Three INQ1 Phone review
Three's INQ1 Phone
The INQ1 promises social media integration at a low price – a clear pitch to students and young “Facebookers” alike.
Three claims that the INQ1 is the world’s first social media mobile but this is not entirely true – a few free downloads from the iPhone’s App Store will turn their device into a social media powerhouse in no time. A more accurate claim for the INQ1 is that it is the first device to put social networking at the heart of its design and to make this kind of integration affordable to the average Bebo user.
The two special functions of the phone are its Skype and Facebook connectivity.
The Skype application works much the same as it did on Three’s budget SkypePhone, allowing users to make and receive all manner of calls and chats via the VOIP (Voice over IP) client. Skype to Skype calls are free, assuming you have topped up the phone in the past month, while many Skype to international calls cost less than 2c per minute. The only Skype calls blocked on the phone are those to Irish landlines and mobiles, naturally to ensure Three does not cannibalise its own market.
Generally during tests the quality of Skype to Skype calls was average and sometimes poor – the Skype chat feature was a useful replacement for text messaging, however.
The Facebook application is arguably more central to the phone than Skype and integrates with it on a number of legels. Messages received on Facebook show up on the phone like text messages, users can import Facebook contacts into their phone book and pictures taken with the phone can be posted straight to a Facebook account without any additional steps involved.
Unlike the Skype application using Facebook on the phone does cost money, however, and depending on your package and usage this could take a significant chunk out of your credit. Also the contacts import option only transfers Facebook account details to the phone, even if your friends have their e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers listed on their profile page.
In terms of its physical attributes the INQ1 looks and feels substantial, despite its low cost. The brushed metal finish gives it a premium feel that some business phones lack while the slide mechanism and buttons feel robust and reliable. Some of the navigation buttons do take a bit of getting used to, however, and it is far too easy to completely close an application when you just meant to go back one step.
The software on the INQ1 is generally user-friendly, however. Most of the main options are available on the ‘Home’ screen so users do not need to search through the menu to find them. The device also allows for a relatively decent amount of customisation such a adding new applications to the menu bar, or subscribing to web feeds.
Overall the INQ1 is a decent phone, albeit one that may take time to adjust to. It is clearly geared towards the pre-pay and teenage/student market, although it may be let down in that respect by its average media player offerings.
While Three may also suggest that the INQ1 would do well as a business phone this is unlikely to be the case. Free Skype to Skype calls on the go are attractive to small businesses and most of the other aspects of a phone that professionals might look for are there but they are tucked away and awkward to use. Perhaps it would be best if this market segment waited for a more business-tailored Skype offering.
An edited version of this review appeared in Business & Finance magazine on the 26th February 2009.
