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Material aims to outdo Flipboard by adapting to your changing interests
With the likes of Flipboard, Google Currents, Pulse and other magazine-style newsreaders competing for your attention, the folks at Inq Mobile are aiming to delight audiences by delivering personalized content from unexpected sources. As creators of one of the first Facebook phones, they're now leveraging their social roots with an app known as Material, which attempts to learn your interests by examining your Facebook and Twitter activity. You can still manually add content, but Material strives to eliminate the configuration hassles you'll find elsewhere. Instead, its developers are reckoning that you'll appreciate a greater variety of news sources, and it can also adapt to your preferences over time by examining the type of stories you read. In all, Material serves up two editions of content daily, which includes blog entries, videos, music, photos and news articles. It's now available for free on iOS, and joined by an updated release of the Android app. If you've yet to check out Material, it could be worth installing just to see just what it thinks you like.
INQ Cloud Touch Facebook phone graces store shelves in UK, wallets smile
The first round of the Facebook Phone war is underway in the UK, thanks to INQ launching the first javelin at its main opponent. Even as we continue to wait for HTC's Facebook offerings to come out sometime this summer, the INQ Cloud Touch has shown up on Carphone Warehouse shelves for a rather affordable £300 off-contract, or about $486. We were quick to Like the entry-level handset when we handled it back in February; the Froyo-powered device features an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 5 megapixel sensor, and a custom Android homescreen that fully integrates the Facebook experience into the OS. While the specs may not be enough to make the Android enthusiast salivate, the price will almost definitely cause status-obsessed tweens to commence drooling.
INQ Cloud Touch gets priced in the UK, still MIA in the USA
We've had an affinity for INQ's Cloud Touch since we Poked and prodded the little device back in February, and now thanks to Carphone Warehouse we've got the all important pricetag to accompany the specs. Starting April 6, you'll be able to pick up the Facebook-ified device in the UK completely SIM-free for £300, or about $486. Not a bad deal for a 3.5-inch Android 2.2 handset with a 5-megapixel shooter and a custom Facebook homescreen. Of course, it lacks the Facebook Buttons of HTC's offerings, but if you simply can't wait to be the first person on the block with a Facebook phone you should definitely give the Cloud Touch a peek.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: INQ chief says Android is too geeky for 'pretty girls'
Take one dose of improper generalization, mix it in with a heaping of condescension, and then add a pinch of good old sexism. What do you get? This quote, coming from Frank Meehan, CEO of the Android handset-making INQ: "If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry. She doesn't have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It's too complicated. It's a geek device, it's all wrong." Now, before you go emailing him photos of the Android tattoo girl, there is undeniably some smidgen of truth to the man's words. Android is a geek's dream ecosystem and it's not necessarily the most accessible platform in the world, but to completely write it off for the nightclub-going lady demographic doesn't strike us -- or Justin Timberlake, or Chad Ochocinco -- as the most astute idea in the world. [Thanks, AC]
INQ Cloud Q busts from cover at MWC 2011 and we get glass-on
We've seen INQ's new Cloud Touch and heard about its QWERTY-packing sibling, the Cloud Q. Mobile World Congress has kindly given us the venue to switch heard for almost fondled. Yes, sadly our tour was eyes only as this set was carefully ensconced in glass, connected to cables, and generally unavailable to really touch. Of course, this is MWC and we're pretty certain we'll manage to wrangle one of our own -- but until then know that the same specs apply to both new devices. We were also told that while the devices above are the real deal, final hardware will feature a slightly tweaked keyboard. So until we get an opportunity to really check it out, feast your eyes on the pics and vids that follow. %Gallery-116593%
Inq Cloud Touch preview
We can't accuse Inq of having the best timing in the world -- the company announced its new Facebook-centric Cloud Touch and Cloud Q phones at about the same time that HP was busy blowing minds with its new webOS range in San Francisco -- but at least that gave us an excuse to get out of the Engadget bunker this morning and go check out some new gear. We've gotten to grips with the 3.5-inch touchscreen-equipped Cloud Touch and have broken down our first impressions of the device for you after the break. Aside from Facebook, Inq has chosen to integrate Spotify Premium into this phone along with Fluency, the typing prediction engine that powers SwiftKey. The two serve as significant upgrades on the default media player and keyboard software, respectively, and add a nice sprinkling of value to a phone that's already expected to go easy on the wallet. The gallery below will illustrate anything else you may need or want to know, although you'll have to check out the video to see the multifunctional unlock screen and Facebook widgetry in action. %Gallery-116210%
INQ launches Facebook-focused Cloud Touch and Cloud Q phones
We've been hearing a fair bit of buzz about INQ and Facebook getting all cozy-like and creating a Facebook phone. Well, that's only half right: INQ has made its first Android 2.2 device, really focused on Facebook integration, and seem to have really nailed it. The two devices are the INQ Cloud Touch (pictured above) and a QWERTY device with exactly the same specs -- but, with a QWERTY keypad, of course -- named the Cloud Q. Features include triband HSPA for the European folks, 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, all manner of mail support including Exchange, what appears to be legendary Facebook support, and Spotify onboard as the de facto music app with a dedicated key. INQ's two Cloud devices are apparently the first mobiles to use the Facebook Social Graph API, which will see all your most important Facebook content appear on your set's homescreen. Another bonus in here is the keyboard tech -- based on SwiftKey -- which will not only predict what word you're typing, but what words you may type based on some AI wizardry, science, and your writing tendencies. The Cloud Touch is set to launch in April at Carphone Warehouse and BestBuy in the UK with the Cloud Q landing sometime in Q3. We're just about wheels-up for Barcelona to check out the haps at MWC next week, and you can be sure we'll be all over these sets as soon as we land. %Gallery-116164%
Facebook phone rumors resurface, Mark Zuckerberg fails to deny them
Let's try to untangle this Facebook mobile phone mess, shall we? Mark Zuckerberg has recently sat down with Michael Arrington of TechCrunch -- the source of the original rumor -- to try and dispel some of the confusion that has arisen as a result. The first thing the Zuckmeister says is that Facebook isn't looking to build its own OS or hardware and is absolutely opposed to competing with the likes of the iPhone and Android. What Zuckerberg wants is deeper social integration, positing the question, "What could we do if we also started hacking at a deeper level?" While there'll be no single answer or solution for all phones, Mark firmly believes that social elements have to be designed in from the start: On phones we can actually do something better. We can do a single sign-on if we do a good integration with a phone, rather than just doing something where you go to an app and it's automatically social or having to sign into each app individually. Those are the two options on the web. Why not for mobile? Just make it so that you log into your phone once, and then everything that you do on your phone is social. Notably, he fails to deny rumors of such deeply integrated devices being in the pipeline, and Bloomberg has trotted out a trio of insider sources who claim INQ Mobile has been engaged to produce two smartphones with just that purpose in mind -- you know the same INQ that already makes Facebook-heavy handsets, so this could very well be little more than a rebrand. One is said to feature a QWERTY keypad and a touchscreen while the other is an all touch affair, and both are reputedly headed for an early 2011 launch in Europe, followed by a late 2011 arrival in the USA. AT&T is the carrier that's closest to picking them up, we're told, though deals haven't been finalized on what could be sub-$100 phones after subsidies are distributed. So, whatever happens, we're staring down the barrel of a couple of glorified featurephones with deep social integration. Kin 2.0, anyone? Anyone?
INQ's Chat 3G gets FCC blessing with US 3G bands
We've known for some time now that socially-connected handset maker INQ would like to eventually cross the pond and sell a device or two on North American soil -- and could the Chat 3G be its opening salvo? The phone is old hat for British customers on 3, but until now, we've only seen it quoted with 3G on the Euro-friendly 2100MHz band; this FCC filing, however, clearly shows it rocking 850 and 1900MHz without any mentions of 2100, and we don't think the Chat 3G is a pricey enough set for INQ to spring for the tri-band HSDPA radio. In other words, we might actually be looking at a North America-specific version here, set to launch on AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus, or some combination of the four. In terms of exposure, it's no Kin, but it goes squarely after the same audience -- so the question becomes, would AT&T like to fight back against Verizon with this thing?
Android rumor rodeo, starring Sprint's first 4G phone, a delayed Eclair, INQ Mobile's 2010 handset, and more
The gang at Android and Me seemed to have made quite a number of acquaintances on their sojourn through CTIA and MotoDev Summit. Specifically, there were three people along the way they reportedly talked to that led to the most tantalizing of rumors. First down the rabbit hole is a Sprint developer who claimed the first 4G (i.e. WiMAX) phone will be an Android device, which honestly wouldn't be all that shocking given the company's love for and recent history with the OS. Next up is a Samsung exec that intimated we shouldn't expect Android 2.0 "Eclair" until Q2 2010 -- interesting in its own right, but looks like those whispers of Sholes launching with anything beyond Donut isn't gonna come to fruition now. Our third definitive individual is an INQ head employee who let slip its handsets would be finding its way onto a US carrier's network in 2010 and would have a "pimped out" customized Android skin chock full of social networking the likes of Spotify, Skype, Facebook, etc. The rest of its report is much ado about nothing -- no LG android phone this year, no TomTom app this year, and no standalone Google Maps navigation software. Yeah, that's quite a number of Android rumors to digest, and unfortunately nothing definitive. Looking forward to the future? [Via i4u]
INQ working on Spotify-branded phone, possibly running Android?
While the Spotify music service continues to tease us US-bound folks from afar, there's word of a Spotify handset now to make us even more jealous. The phone is apparently being built for Swedish provider Telia (Spotify already accounts for 35 percent of digital music sales in Sweden), and according to TechCrunch, INQ is building the phone. Interestingly, the last thing we heard from INQ about future plans was a forthcoming Android handset, and we also have a source that says that Spotify probably wouldn't be placed onto a regular BREW-powered INQ handset, so the optimist in us would like to believe that this Spotify phone could be INQ's big Android play -- there is already an official Spotify Android app to make that whole process seem even more doable. Either way, Telia's Spotify handset should be on the market in a "couple of months." [Via Pocket-lint]
INQ Mini 3G review
The INQ Mini 3G is quite the intriguing little phone. It has the dimensions and outward appearance of a standard issue featurephone, yet aims to provide the multifunctional utility of the bulkier QWERTY keyboard-sporting smartphones that now roam these lands. With deep integration of Facebook, Twitter and Skype, it's designed to be a do-it-all social networking device, so we thought we'd run a few status updates through it to see if the latest spin on an award-winning heritage lives up to its billing. Make the short journey to Engadget Mobile, via the read link below, to find out. %Gallery-73445%
INQ picks Android for upcoming touchscreen handsets
We've enjoyed seeing what INQ is bringing to the featurephone space, most recently with the Facebook and Twitter-centric INQ Mini 3G and INQ Chat handsets (which still haven't been announced for the States), but things are getting a lot more interesting on word that INQ is going to be using Android for upcoming touchscreen smartphones. We're guessing INQ will be blending its Synergy-style blended social networking capabilities with traditional Android goodness, much in the way HTC and now Motorola are approaching Android. So far all INQ is saying is that Android hasn't done well against the iPhone so far, and that "you need to get the experience better," promising "cool things" in response to this self-defined challenge. You know what else is a "cool thing"? America.
@iPhoneHater INQ Mini 3G and Chat are now posing for photographs, lol #hands-on
While you'd expect the first hands-on shots of INQ's new sociable Mini 3G and Chat to emerge on Twitpic, it's TechRadar doing the honors. Both of these featurephones are fairly attractive in their own right, with each being suitably slim and chock full of status updating power. In fact, we'd say the Mini 3G's red and black QWERTY keypad is amongst the sexiest we've seen. Why not judge Like™ for yourself by giving those read links below a look? Read - INQ Mini 3G hands-on Read - INQ Chat hands-on
INQ Mini 3G and INQ Chat offer slimmer, sexier angle on "social mobile" segment
INQ's unique take on the featurephone just got a significant facelift in the form of the new INQ Mini 3G and the INQ Chat. Leaving behind the INQ1's last-gen looks, the new INQ Chat offers a QWERTY keyboard in an E71-esque chassis, 2.4-inch screen, GPS and a 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera, while the Mini 3G takes up the T9er's mantle with a slim candybar form factor, 2.2-inch screen and 2 megapixel camera. The big deal of course is still the (award winning) software side, which already includes features such as Skype, Facebook and Windows Live Messenger integration, along with a Synergy-style integrated address book. New additions include a Twitter app, push Gmail, and iTunes syncing, courtesy of DVD Jon's doubleTwist software, and INQ claims that it'll be much more proactive with software updates this time around. The phones are only dipping their toes into the media playback pool, with hardly any onboard storage, empty microSD slots, and the ever-annoying USB-to-3.5mm converter headphone jack situation, but all the parts are there. INQ's also going to pull together an "app store" of sorts by curating freely available Java applets compatible with the handsets. We had a look at the phones, and while the style might seem aggressive for some, the build of both phones is pretty quality for the target market, and they're certainly tighter in the design department than the INQ1. The keyboard on the INQ Chat is quite good, especially for featurephone land, and we like that INQ kept some T9-style predictive text in the software to make QWERTY use even more of a pleasure. No, these phones still don't replace smartphones, but they're designed to be a low-cost alternative to the smartphone for carriers, who are a little tired of heavy phone subsidies and intense data use from the iPhone types -- and sure wouldn't mind making a few bucks off your Facebook addiction. Unfortunately, there still aren't any plans for bringing these phones to the States. INQ is "in talks," but for now these handsets are Europe bound, and should hit stores by Q4.
INQ planning two new phones this year, including "Twitter phone"
INQ's whole lease in life is making mass-market feature phones with heavy doses of social network integration, and considering how much acclaim the INQ1 slider has received on account of its Skype and Facebook functionality (not to mention the fact that they've sold 700,000 of them), it only stands to reason that the Hutchison subsidiary would be looking to come out swinging with a new model or two. In fact, we already know that INQ's looking at doing Twitter integration, and now we know from an interview with the company's chief exec that there'll actually be two new models -- one of which will be a themed "Twitter phone" -- in time for the holiday season. Though Reuters suggests that that'd make it the first mass-market phone with a Twitter client, devices like the Sidekick LX 2009 already do it -- so INQ won't necessarily be the first in the game, but if can bring its wares to more than the Sidekick's... oh, one fricking carrier, they've got an angle.[Via Phone Scoop]
INQ¹ wins "Best Mobile Handset or Device" at MWC, golf claps
INQ's social networking monster took away top honors at MWC with a win for best mobile device or handset at the show. Taking a gander at the competition, it is the who's who of high end stuff including the T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry Storm, LG KS360, and Nokia's E-71. So why, you ask, could the admittedly middle tier set win out against what seems like some pretty serious -- well, Storm aside -- competition? INQ won because of how they've enabled Facebook deep integration, focus on your contacts as living, breathing, and ever-changing entities, great pricing, and a compelling user interface. We'd set a meeting to catch up with INQ at MWC hoping to see how things are moving along post-launch and talk about the future. Down the road was the bit we were most interested in, and lucky for us, INQ was willing to share some secrets. Let's just say with QWERTY confidence, the future looks absolutely stunning, both in form and potential. Congrats INQ, way to win an award. Gallery of the newly-crowned INQ¹ after the break.%Gallery-45328%
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.]
