Janelle LiTelling the whole world what you’re up to is the current “in” thing, and mobile phone companies such as INQ Mobile facilitate this cultivated habit of young people by incorporating applications for these functions as part of their default factory settings.
(Image courtesy of INQ Mobile)
The INQ Chat 3G aims to integrate the 2 most popular social media platforms – Twitter and Facebook – into 1, to keep the user and his/her friends “always-on” the ball with each other.
Its striking appearance will appeal to you if you have high standards for the aesthetics of a device you’ll interact with almost every minute of your life. The full range consists of 7 colours from the business-like black/gray to striking lime green and bright yellow, but unfortunately only red is available locally for this SingTel-exclusive handset.
(Image courtesy of INQ Mobile)
You shouldn’t expect the INQ Chat to be as powerful as a smartphone, it’s more of a texting machine to keep you connected to the world, and tell everyone your answer to “What are you doing now?”
Watch your tweet count multiply exponentially as you punch away on this baby with the Twitter app, it’s so much fun that it’s almost sinful. If you were already at least half addicted to Twitter, your infatuation will explode from the second you get your hands on this gadget. Go on, tell the world about your life by the millisecond. Just remember never to log yourself out, to avoid the initial tedious process of loading, loading, and loading your timeline every time you log in.
(Image courtesy of INQ Mobile)
One of the big factors that contribute to this potential Twitter craze is the QWERTY keyboard, with buttons that feel solid with a silent click when pressed, perfect for those who need some reassurance that they’ve definitely punched the key. It may pose some challenges though, if you have large hands and/or long fingernails.
You can also share the photo of the moment by using the mention-worthy 3.2megapixel camera, which takes decent pictures with minimal noise. Simply go to your image gallery, and under the ‘Send’ option, you can choose to include the image in an MMS, attach it in an email, transfer it via Bluetooth to your friends, or post it up on Twitter or Facebook for the universe to see.
Another cool aspect is the messaging inbox. Other than SMS (Short Messaging Service), you can also check if you’ve got any new Twitter direct messages, Facebook personal messages, emails (for the accounts already set up) and even Facebook pokes and friend requests, all “pushed” to you as long as you’re logged in.
The other main selling point of this model, the Facebook app, was disappointing though. Basically the app was designed for you to keep track of your friends’ status updates, and your pokes, friend requests and inbox messages. The news feed is displayed in a minimalist fashion, and while there may be a tab that reads ‘Photos’, all it does is lead you to a page in your browser, instead of allowing you to browse through the photos within the app. Another less-than-satisfactory point is when searching for a particular friend, typing the first name yields no result. You’ll have to type the family name to find him/her, and then write on his/her Facebook wall.
(Image courtesy of INQ Mobile)
You can also chat on instant messaging services such as Windows Live Messenger and happily gossip away with your friends on that addictive QWERTY keyboard. The small screen is a disadvantage though, if any of your friends loves blabbering in paragraphs you may have to scroll quite a bit to see the whole chunk.
Another drawback would be the variety of apps available for the INQ Chat, which definitely can’t be compared to the diversity of the Apple App Store or the Android Market.
This mobile phone will never match up to its more intelligent cousins in terms of flexibility and customisability, but it functions well as an affordable alternative for Twitter and Facebook addicts, as it comes free with a new 2-year SingTel “enhanced data bundled mobile plan”.
More information available at SingTel Shop: http://www.singtelshop.com
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