Samsung Denies Facebook Rival Rumor

Samsung has denied rumors that it is planning a social network to rival Facebook, describing the talk as "groundless" and claiming that it only has intentions to evolve its existing sharing services. "'[Family Story], like its name, is a family-oriented convergence service that focuses on sharing and storing families' special moments" Samsung said in a statement today, "but this is far from a 'Samsung Faceboook' as some are claiming it to be."

"Family Story" runs on Samsung's smart TVs, phones, tablets and through a browser-based interface, and launched back in February this year. Described initially as "an app that provides access to family photos, messages and events at anytime and anywhere", Samsung says that "it is true that we currently are working on upgrading 'Family Story' as we always thrive to provide consumers with enhanced experiences."

However, that's not quite a Facebook rival, the Korean company insists. According to the talk earlier this week, Samsung would have used Family Story as the framework for its Facebook alternative, while a source supposedly inside the company said "the eventual goal is to expand our social media service across different devices from different companies across different mobile platforms. That includes cameras, televisions and blue-ray [sic] players."

Samsung has a number of its own Android-based hubs, for ebooks, music and video among other things, and a Social Hub that pulls together content from Facebook, Twitter and other services. The leaks this week indicated the company would launch its Facebook rival in Q1 2013.