HTC rumoured to announce Facebook phones

UPDATE: Facebook has denied that a Facebook-branded phone is being developed by HTC, saying the rumours were ‘overblown’. Original story below.

Taiwanese manufacturer HTC is rumoured to be developing two Facebook-branded smartphones that will be announced at Mobile World Congress next month.

The rumour comes from business news site City AM, which says that the phones will sport Facebook ‘branding and colours’ (blue and white?) and will run on a modified version of Android 2.2.

According to the rumours,  Facebook status updates and messages will be integrated with the phone’s interface, giving users the ability to check status updates directly from their home screen – which pretty much sounds like FriendStream, an app already pre-installed on HTC phones such as the Desire and Wildfire.

At the moment these are just rumours, but speculation over a Facebook-branded phone has been circulating the internet for a few months now.

Either way, MWC kicks off on 14 February so we’ll know soon enough. Which? will be reporting live from the event in Barcelona, so check back here for the latest, or visit our Facebook page.