This morning I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event for 3’s latest exclusive phone - the INQ1. The so called ‘Facebook phone’ has finally broken cover. 

The build up to the official unveiling described how INQ, a new entrant to the cut-throat world of mobile phone manufacturers and platform developers, feel that the majority of phone users are neglected.  They believe that the Nokias and Samsungs of this world are so focused on bringing out expensive, highly specified camera phones and music phones that they neglect the 80-90% of customers who can’t afford or simply aren’t interested in one of the all singing, all dancing ’super’ phones, like the iPhone or the Nokia N96.  Apparently, most of us are more interested in using our phone to communicate with our friends and family in any way we choose… and I agree.

This is where INQ and 3 see a huge opportunity to change things for the better.  Enter the INQ1…

One stop social networking shop

The INQ1 is built to be the ultimate social media tool.  Oh dear… I appear to have swallowed a large ball of marketing fluff.  In normal person speak the INQ1 combines some of the most popular social networking services, such as Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger - MSN to most of us - with a good value, usable mobile phone.  Not only do you get a great mobile experience with each of these services on their own, they are all fully integrated into the DNA of the INQ1 creating the first phone which let’s you communicate to your friends in whichever way you choose, wherever you are.

Certified Facebook inside

At the launch a video from the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg (looking and sounding alarmingly similar to a young Bill Gates!) demonstrated their participation in the launch by telling us that Facebook had been working with 3/INQ for a year on the development of this phone.

3 CEO Kevin Russell does his best David Coulthard impersonation, whilst sporting an INQ1

The level of integration of Facebook is very impressive.  The INQ1 downloads your entire Facebook contacts list onto the phone itself.  You can then merge each of your friends’ various Skype, MSN and Facebook contact details, including their status updates and ‘presence’ (whether they’re online, offline or busy) within the phonebook.  For example, if you were lucky enough to have my contact details, looking up ‘Chris Frost’ in your phonebook would show my Facebook status update and profile photo, whether I’m logged into Skype or MSN as well as my phone number and email address.  You could then choose to call, text, instant message, email or ignore me depending on my status and your personal choice.  With the INQ1 you’re fully in control of how you communicate with everyone for the first time.

There’s no need to endure 4 or 5 clicks and several minutes of waiting to access a dumbed down version of Facebook page via a crappy mobile phone browser or launch a special application every time you want to check the latest updates. You and your friends’ Facebook info is stored on the phone itself, automatically refreshing in the background so you’re permanently up to date .

More usable than an iPhone?

Now, I’m not claiming that the INQ1 is going to beat the iPhone in a usability face off - it’s not as flexible to use as a touchscreen phone and the website browsing experience is somewhat limited for starters - but there are a few important features where its better than the Jesus-phone.

The INQ1’s message inbox creates a single, consolidated home for all your texts, emails and Facebook messages to save you spending ages going in and out of various applications and websites to keep on top of everything, as you have to on the iPhone.

The Skypephone S2’s shortcut ‘Switcher’ is retained with a dedicated key for quickly switching between the main applications, whilst everything else keeps running in the background - again unlike the iPhone.  The Hyperwords feature allows you to cut and paste email addresses, post codes, phone numbers or any other text, from one application to another, something sorely missing from the iPhone.

Surprisingly good value

The INQ1 will launch in December for free with a £15 per month tariff that gives you unlimited texts, Facebook, email, web browsing, 3 to 3 calls and Skype to Skype calls - subject to 1GB capped fair use policy that you’ll struggle to break.  On top of this you get 100 mins of cross network calls.  This is tremendous value when you consider that most other operators only offer SIM Only contracts for £15 a month.

It’s also available on Pay as you go for £79.99.  Topping up by £10 each month gives you unlimited browsing, Facebook, etc plus £5 of calls and texts.

Is it perfect?

I’m a perfectionist, which is a fancy way of saying I possess the depressing ability to find a flaw in anything.  Much as I am really taken by the INQ1, it has a few flaws that may put off some potential buyers.  The phone itself is average looking.  It’s a medium sized slider style phone, with decent quality metal covers that feels like it’s well made, but it certainly doesn’t look either as funky or stylish as many of the products the big manufacturers are launching this Christmas. Fashionistas beware.

Although you can set-up three ‘widgets’ to run on your phone’s home page, don’t expect the list of additional downloadable widgets to rival the iPhone or Google Android App store.  3’s exclusivity with the INQ1 will effectively limit the development of downloadable apps to something of a niche.

Despite the built in Last.fm music streaming application, there is no standard headphone jack, only a mini-USB socket, which makes it difficult to use your own, higher quality headphones.

Surprisingly you can’t upload the videos you capture on the INQ1 straight to Facebook, which may seem a little pernickety on my part, but in my opinion being able to video blog wherever you are is one of the big advantages of social networking via your mobile phone.

The GadgetStylist verdict

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few minor flaws but overall the INQ1 is a great mobile phone that lays down the social networking gauntlet to the other operators and manufacturers.  Its ideal for those members of the Facebook generation, who can’t or won’t stretch their budget to a higher priced super-phone which, thanks to the Credit Crash, (Its been upgrade from a Crunch now apparently) probably means almost everyone under 35!

It may not be called the Facebook-phone, but it’s clear that integrating Facebook at the heart of the INQ1 is the inspiration for a phone that delivers what the majority of us expect from a mobile phone - inexpensive but seamless communication, in whichever way we choose.

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