You know the rest of that old rhyme, I'm sure.
One by one the dominoes are falling. First there was Apple with Facebook on iPhone. Then RIM with Facebook on Blackberry, and Microsoft with Facebook APIs on Windows Mobile. Now it looks as if Nokia might be getting ready to integrate with Facebook and make an investment as well.
It has to be that way. Nokia, if it doesn't do this, will miss out on the next wave of telephony — social communications. In the social world, the directory / address book combination we all use is effectively replaced by the social graph; a utility that manages opt-in social connections on the users behalf. Sound familiar? It should. That's Facebook's business plan.
Having dominated the evolution of the handset into a mobile multimedia platform, this shift might potentially unseat Nokia if they don't get aboard. What they appear to have realized is that the momentum behind Facebook has surpassed the sales volume of all of Nokia's competitors, and is approaching Nokia's own sales volume. It's too late for Nokia to build their own social graph utility. Moreover, the presence of Facebook on all of their competitors handsets will rapidly drive demand for smart phone devices, perhaps accelerating the shift that has already started.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
