Facebook in talks to buy browser company Opera - Rumors say..

[ShyWriter]

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Facebook in talks to buy browser company Opera, says report

Acquisition rumor suggests that the social-networking company might launch its own browser.

by Donna Tam May 25, 2012 11:25 AM PDT

Is Facebook planning to jump on the browser bandwagon?

Tech blog Pocket-lint says one of its "trusted sources" revealed that Facebook is trying to buy Opera Software, the company behind the Opera Web browser, a sign that the social-networking company might be looking to launch its own browser.

The move would put Facebook in competition with other tech companies in the browser game -- including Yahoo, which recently launched Axis, and Google, which has already released extensions to integrate its social-networking component, Google +, into its browser.

Pocket-lint speculates that a Facebook browser "would allow you keep up to date with your social life from in-built plug-ins and features on the menu bar."

Facebook knows it isn't monetizing its mobile users though advertising, so it has been using its IPO money to make several acquisitions in an attempt to address its weak mobile strategy.

The Next Web's sources say that Opera is in a hiring freeze and talking to potential buyers.

Opera says it has about 200 million users across all of its platforms.

Other story links on same subject:

http://www.computerw...st_browser_play

http://www.digitaltr...k-phone-rumors/

Also the Google search results:

Facebook to buy Opera

Facebook has declined to comment.

SOURCE: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57441790-93/facebook-in-talks-to-buy-browser-company-opera-says-report/

Thanks John (noknojon) ,

Steve

[AdrianH]

I sincerely hope this is just a rumour and never comes to anything.

[mountaintree16]

Say it isn't so....

I absolutely love Opera and if FB owned it and totally changed it I would regretfully have to stop using it....

FB already tracks everything you do, as far as I understand from several articles that I've read, once you have visited a page on their site, via cookies. So when I visit it, I typically use a private tab in Opera or put Firefox on Private mode, and when I am done with FB, clear the cookies from it as well. If FB owned Opera, well you can imagine they'd probably track everything done in the broswer. Some may be fine with that, I am not.

[fivealive]

Say it isn't so....

I absolutely love Opera and if FB owned it and totally changed it I would regretfully have to stop using it....

FB already tracks everything you do, as far as I understand from several articles that I've read, once you have visited a page on their site, via cookies. So when I visit it, I typically use a private tab in Opera or put Firefox on Private mode, and when I am done with FB, clear the cookies from it as well. If FB owned Opera, well you can imagine they'd probably track everything done in the broswer. Some may be fine with that, I am not.

i tried the opera mini browser for my blackberry and it was horrible maybe if fb buys it the program well get alot better (i doubt it thought).

the browser was so full of bugs it was annoying i couldnt sign in to anything for instance these forums even i would click sign in the pop up box to sign in would come up and then id get the username and password fields but no sign in button, what was worst is on the blackberry default browser i could at least push enter key on the phones keyboard to make it go thru i cant on the opera browser all that does is confirm im done entering what ever i needed into the field.

[mountaintree16]

i tried the opera mini browser for my blackberry and it was horrible maybe if fb buys it the program well get alot better (i doubt it thought).

the browser was so full of bugs it was annoying i couldnt sign in to anything for instance these forums even i would click sign in the pop up box to sign in would come up and then id get the username and password fields but no sign in button, what was worst is on the blackberry default browser i could at least push enter key on the phones keyboard to make it go thru i cant on the opera browser all that does is confirm im done entering what ever i needed into the field.

That stinks! I have an iPod touch and I downloaded Opera mini for it and it works perfectly for me. You should file a bug report

[fivealive]

That stinks! I have an iPod touch and I downloaded Opera mini for it and it works perfectly for me. You should file a bug report

wouldnt know where to begin mind you their is a review section on the app store page for the app.

i wish i had read that first because its full of complaints

[David H. Lipman]

They way their stock is tumbling, they won't be able to afford it.

[fivealive]

They way their stock is tumbling, they won't be able to afford it.

heres to hoping then because alot of the changes they have made to the facebook website have been horrible