While the internet is a great place to start a rumor, they are still rumors until something actually takes place. So, what is this running around on so many sites if it is nothing? Read on to get an objective look at the Facebook smartphone rumor a bit closer.

With a new, powerful Facebook competitor starting to spring up, something had to give. The past was all webs for the titan Facebook. Now the web is moving to mobile. This means if Facebook cannot move with it, they are history. Already there is a way developing for users to have the same mobile experience as Facebook without having to check in anywhere. It is called Diaspora. However, this is not about Diaspora. It is about Facebook and this mysterious rumor floating around.

They have pretty much topped out in internet popularity. Like with many good things, it must come to an end.

The online growth topped out. Now they, like Google, are moving into different directions to serve their user base. The idea of a smartphone from Facebook has been bantered around by such people as Mike Arrington of Techcrunch. Other sites say that Facebook is using android to start up a program to work off of. The reason? Facebook needs to be a platform, not a service. While they certainly have enough diversity and popularity to reach even to Turkey, to launch a software platform of their own must seem to be tempting.

Facebook has garnered somewhere around 500 million users and even started to beat out Google for time spent on a website. They really do not need Apple or Google or any other company telling them what to charge, how to market and how to make games. They have had one of the most popular games on their site, Farmville, without any help from anyone. They want to take their own payments. They want to control the whole ball of wax, and they deserve it. Their 500 million people deserve it. It may just be time to do something about those rights.

Google and Apple are not going to let Facebook into their operating systems enough to please Facebook.

If Facebook cannot get into the guts of the most popular operating systems, it is natural to want to go ahead and make one themselves. Then they have the freedom to do what they want. This capitalistic thinking will also open up new avenues of profit. No doubt, this is also what they want.

The transfer of two top executives from Google to Facebook must tell the world that things are drifting a bit in the internet. Facebook saw the quick acceptance of android and the popularity of the Nexus One. Imitation is described as the highest form of flattery. Will Facebook mimic what Google did? More rumors are also circulating that Facebook will lay their own user interface over the android system to complete their own smartphone. The hardware would belong to Facebook but the inner workings to Google. This may or may not be a workable solution, but remember. This is all still rumors.

If Facebook announced a new smartphone with its own software no doubt those 500 million users would be a happy bunch. It is a large bunch to please, but it has to be done. Since the whole world is going mobile, it just makes sense that Facebook will also. They have 500 million reasons, plus Diaspora, to do so.