3mobilebuzz brings you the latest news, reviews, opinion and hype on 3 from across the web. Find out what other people are saying about all of 3’s mobiles, price plans, products and services online, plus troubleshooting hints and tips.
Fred (@wingdisk) of tekimage has been trialling the INQ Mini 3G and has gone as far as to compare it to Superman!
He has been putting it through its paces testing out the Skype and Twitter apps and uploading photos straight to facebook.
Fred also talks us through his experience with 3’s 3G network and the improvements he’s seen over the months, due to the work that 3 has been doing to enhance and expand its network.
So, who does Fred see using the INQ Mini 3G? Not just the youths of today - pop over to his blog post and find out. Do you agree?
The general consensus so far has been very positive, although the Hero did take some getting used to by all, mainly due to the touch screen and its being constantly online.
The camera on it seemed to go down well, with Frankie using it to post pictures from the day at London Fashion Weekend. But will it help make up Vikki’s mind as to whether she needs a Hero? Or will the Spotify subscription included help seal the deal?
Check out all their posts to see their thoughts on the phone and ask them any questions about their time with the Hero.
As reported over the past couple of weeks, we provided 8 fashion addicts with HTC Heros and INQ Chat 3Gs so they could report from the catwalk for free to celebrate 3 offering free Twitter throughout February & March.
The girls took full advantage of the offer and tweeted profusely all day long. Check out #FreeTwitteron3 for a review of the day, from what’s on trend in Spring / Summer 2010 to who bought what (and a lot of buying was done!)
The girls really enjoyed the phones they were using, Natasha (@natashabailie) said of the Hero:
“I was given a HTC Hero phone, which took some getting used to, but if you like gadgets and nifty handheld devices then you will love the (super) Hero phone on 3mobile.”
Whilst half the girls had HTC Heros, the other half had INQ Chat 3Gs which went down a storm with Fiona of SaveOurShoes, a self-confessed technophobe:
“I got to play around with an INQ Mobile for a bit. And now, I am addicted to tweeting, twitpicing and being a general nuisance.”
Follow them on Saturday to find out what they’ve been doing and what amazing stuff they’ve been seeing.
@nechbi from mypocketOS has also been spreading the word about Free Twitter on 3 throughout February and March, and makes a good point that “if you haven’t used Twitter before, now is a good opportunity to try it out for free.” So why not have a go?!
Amy (@wolfwhistle) and Carrie’s (@wishwishwish) +1s are still to be decided. If you want to be in with a chance of joining them, pop over to their twitter feeds and twitpic them something that you think proves that “the best things in life are free”.
All 8, will be tweeting for free from the catwalk to make the most of 3’s offering free Twitter throughout February & March. They will be using either an HTC Hero or an INQ Chat 3G. These phones are new to the girls, so if anyone has any hints & tips for them, make sure to let them know.
Today 3’s Nigel Field, Director of Devices, posted on the 3 blog about 3’s handset strategy for 2010 and it seems that the Smartphone is King, with 2009 seeing a growth in popularity of QWERTY keyboards, touchscreens & data devices amongst 3’s customers.
Nigel also talked in his post about Apple:
“We don’t currently have a commercial relationship with Apple but are working to change this during 2010 and add Apple to our portfolio.”
This sparked a mixed response on Twitter, with some people thinking that 3 doesn’t need to stock the iPhone as the HTC phones that 3 are beginning to stock are far and away better
Do we have any art students in the audience tonight? If so, Liam states in his review post that he thinks the INQ Chat 3G is your equivalent in the phone world,
“If the INQ Chat 3G was a person it would be an art student with its distinctive visual identity that sets it apart from other mobile phones.”
Liam goes onto talking about using the INQ Chat 3G with Ubuntu, with a couple of tips for getting the phone connected up via Bluetooth. The browser and the processor speed are areas where Liam thinks the phone needs improving, but the overall impression left by the phone is still a positive one,
“I think you get a lot for your money, this is a phone you can be proud of thanks to its strong visual identity and it feels like it is well made.”
Stephen has also been putting the INQ Chat 3G through its paces. The integration of the social networking apps is seen as a real bonus to the phone, with Skype and Facebook working well. However he feels the Twitter integration isn’t quiet as strong as that of the other two and had some issues with the phone freezing when all were running at once.
Stephen wraps up by recommending the phone to those who don’t want all the apps running all the time, but want them all ready to go out of the box,
“So, if you don’t want to run all the Social Networking apps all the time,but want a device with a QWERTY keyboard, and the ability to use your favourite Social Networking sites out of the box, then certainly go and try out the INQ Chat 3G.”
Have you tried the INQ Chat 3G yet? If you have, hop over to their sites and let them know what you thought of it. If not, and you fancy trying one & sharing your thoughts, let us know and we’ll see what we can do.
With the release earlier today of the latest firmware for the N900 (PR1.1) it is now possible to use 3UK SIM cards with the phone. This has been one of the hot topics around the N900 and has been on the high priority fix list for Nokia.
Available for £99.99 on PAYG or £15 on contract the INQ Chat 3G could be just the gift for someone at Xmas. What’s so special about it? The full QWERTY keyboard, email integration and let’s not forget free Skype and WLM. That’s not all though, as explained by 3G.co.uk there is more:
“The fun isn’t all in the chatting though – the INQ Chat 3G has entertainment as well as communication covered with iTunes and Windows Media Player media syncing for PCs and Macs.”
3mobilebuzz friend and regular Abul has posted his initial thoughts of the N900, not something we would normally talk about but Abul’s thoughts on the device and 3 were too interesting to miss. He has not been using the device as his primary weapon because of issues with 3G only 3UK SIM cards, however this is something he’s heard will be solved soon. He hopes this will be the case (as do we) due to his views on the similarities between the device and 3:
“I think that would be a wise decision [to update the firmware]. 3UK are very much like the N900 – open (well more than their competitors) so it makes sense to make it widely available.”
We agree with this, for a network 3 are indeed open, offerings like free Skype and free WLM are a sign of this, but more notably it can be seen here, here and here in some of the activities we have been involved with this year.
In his words, “Smartphones are computers that happen to be able to make phone calls, and that leads to some interesting possibilities”
That’s a good point actually – and if you look at Liam’s piece you’d be forgiven for thinking at times that you were reading a computer review, not a phone one. Take this example:
“The “home” screen is in fact one of six virtual desktops, you can screen between them using the trackball and there is an indication on the screen of what desktop you are on”
And again:
“A big win for the Android platform is that it is multitasking. You can keep…applets running, listen to music, “scrobble” it to last.fm and interact with Twitter all at once for example”
The Hero, after all, is a phone very much focused on providing a lot of the functionality of a computer whilst you’re on the move. Google’s Android OS has opened up myriad opportunities to beef up your phone and turn it into a portable PC…or near enough.
Overall Liam came out of his trial with a lot of positive stuff to say about the Hero:
“The Android operating system and the software supplied are very good, full of nice touches that make it a pleasure to use”
“I am convinced now that my next phone must be an Android phone, it is quite clearly the future” Continue reading…
“Our relationship with the mobile phone is changing, and it is not just the high end phones that show evidence of this. The Sony Ericsson T715 is a new mid range phone available on 3 that comes preloaded with lots of features that will enable you to enjoy the web on the move”
It seems that the handset would be a natural choice for someone who is a “mild dabbler”, shall we say, when it comes to Twitter, but who, like Laura, likes to play with Facebook, Windows Live, etc:
“…this is a great phone if you are into the “constant checking culture” now thought by 3 to be driving mobile broadband usage”
As 3’s first foray into the world of Android it’s been welcomed with enthusiasm, but also with acutely honed critical eyes. As an up-and-coming handset manufacturer pitched in direct competition with other high-end devices on the market it seems that everyone’s keen to see whether or not the Hero lives up to it’s name.
We’ve been lucky enough to be able to offer out the handset on trials to those interested in checking it out in more depth. The first set of trials are just coming to a close and the results have been interesting thus far.
“What has been a surprise is the battery performance of the device. I’d say it’s been pretty heavy usage on it throughout the day, it always is when friends all around want to play with it. But approximately 2.5 hours of constant Youtube streaming via 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi on all the time and it’s lasted around 8 hours.”
“The camera I have to say has been the biggest disappointment, I expect a much better result from something boasting 5 Mega Pixels with autofocus and such. Having no flash doesn’t help it’s cause but even in daylight it’s slow and pretty awkward to use”
I spoke to Abul a bit more about the camera last night at a 3mobilebuzz meetup and he tested it “live” against a couple of other phones that we had with us. The consensus amongst those present was that it’s an area for improvement.
Elsewhere, Mauricio (@reyes) posted on reyespowered.com about his first 24 hrs with the Hero.
“I have mentioned before that my weapon of choice is an iPhone. Naturally one of the first things I would to try out would be the Android marketplace, it did not disappoint. I found it is packed full of choices. There is a plethora of widgets to look through which was fun.”
Round 2 of the trials is upon us and 4 more lucky readers will get their hands on the HTC Hero for a week, so expect further updates on their thoughts.
Do you have one yet? If so, what do you think of it so far?
As part of our work with 3 we arrange a lot of different handset trials – it’s a great way to get feedback on new phones and see what the end consumer thinks of 3’s products.
To mix things up a bit, I decided that my girlfriend Laura would be a good guinea pig for a trial we’re currently running for the Sony Ericsson T715.
This little handset is very cute, comes in pink (which I knew she’d love), but most importantly of all – it’s aimed at people who might like to use the internet a bit more on their phones, they just don’t know it yet.
Laura’s a low intensity internet user. She uses Facebook a bit, emails to stay in touch with friends…and that’s about it. I was keen to find out if, with the extra online functions of the T715, Laura could be coaxed into using the internet on her mobile, and get into Twitter!
Have a look at the below video, where we made efforts to get her onto the micro-blogging service…
We had a bit of a glitch signing up to the service using the phone itself, which was a shame. On the upside, Laura really liked the handset, and seemed keen to follow Arnie, and hopefully others… Continue reading…
Mark Boulton has been taking part in our INQ Mini trial, and has shared his thoughts on his brilliantly named “Boulton Bugle”
Mark was disappointed with the in-built Twitter app:
“..only the very most recent tweets are displayed, if you wish to view older messages you have to go online and log-in to the mobile Twitter site which to me seems a little daft”
Instead, he prefers to use Dabr, which is fast becoming the benchmark against which other mobile Twitter apps are measured.
On the plus side, it’s a positive that, “on the Contacts list you can synchronize with your Facebook contacts so they are displayed alongside your regular contacts”.
He also echoes other feedback we’ve had about the look and feel of the phone – “the handset itself is an extremely nice looking and small phone, feels very well built and very good to hold”
The INQ mini has been widely praised for its combination of social media integration, good looks and low pricing. With INQ moving onto the Android platform next year it’ll be interesting to see what the next generation of INQ handsets bring to the table.
Fred (@wingdisk) of tekimage has been trialling the INQ Mini 3G and has gone as far as to compare it to Superman!
Today 3’s Nigel Field, Director of Devices, posted on the 3 blog about 3’s handset strategy for 2010 and it seems that the 
