I had a thought today about an awesome cellular application. Imagine taking Cingular’s cellular services and coupling them with your Facebook account. The idea would be to automatically synchronize in real-time streaming mode your facebook contacts to your phone. So, at any given time, you could automatically have all your friends’ latest phone numbers, their current profile photo, email addresses, etc.

There are three considerations to worry about here: Cooperation, Privacy, and Delivery/Integration.

Cooperation first, the Facebook API does not currently let a developer get a user’s phone number, mobile number, or email address. Cingular would have to come up with a special API licensing agreement with Facebook that would entitle them to this functionality, signing a strict non-disclosure and privacy agreement.

Privacy second, when Facebook adds new features, its users often become upset about perceived violations of their personal data. Were Cingular or another network and Facebook to work together, users should all be notified and allowed to opt out.

Delivery third, batch or manual synchronization won’t cut it. Cingular would need to install a resident process on the OS of its phones to listen for FacebookUpdateConnections and push out new content when Facebook updates. It can be done with batching and polling on the server backend, but to users it has to appear fresh and lively.

Suddenly this would be a big cross-licensing win for both companies, as users flock to the cellular provider so they can run Facebook on their mobiles, and cellular users start signing up for Facebook accounts to automatically manage their contacts. It’s a great use of the publish/subscribe model for the wireless and social networking world!

5 Responses to “Cellular Services Meet Social Networks: Facebook + Cingular?”

1. honver says:

   11/3/2006 at 9:15 pm

   some friends on facebook you never call. it would overwhelm your phonelist with useless numbers.

   Reply
2. fiber hard hat metal says:

   4/22/2007 at 7:52 pm

   fiber hard hat metal…

   Search results for ‘fiber hard hat metal’….

   Reply
3. dave says:

   4/22/2008 at 7:31 am

   There is two kinds for cellular social networks, the first is actualy not a pure cellular social network, it’s only a cellular access to classic social networks as Facebook, my Space and so…
   the other cel. social net are the location based social networks, those analize your environment based on bluetooth devices and connect it to a social profile, some of those nets are Aka-aki, NearConn, flobbi and cityWare.
   those networks are very new and not wide enoght, but they are the future!!!

   Reply
4. Ziv says:

   4/29/2008 at 2:09 am

   For the fact and to be more particular, NearConn is a social network that enables you to contact people around you, by using the bluetooth device in un known way till today, it actually turns your bluetooth name to a link to your profile, you can share your environment pictures, detals and more…
   Also, you can create yuor own cellular billboard.

   Reply
5. Primo Fiorentini says:

   2/3/2009 at 9:31 pm

   nice article! nice site. you're in my rss feed now
   keep it up

   Reply