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So, there is going to be a Facebook Phone, if a week long series from AllThingsD can be trusted. It will come from HTC, the same original equipment manufacturer that brought us the ChaCha and the Salsa, some of the first smartphones with the "F" button concept that brought users straight to a Facebook interface for a social layer baked right into the device. Facebook needs to continue its hard push into mobile, but does a dedicated device, based on Android, make any sense?

Foremost, Facebook might want to consider changing the name of the mobile platform. Facebook Phone does not inspire confidence in consumers. It was code-named Buffy when it was being developed by a team of top-notch engineers more than a year ago. That was a derivative of the "social layer" that was nicknamed "slayer" by the group. One of the reasons that Google has done so well is because Android sounds cool and Google did not change the name when it bought the company from Andy Rubin in 2005. There is a lot of potential things to like, or hate, from a Facebook Phone. We examine those and it is also the topic of this week's ReadWriteMobile poll. Vote below.

Mobile handset maker HTC has found itself in some hot water concerning security leaks in some of its popular Android smartphones. HTC's Android skin "Sense" downloads logging tools onto users phones that can be used to track user accounts such as email, GPS and location data, phone numbers and SMS data and the system kernel. If you thought that the iPhone location data issue was outrageous, HTC takes data leaks to a new plane of existence.

This looks like a case of sloppy development when it comes to Sense. All of the major Android OEMs have tried to differentiate themselves by adding skins to the stock Android experience. The problem for HTC is not the user interface, it is the back end that leaks like a broken sieve.

The HTC Flyer is a newer 7-inch Android-based tablet, which distinguishes itself by offering a unique feature: pen-based input. Not a stylus, you understand, a pen. While a stylus is essentially a stick that lets you press areas of a touch-sensitive screen in order to navigate through the software, the Flyer's pen is for real-world tasks like drawing, writing or scribbling on top of photos. It is an optional augmentation to touch, not a replacement.

With the upcoming launch of HTC's recently announced OpenSense SDK, developers will have an opportunity to build apps that take advantage of the pen's functionality. But should they?

For mobile developers, one of the greatest challenges is keeping up with the ever-changing nature of hardware platforms. Devices, seemingly overnight, become thinner, lighter, faster, and more powerful. Google has typically offered developers unlocked Android devices, for a fee and has been known to hand out its "Nexus" phones for free at times. But there's always excitement when rumors of the next Nexus phone hits the Web, as these serve as the gold standard for delivering the pure Google experience.

Now, there are hints that a "Nexus 3" is on the horizon, possibly coming from HTC.

This morning at Qualcomm's Uplinq 2011 conference in San Diego, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, announced the launch of HTCDev, a new developer program which opens up HTC's "Sense" user interface (UI) for Android to developers. The program's early partners include LinkedIn, Google Picasa, Gameloft and others, all of which have used the new tools to build plugins and add-ons to more deeply integrate their apps with HTC's iconic UI.

Location-based coupons are hot. There were rumors today of daily deals provider Groupon partnering with Foursquare to target deals at check-in users, and now an unlikely player, device manufacturer HTC, is looking into location-based coupons.

In a podcast interview with GPS Business News, Cedric Mangaud, VP of value-added services at HTC, said, "we want to be part of this story." HTC is working on adding value to the user experience on its devices through GPS, and Mangaud sees mobile location coupons as a prime target. Deals are a scorching market and the shakers are moving quickly to keep pace. As an original equipment manufacturer, what will HTC's play in the space look like?

Is HTC working on an Android-based device designed just for women? That's the scoop the ex-Engadget team has over on their temporary new home, This is My Next. According to their source, the upcoming HTC Bliss, a cross between the HTC Desire S and Desire Z, is being built with the needs of the female demographic in mind, from its "calming" sea green tones to its dangling charms. It even has diet and shopping apps.

Oh no.

After having analyzed over a million conversations taking place in social media channels, market research firm SocialNuggests says that consumers are currently more interested in talking about HTC devices than iPhones. According to the firm's March smartphone index, the iPhone 4 was ranked 10th, while the HTC Thunderbolt came in at number one. Two other HTC phones rounded out the top three.

While it's always interesting to parse the current social media chatter, does this report have any deeper implications other than being a reflection of the ephemeral and immediate nature of Twitter posts and Facebook updates?

Along with today's launch of HTC's latest flagship phone, the powerful HTC Sensation, the Taiwan-based mobile handset maker debuted a new video marketplace called "HTC Watch." This iTunes-like store will offer TV shows, movies and trailers through a pre-installed mobile application that will ship first on the Sensation. The TV shows and movies will be available for both rental and purchase, and will be paid for via either carrier billing or credit card, depending on your mobile operator.

The service uses progressive download technology, says HTC, which means your content will start playing almost immediately. This is different from the iTunes model, which requires users to download the full file before being able to view the video.

Even if you're only casually following the developments in the tablet ecosystem, you've probably heard a little something about the HTC Flyer. It's the tablet that works with a pen. Not a stylus, mind you, but a pen. "A stylus is just a dead stick," HTC PR guy Keith Nowak told me during a briefing today. A stylus is used for navigation, he explained, but you don't need the pen to navigate the Flyer. In fact, you don't use it to navigate at all. You draw. You write. You scribble. Well, only if you want to, that is. The pen is an optional accessory.

The new pen has a pressure-sensitive tip and can be used with the tablet's built-in apps like Sketchbook and Notes, both of which offer the ability to draw directly on the tablet's screen using pen-based input. But the really exciting thing about the pen? The technology, which HTC calls Scribe, will be opened up to third-party development.