INQ Mobile has been named “Phone of the Year” at this years Meffys Awards, held by the Mobile Entertainment Forum. The Meffys are considered the industry’s official benchmark for measuring success and rewarding innovation, and the awards honor the most influential players from around the world. This category recognizes the importance of mobile handsets in driving consumer discovery and entertainment, and the INQ1 was recognized by the judges for being a mass market phone that offers social media and mobile internet services in an easy to use, simple way, driving mobile data usage.
MEF’s Executive Director, Rimma Perelmuter, said “We are delighted for INQ Mobile, a new entrant to the market, whose focus on usability and social networking features answers the needs of consumers who seek a fun, affordable and connected experience.”
INQ’s innovative approach – building hardware and software from the ground up with social media and internet services at the core – has caught the attention of the mobile industry and consumers. So far this year, the INQ1 has won the “Handset of the Year” at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Mobile News Awards “Best Newcomer,” and now “Phone of the Year” at the Meffys.
I reported on the data usage of the INQ1 here, but no harm in recapping the (impressive) stats they recently too:
The company also recently released data on usage of the INQ1 on the 3 UK network. The numbers seen on an entry-level handset and pay as you go tariff were comparable, or in some cases higher, than what operators typically see on much more expensive smartphones.
- An average of 65% of INQ1 customers are using Facebook , with the majority of users accessing once a day or more
- 30% of INQ1 customers are regularly using email
- Windows Live Messenger usage is 3-4 times greater than on other 3G phones on the 3 UK network, with around 50% of INQ1 customers accessing the service every month
- 19% of the INQ1 base uses Skype
You can check out more on INQ here.