Posts tagged handset

The device of the moment, the Nokia N97, is available to pre-order from 3 now and will be on sale in-store and online from the 26th June - a fact that has delighted Ewan over at mobileindustryreview.com!

3 are the only network to allow unobstructed access to Skype as detailed in the media alert below, along with some other N97 goodness,

“Announcing itself as the world’s most advanced mobile computer, the N97 isn’t afraid to make big shouts, and now it has arrived. 3 is the first operator to embrace free Skype-to-Skype calling and IM on the phone via the Skype on 3 application. As with all of 3’s Skype-enabled phones, making Skype-to-Skype calls on N97s using this application in the UK won’t cost consumers a penny.”

Pricing will see the N97 at £35 a month on a contract with voicemail and 300minutes/texts. Don’t want to commit to a contract? The PAYG option has the handset priced at £319.99 with top ups giving you 90 days of free voicemail, text bundles and 150mb of internet use. Both options will give you unlimited WLM and, of course, Skype-to-Skype calls and IM. A deal that Ewan suggests is “pretty good considering it’s a premium handset”

If you’ve been waiting for one or just had your appetite whetted the N97 in black is available for pre-order at the 3 store.

The self-proclaimed Facebook addict, nivekfs, from Ciao, has taken it upon himself to review the INQ1. Although it’s just up his street as far as his social networking habits are concerned, no-one can be on Facebook all the time, so he points out there’s also “Free Skype to Skype […] instant messenger capabilities […] and an eBay tool so you can bid on the go.”

Do you agree with nivekfs, “no shocker that it won the Best Mobile Handset, award”? Why not go over to Ciao and leave him a comment?

Another lovely review to sate your INQ1 cravings, this time the review is by Steve O’Hear from last100. Being called the “Facebook Phone”, the INQ1 is obviously going to feature Facebook, but Steve thinks it is more integrated than any other phone.

“At its heart is the INQ1’s Facebook integration, which goes a little deeper than rival handsets.”

Have a look at Steve’s full review and let him hear what you think.

Trevor Bennett from the INQ1 mobile cell phone pages has brought news of a major update to the firmware of the INQ1.

Available Over The Air (with no cables or PCs involved) Trevor was impressed that he was prompted to download the Windows Live Messenger update, and all he had to do was log on. He *strongly* advises that fellow users download the update and reckons it is ‘pleasing’ to see a manufacturer giving users a bit of support.

As he says, ‘go forth and update!’

It took a while, but now it seems there will be a rival to the INQ1, possibly launched by LG.

According to Tom Dunmore on the Stuff.tv blog, this year will see LG “pushing social networking devices harder” this year. Using the Android platform, these Google style rivals are coming to try and knock the “mighty INQ1” from its social media perch.

Can anything match the INQ1? Let Tom know what you think.

Silcon Republic’s Marie Boran is talking a handset revolution and it is in the palms of the youth…

Examining the ‘world’s first social mobile’ she makes the assessment that the INQ1, when you get down to the details, is a “smart phone the kids can afford.” If you follow this idea through, the INQ1 can be seen as a challenge to those devices priced higher.

Boran quotes Adam Leach, principal analyst at UK firm Ovum regarding this, “From an operator’s perspective, this is very good to see – in a sense it is throwing down the gauntlet.” INQ1 front and centre in gauntlet throwing? All Boran’s thoughts here.

Online at What Mobile is the INQ1 review from the February issue of the magazine.

It’s a comprehensive assessment that gets to grips with the device and what it can do. Understanding that the INQ1’s applications are available on other phone models they praise the integration – the feature they see as keeping it out of the crowd of other mobiles jostling for marketing position.

They mention that the INQ1 is built by Amoi, the same company behind 3’s original Skypephone and the S2. And it is this that leads to their verdict, “What the Skypephone did for cheap phone calls, the INQ1 does for social networking. This phone has got to be the cheapest way to enjoy all of the latest services…”

Full 4/5 conclusion here.

He’s backed it up and forgiven the foibles it revealed to him and now he’s sent it on its merry way – back to the mother ship that is 3mobilebuzz.

Currently Ant is reflecting, “It feels very much like the handset is a work in progress rather than a polished, finished product.  Don’t get me wrong though, despite this I would wholeheartedly recommend it to those that I know would love it.  Heck, I loved it - it had barely been out of my hands since the day it was (eventually!) delivered.”

As he says though, his full thoughts are for another day…

AdonisMobile has reviewed the INQ1 in a post entitled “INQ1 – A Love And Hate Relationship”.

He spent the festive period trialling the device and has explored most of what it has to offer. As such the review is nicely segmented into the relevant features he believes are worth talking about. Some of which he thought were good and some less so. And in light of this he sees the INQ1 as tightly targeted, “aimed at the mass market of teens and mobile novices.”

To get all Adonis’s thoughts on the INQ1 head through here.

Obsessable have been at CES and it appears the INQ1 is just the sort of thing that gets them going, “We’re most excited by products that add something to your life, or that bring the latest tech to people who wouldn’t pursue it otherwise. INQ’s first phone, the INQ1, does both of those.”

The device is currently seeking a carrier in the US, leaving the Obsessable crew to speculate on the possibilities of a budget alternative to a smart phone…

Digital Spy-er Frailfury has asked his community members what the best handset available on 3 is, while simultaneously suggesting it might be the INQ1 – but he wants to know what others think.

A few responses have rolled in, though the deal on the INQ1 seems to have Frailfury pretty sold. The value is something that Cooopermanyorks agrees is tempting, but suggests his method of selecting a device should be adhered to. Part of that process is reading review after review.

The INQ1’s credentials as a portable gadget have got it featured on the Portable Gadget blog! They see the arrival of the INQ1, in a rather pragmatic sense, as being the answer to the problem of less time available to stay in touch with the ones you need and want to.

Referring to this time of “economic doom”, PG is impressed by the tariff of £15 a month and gives the details on all that you get for your hard-earned cash. To read their thoughts on the new user experience that INQ1 is promising deliver jump to here.

The Skype Gear blog has been given access to the INQ1 handset and, after a brief whizz around the features, they turn their attention to what they do best - Skype.

Andrew Brennan is the man with his hands on and he’s created the rather excellent video below that peruses the INQ1’s UI, before demonstrating the Skype functionality.

Drinks flowing and expensive bite-sized portions of nosh were part of the solution Marianne had been seeking for her driedonpaper conundrum. And, at the heart of the party that concluded her wondering, was the INQ1 - 3’s ‘social mobile’.

Marianne has given reaction to the event and device. On the INQ1 side of things, it seems the never offline aspect, widget manager and last.fm compatible scrobbling impress her.

For a sense of all the evening entailed, visit her post INQ in the City, and enjoy the visuals - some of which are below.

Just a quick nod to a video of the INQ1 going through some functionality. The clip is a little guerrilla in aesthetic, but you certainly get an impression of what the device is all about.