As reports emerged earlier this week of a supposed “Facebook-like” social network in the works from Samsung, speculation was rife as to whether it would be a disastrous move on the part of the electronics manufacturer.
It was originally reported by the Korean media that Samsung was working on a transparently code-named “Samsung Facebook” project. It was said the new network would integrate with Amazon's cloud computing platforms, and would build on Samsung's existing “Family Story” network and would be available across its mobile devices.
Samsung has, however, moved quickly to dispel any confusion. In a statement posted on its official blog, the tech giant says: “There have been inquiries and a few articles claiming that Samsung Electronics is going to offer a Facebook-like service, being developed under a code-name called 'Samsung Facebook'. However, this is not true and the rumour is groundless.
Family Story has been available since February on Samsung smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs. Samsung explains the service is a family-oriented convergence service focusing on sharing and storing family memories.
Hardware makers do not have a good track record when it comes to entering the social networking scene. Apple's Ping network, for example, which is built into iTunes with the intention of allowing users to share music and recent purchases, has failed to gain traction.
Facebook and Twitter dominate the social networking market, with Facebook set to reach over one billion users before year-end.
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