Oh Please, Do We Really Need A Facebook Phone?

If you ask me, the smartphone market is already much too crowded. With newly upgraded phones coming out all the time, it just makes matters worse. Now Facebook is set to release it's new Facebook phone as early as this Thursday. You'll be able to do everything you now do on Facebook, right on your Facebook phone. Why? When I use Facebook, my app is only a click away, so why would I need a phone to do the same thing?

The answer is is simple. Facebook claims to have 650 million mobile users. The Facebook phone will have revenue generating ads it can deliver to you. In other words, Facebook will make a lot of money. So, whats in it for me? What's the value to the user?

Some say the user (us) will benefit greatly because Facebook will give you the phone for free, and with no contracts. The Facebook phone will be a loss-leader that will lock millions into their advertising revenue stream. It's a lot like companies giving away a printer but making money on the toner. No other reason seems to make any sense.

Facebook's dream is to have a Facebook phone in every pocket as my friends at Salon wrote about in a recent article.While it could be a great financial move on Facebook's part, it could also be one of the greatest flops in tech history. I'm opting for the latter.