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Vodafone launches prepay phone with Facebook

Vodafone has announced the world’s first designated prepay phone specifically designed to put the Facebook experience into the heart of the handset, allowing people to easily share and connect with their friends when they’re on the move.

The Vodafone 555 Blue, which is not a smartphone, is developed in collaboration with Facebook and puts popular social networking functions – from status updates to sharing a photo – into the hands of millions of people in an attractive, intuitive and competitively priced mobile phone.

Every aspect of the Vodafone 555 Blue design reflects people’s desire to stay up-to-date and communicate with their friends anytime, anywhere.

Ready to go, straight out of the box, Facebook is built into the handset’s core, it’s running the moment the customer turns on the mobile phone. Truly integrated messaging means Facebook messages appear in the handset’s inbox alongside texts and email. Simple photo-sharing means photos taken using the Vodafone 555 Blue’s 2 megapixel camera can be shared with friends with a single click.

Also, one-click control means the customisable Facebook ‘F’ button can be assigned to one of a number of tasks, including instantly posting a status update with photos from the gallery or with links from the browser.

Vodafone’s Group Terminals Director Patrick Chomet said: “The mobile internet plays a central role in the daily lives of more than 87 million Vodafone customers, many of whom are avid Facebook users. The Vodafone 555 Blue is a unique and innovative handset, designed and developed by Vodafone to offer a simple but powerful Facebook experience for people in both emerging markets and developed economies who want to stay in touch with their friends, wherever they are.”

“Facebook wants to make every phone social and Vodafone has taken the integration of Facebook to the next stage for an affordable mobile device with the Vodafone 555 Blue,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business, Facebook . “We’re really happy that Vodafone will distribute this phone globally and we hope to do much more with them to bring the mobile, social internet to people everywhere.”

The Vodafone 555 Blue includes the Opera Mini 5 web browser for fast internet browsing and, of course, it’s also a great phone.

Available soon across most Vodafone businesses around the world.