inq1
Latest
INQ's next handset will get further up in your social networks
INQ's first handset, the INQ1, got cozy with your friends on Facebook, letting you check their updates and let them all know what's happening in your 'hood while making Skype calls and checking your e-mail. The company's coming back for more with the ingeniously named INQ2, pledging to add Twitter support into the mix in a move to get more social network-agnostic. No further details are available at this point on what (if any) other services the upcoming handset will interact with, or whether it'll have a somewhat more original name, but you can be sure we'll keep you updated.
INQ1's Facebook status says it got FCC approval
We're happy to see that 3's customers with the INQ1 will be able to safely roam on 1900MHz while tooling around the States -- nothing about a phone billed as social network-centric says that you should be traveling to countries where you can't stay on the grid, after all -- but we're a little less happy with the band and technology selection here. Okay, fine, it comes as no surprise that the phone has been tested only for 2G and without any sign of 850MHz, but we know the INQ1's maker Amoi has done North American stuff before, so why couldn't they humor us? For the same reason they couldn't make it look like anything but a generic Nokia slider, maybe?
3's Facebook-loving INQ1 launches in the UK
You probably remember 3 network subsidiary INQ's announcement of the INQ1, their first stab at a phone? Well, it's launched in London and is officially "coming soon." As previously mentioned, the phone is nothing fancy or revolutionary, but its integration with Skype (just like 3's Skypephone), Facebook, and a handful of other consumer-friendly apps is something worth taking note of. When available, the slider will come in black and silver and though we don't know the exact price, last we heard it would cost under £99 with no contract. No details on the handset making its way to the US as of yet -- it's complicated -- but we'll keep you updated. Don't forget to check out a few shots of the (very attractive) packaging after the break. [Thanks, David M.]
3's INQ to hit the mobile scene with Facebook-friendly INQ1
Overseas mega-corp Hutchison, which owns the 3 network, has a new handset subsidiary called INQ, which is going after the social-hungry youth market in a big way. INQ's first handset, the INQ1, doesn't look like anything special -- just a frumpy-looking slider with a decent screen -- but start poking around and you'll find a massive amount of software for such a dorky phone from a handset upstart. The big angle here is Facebook integration -- INQ has a Facebook app to rival Facebook's own work on the iPhone, and ties Facebook contacts, chat and messages into all parts of the phone. The phone enjoys similar integration with Skype (including making Skype calls free over the network, like 3's Skypephone) and Windows Live Messenger. Other apps include an eBay tracker and a full-on WebKit browser. None of this is revolutionary, or even particularly polished, but the work INQ has done at integration, like a unified contact list, could do to be copied by even the major smartphone players. What is revolutionary is the price: INQ plans to sell primarily through pre-paid carriers, who are expected to retail the featurephone for under £99 without contract. The HSDPA phone, to be "officially announced" on October 13th, will hit the UK in November, and can apparently be flashed to work with US carriers -- with a launch planned for here next year. Oh, and the killer app? The phone doubles as a plug-and-play 3G modem. Yeah, US carriers are going to take real kindly to this one.%Gallery-34232%
