Yesterday, we announced that INQ would be bringing its mobile phones to Canada, shaking up the handset market, much like companies like WIND and Mobilicity have already begun to make waves on the carrier side. We had the chance to chat with Founder and CEO Frank Meehan to get more details on the device that will arrive in Canada, as well as the company's plans going forward.

First, what is INQ?  Pronounced "ink," the U.K.-based company makes mobile phones it calls "social mobiles," targeted to the youth market, and, as the name implies, focusing predominantly on social networking Website access. The idea behind the INQ concept is that most smartphones are too costly for the young person to purchase. And while teens and tweens desire access to features like social networking and instant messaging, they don't necessarily need the functions that a more sophisticated smartphone might provide. Thus it seems fitting that INQ has partnered with youth-friendly Canadian carrier Koodo, along with its parent company Telus, to offer the latest device, the INQ Chat 3G, to Canadians.

"In each market," says Meehan, "we're doing what RIM did with the BlackBerry, and focusing on one, key carrier." For Meehan, Koodo and Telus provide a perfect path directly to those aged 16-24, heading back to school, and looking for an affordable alternative to the higher-priced smartphone.

Telus and Koodo will both offer the 3G device, which, as the name implies, operates on Telus' high-speed 3G HSDPA network. What sets this phone, as well as others in INQ's lineup (to date there are three) apart is the fact that they don't just afford access to social networking sites: the applications are built right into the operating software. A proprietary widget on the home screen shows real-time updates from the connected sites, and integrates these with the onboard camera, and a unified inbox. While Facebook, Twitter, and other Java-based clients, RSS feeds, e-mail, and instant messaging platforms are all supported, Meehan says that the focus with INQ phones is really on Facebook. And with 500 million users worldwide and counting, who can blame the company for going this route?

The software, which is INQ's own and built overtop Qualcomm's Brew operating system, sounds like it accomplishes a similar content amalgamation task that many other devices today can: Motorola's Motoblur technology and Sony Ericsson's Timescape immediately come to mind. But according to Meehan, INQ does not combine contacts and status updates in the same manner. "We don't blend and mash information together, which is what a lot of these other services do," he explains. "The under-30 crowd hates that, because you end up missing things."

The best way to explain the INQ setup, then, is the ability to instantly access all of your social networking sites and get real-time updates via one click or view from the home screen. Meehan admits that devices like the iPhone or BlackBerry can be similarly convenient through the use of downloaded (and free) third-party applications; often times these can even push information in real-time to the device. But, he explains, the INQ device is "75% cheaper than an iPhone." Thus, customers get the functionality through a phone that is much more affordable, and that doesn't include other bells and whistles they don't need.

Meehan sees his biggest competitors in North America to be Samsung and RIM, notably models like the Pearl and Curve with the latter. Currently, INQ products are not available in the U.S., although the company is in talks with carriers there. "Canadian operators," says Meehan, "are much faster to get devices to market. Operators here are putting more emphasis and effort on devices. They are looking for fresh new brands, and they're bored with the other stuff."

Google's open source Android platform has managed to wake carriers up and inject some new blood into the handset industry over the past year. And INQ won't be disregarding that technology. "We plan to launch an Android phone next year."

While it will sell for just $50, the INQ Chat 3G will boast some fairly decent features in addition to the built-in social networking functions, like a 3.2 MP camera (with video recording capability but no flash), Bluetooth, and the Opera Mini Web browser. There is no set date for its arrival here, but chances are we'll see the device in time for the back-to-school season. And Meehan is confident that the phone will perform well. "I think some of the other manufacturers are shaking right now," he boldly declares.

Frank Meehan, Founder & CEO, INQ

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