Mark Zuckerberg’s statement in late 2010 that there will never be a Facebook phone is starting to look a little dicey, especially on the back INQ turning up at TechCrunch headquarters yesterday and showing off a prototype.
“Our whole strategy is not to build any specific device or integration or anything like that. Because we’re not trying to compete with Apple or the Droid or any other hardware manufacturer for that matter.”
Now, to be fair, the INQ representative demonstrated what has been called a “Facebook optimised phone” without mention of any specific Facebook branding. However, when you have a device with buttons like “People”, “Events”, “Notifications” and “Places” it starts to get a little tricky to deny that this is, in fact, a Facebook phone.
As far as phones go the INQ Cloud Touch (a QWERTY version is destined to follow with the moniker “INQ Cloud Q”) seems to pass muster. While most of the functions haven’t yet been demonstrated, the Facebook integration actually seems to have been pulled off pretty well.
TechCrunch aren't the only ones to get their hands on this phone either. Engadget has received their own copy and is currently in the process of feeling things out.
Your Facebook news feed and friends’ status updates are all brought directly to the home screen on the INQ Cloud Touch. It looks like you can even easily view a media post (such as a YouTube video) without any of the usual difficulty like opening the browser or YouTube app. Friend integration has also been worked on, with your “top friends” getting their very own display area.
The Events button has some pretty handy functions, such as inputting all of your birthdays and planned events directly in to your Google Calendar. Having all this information in one area would be extremely handy and probably prevent a lot of accidental double bookings, as we’re occasionally prone to do with our precious free time.
Notifications is pretty standard, and acts just like your normal notifications menu in Facebook.
Places sounds like a pretty handy tool. It lets you check things like restaurants, cinemas, shops, takeaway joints or even bars in your area. No word yet on just how comprehensive this function is, but we certainly like the idea of pushing one button every time we get the munchies and being instantly supplied with the location of every eatery in our immediate vicinity.
Probably one of the more exciting things about the phone is the integration of Facebook chat. Not only will users be able to chat to their friends for free, but won’t even be limited to phone-to-phone communication. While sending messages from a phone to a computer and vice-versa is no new technology, it’s still nice to see people are trying to make it easier and more accessible to the average person.
The WhistleOut Opinion
Is this phone a game-changer? Definitely not. But it does have some interesting ideas as far as social media integration goes. However, we’re still not convinced that it’s enough to actually consider getting yourself an INQ Cloud Touch, even if you're a die-hard Facebook fan. The reason being that there are already numerous options for Facebook integration on Android that usually present themselves as free downloads, rather than a totally new device.
As more information is released about the INQ Cloud Touch we’ll be able to decide if this phone is really worth it or if it’s just a gimmick aimed at pathological time-wasters and trendy teens. Until then, if you’re interested, keep your eyes peeled as we’re sure to keep you updated as the May release date approaches.
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