Samsung is planning a social network to rival Facebook. The Korean giant is hoping to scoop up everyone with a Samsung Galaxy S3 or other Galaxy phone in their pocket and get their phones, tablets, cameras and TVs sharing with your friends, Facebook-style.
The Korea Times reports the network will be based on the existing Samsung social wotsit Family Story, but the Korean company is even calling the new project 'Samsung Facebook' internally.
Samsung says its own-brand social features will work across its cameras, televisions and Blu-ray players and tanks. Well, maybe not the tanks.
With its Galaxy phones already in millions of pockets around the world, direct upload to social networks is already happening. Add Wi-Fi enabled cameras and Blu-ray players and TVs that tell the world what you've been watching, and Samsung could be on to something.
Still, social networking is a hard row to hoe. Even big names like Google aren't guaranteed success, with Google+ failing to take off despite lots of clever features.
In fact, I'd argue that a big name may even count against a social network, which needs to be fresh and cool and buzzy. Samsung, as great as it is at making hardware, is none of those things. After all, who uses any of the own-brand social or music gubbins on any phone? Even Apple couldn't pull it off, with the reportedly doomed Ping.
Meanwhile, fresh upstarts like Pinterest come from nowhere to capture an audience with loads of buzz.
And aside from the cool factor, own-brand social networks have a
built-in limitation: they're restricted to the people with own-brand
kit. Facebook and Twitter thrive today because from the very start
they've been free on any device anywhere. Samsung seems to have learnt that lesson by making its free messaging service ChatON available on any device. Ultimately, that's the one question that makes or breaks a social network: are my mates on it?
Can Samsung compete with Facebook? Can anyone compete with Facebook? What's going to be the next big thing in social networking? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or, you guessed it, on our Facebook page.
Update: Samsung has denied that its upgrades to Family Story will develop the service into a Facebook rival -- which is just as well judging by reader reactions.
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anonymous 14 June, 2012 09:58
Google Plus 2.0 ?
anonymous 14 June, 2012 12:06
Can't see this going anywhere. It's like BBM, great idea, until you realise half your friends don't have a Blackberry (in fact when I had one, none of my family or friends had one). Although in fairness a lot of people own a Samsung phone, it's not going to be enough.
It's a shame. Facebook leaves a lot to be desired. In my honest opinion Google+ is far, far better, the social networking site I've always wanted Facebook to be for the last 4/5 years or so, but everyone is tied into Facebook, most with no desire to leave it for something else.
There was a time that a social networking site would become popular for a year or two and then fall out of favour for the newest entry. But this was back when only a small group of people used them. Facebook changed all that, especially in the last year or two when it has expanded into almost every age group, and also companies.
It's a shame, as Facebook isn't a great system really, but it's here to say and I can't see any other network comparing to it for a long, long time. Samsung's effort included.
minimach 14 June, 2012 12:20
Know Samsung 'expertise' in software, they will only be burning holes in their pockets to compete with Facebook. But more competition is better than no competition..
anonymous 15 June, 2012 02:35
samsung galaxy pocket is very bad we are purchased last mont now not working , display problem& more problems very bad phone