Looking for a budget phone with some excellent social tools? I'm not sure what regions it's available in (except for the ones on the official site - UK, Singapore and a couple of others), but the INQ Mini 3G sounds like a great option.
Physically, the candybar handset looks leagues ahead in terms of appearance, compared to INQ's previous cellphone effort. Heck, it's considerably more attractive than a lot of the mid-range phones with the same form factor that's available right now. Small and light, it fits very comfortably in your pocket. It feels a little fleeting in the hand, however, with a predominantly plastic make.
The Mini 3G comes with a 2.2-inch screen showing a 320x240 resolution. Quality is gorgeous, showing off plenty of brightness and excellent colors. The T9-style keypad facilitates comfortable use, although the navigation array doesn't exactly work seamlessly with the menu interface.
As a phone, it manages excellent calls, with clear and natural-sounding voices. The speakerphone works equally well, although it could have used just a slight more volume. While the interface works decently, overall phone operation feels a little sluggish, sometimes pausing in mid-operation for a split second. The 3G speed also doesn't appear to be that fast. Battery life should be good for 2.5 hours of regular use.
Being a social networking device, the Mini 3G's main strengths lie in its native integration of social-based services, namely Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Windows Live Messenger. Using them is literally a breeze, with performance (for the aforementioned services) that's better than 90% of phones around. The inbox structure - which gathers all messages and conversations in one place - is downright brilliant.
All other features, however, aren't as souped-up, but they work well enough, especially at this handset's price point. The 2.0 megapixel camera, for instance, takes rather lacking shot quality - a shame since the interface from shooting a photo to uploading it to Twitter is very well-done. There's also a decent media player, Bluetooth and compatibility with a variety of streaming services. One feature many will like is the built-in tethering support - yep, simply connect it to your laptop and use your phone's 3G to get online.
Despite a few complaints, the INQ Mini 3G is a serious value for its price. Available for just $100 unlocked and free with a contract from any network, it's an excellent mid-range phone, especially if you're heavy on the social networking.
