Watch Out Smartphones

Do you have a smartphone? Yea, I didn't think so. According to comScore, as of January 2011 only about 28 percent of all mobile phones in the U.S. were smartphones. One of the best ways for a company to increase its customer base is to go after the kinds of phones that the majority of mobile users have in the U.S, feature phones.

Feature phones are usually cheaper devices that offer less computing ability than smartphones. Over the past weekend Facebook aquired Snaptu, a platform that delivers Java-based apps that run on most feature phones. 72 percent of U.S. cell phones are feature phones, most of which have a broad array of features, including the ability to run Java-based apps.

In January, Facebook launched a Snaptu powered feature phone app. It brought easier Facebook access to more than 2,500 mobile devices worldwide.

Snaptu's goal is to provide useful and innovative services to the mobile users that don't have access to smartphones. In this case, you and I.

Working as part of the Facebook team has offered them the best opportunity to keep accelerating the pace of their product development. And joining Facebook means they can make an even bigger impact on the world.

This acquisition is expected to close within a few weeks. They'll be working hard to offer a richer and more advance Facebook app on virtually every mobile phone. Which is good news for us!

Photo Credit: Creative Commons