Mobile phone maker INQ Mobile announced plans to release two low-price mobile phones in the next few months, with a focus on devices similar to smartphones.
INQ Mobile hopes to cash in by offering consumers smartphones able to access Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, but without the high price tag of the Apple iPhone or Research In Motion BlackBerry.
The cheapest iPhone is available for $99, but one of the INQ phones could be available for as low as $25 with a two-year contract subscription, or a bit more without the contract. The INQ smartphone, the INQ Chat 3G, has a mini-QWERTY keyboard, while the INQ Mini 3G is shaped similar to a candy bar and will have high-speed wireless access.
If you're not familiar with INQ, the company released the INQ1 phone last year, and had support for YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Last.FM, Gmail, and other popular online services.
I'm quite content with my RIM BlackBerry Curve smartphone, but I think this could be a good phone for people on a budget. The problem INQ Mobile will run into, however, is how to target this device -- even though it would seem good for students, high school students demand popular smartphones their friends have.
The INQ1 didn't make it to the U.S. market, and it's unknown if these two phones will reach the United States.
