Nokia And Facebook Working On Mobile Deal; Could Involve Investment | paidContent.org

Nokia And Facebook Working On Mobile Deal; Could Involve Investment | paidContent.org: "Nokia And Facebook Working On Mobile Deal; Could Involve Investment

By David Kaplan - Sun 20 Jan 2008 02:46 PM PST

Ahaa? All those gadgets on a phone. Oh no. Make a FB clean-up first.

image[by David Kaplan and Rafat Ali] Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Facebook are working on porting the social network on to Nokia handsets in a major way, we have learned. The Facebook placement could be as prominent as the YouTube button on the main screen of iPhone, our sources indicate. Also, the deal involves giving Facebook a major slot within Nokia retail products’ displays.

But another factor elevates this beyond just-another-social-net-on-a-phone deal: Our sources have indicated that the discussions have involved Nokia purchasing a stake in the company, but these are in very early stages. This makes sense in light of Facebook’s recent strategic funding by Sawmer Brothers, in an effort to expand in Europe. The Nokia-Facebook deal would give the social network instant big-time mobile distribution: Nokia is the world’s largest maker of mobile phones."