Facebook is hosting a press conference on Thursday in which they are rumored to reveal and new Facebook phone, along with a new mobile operating software which is reportedly called “Home.”

Android Police reported today that the new phone will be an HTC phone and is currently has the code name, “Myst.” Here is more from the blog: “The hardware is not very exciting, especially considering the long and winding road this project has been on (since at least late 2011, when it was known as ‘”Buffy”). It sounds a lot like the previously-leaked HTC Opera from last November, too, which was also billed as the alleged ‘Facebook phone.’”

While a Facebook-exclusive phone may have a limited market, speculation is going on that the new Facebook “Home” operating system will also be available on any Android phone. Read more

According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, Facebook is rumored to be launching a new phone sometime next year.

The report doesn’t say too much about what the phone would look like, except that it is being manufactured by HTC and that it would likely be designed with “social experiences” in mind. Check it out: “The phone, which is expected to run on a modified version of Android, is being developed to aid Facebook in its effort to tackle mobile, which Mark Zuckerberg called Facebook’s biggest challenge earlier this month.”

With smartphones already allowing users to communicate through talk, text and email, and apps that already make it pretty easy to connect to others through location and social networks, it is hard to imagine what new Facebook would bring to the table. Perhaps a status update every time you make a call or send a text? But who would really want that anyway? What new features would make you ditch your smartphone for a Facebook phone?