INQ launches first “Facebook phone”
Facebook has partnered with handset maker INQ to launch two “social mobiles” optimised for the social network.
The so-called Facebook phone will be available in the UK in April after INQ launches the devices at World Mobile Congress in Barcelona next week.
The touchscreen phones use the Android platform and use Facebook as the home screen.
The INQ Cloud Touch and INQ Cloud Q handsets will not be Facebook branded, but were developed “in collaboration” with the social network.
INQ says the handsets are “built for people worldwide who use Facebook as their primary means of communication and they deliver a fully live Facebook experience built around INQ’s Visual Media Feed.”
Features include “one-touch” links to Facebook Chat, Friends, Messages, Wall and Notifications and geo-location tool Facebook Places. The handsets also integrate Facebook Events with Google calendar.
The handsets use online music streaming service Spotify as the default music player.
The handsets will be available in the UK through The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy.
Henri Moissinac, head of mobile business for Facebook says: “The INQ Cloud Touch and INQ Cloud Q bring Facebook to people with a single touch while they are mobile and demonstrate the power of socially aware devices.”