Facebook Home devices at different price points, with different screen sizes and hardware specifications, no sweat. After all, different folks prefer different screen sizes, though smartphone customers are generally trending larger now. There could be a go-to "flagship" device and a "phablet" version with a 5-plus inch screen, to start. Our point being, the more Samsung-made devices pre-loaded Facebook Home, the better.