14 DAY TRIAL // INQ Mobile announced that INQ Chat 3G, its flagship social phone, had been launched in Canada. The handset is available from TELUS and Koodo Mobile and bears a customized phone back uniquely designed for each of the two mobile carriers.
Released last year, INQ Chat 3G is a candy bar mobile with built-in social networking features. Running on Qualcomm's BREW platform, the phone sports a full QWERTY keypad, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a 2.4 inch QVGA display. It also features 3G connectivity, GPS receiver, and supports data tethering via USB or Bluetooth.
Unlike other handsets designed mainly for talking and texting, INQ Chat 3G was developed with the social addict in mind, embedding Twitter, Facebook, and instant messaging clients in the phone's underlying software. These applications are always running and at a click distance from the home screen.
INQ Chat 3G is the successor of the highly acclaimed INQ1, the first handset launched by the company. Released in 2008, INQ1 received the prestigious "Handset of the Year" award at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
"We focus on what our core consumers want to do most with their mobile phone and deliver it at a price point that's affordable, especially for the youth that are driving the social media revolution. Our mission here in Canada is to bring a great mobile internet experience to the masses," said Frank Meehan, Founder and CEO of INQ Mobile. "We know there's a whole generation of people out there with no 'off button' - they are messaging, texting and uploading and updating 24/7. We exist for them."
INQ Chat 3G is available from TELUS free of charge with a two- or three-year contract, or for $179.99 without a contract. Koodo Mobile customers who put the phone on their Tab (the company's alternative to fixed-term contracts) can get the INQ Chat 3G for $50.