INQ1 wins big in Global Mobile Awards 2009

INQ Mobile's debut handset, the INQ1, has taken top honours at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2009, winning the award for Best Handset of the year.

In their comments, the judges for the event said that the INQ1 is "a significant step towards the mobile device as a social networking hub".

"Its approach to the deep integration of services such as Facebook outshines that of much costlier smartphones, and it presents a compelling proposition by treating the phone book as the focal point of the device," reads the judges comments on the Global Mobile Awards website.

The INQ1 came out on top over a shortlist of handsets including the Nokia E71, the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), the BlackBerry Storm and the LG KS360. The E71 and G1 received high commendations and were named as runner-ups.

Nokia also took a trophy for Outstanding Environmental Contribution, BBC's iPlayer won Best Mobile Music or Video Service, and Gamesloft's Real Football 2009 was winner of the Best Mobile Game award. BlackBerry won the Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough award for its SurePress touchscreen technology implemented on the Storm.

INQ is a new manufacturing division of Hutchison-Whampoa, Hutchinson being the company behind 3 Mobile in Australia and Europe. The INQ1 has been receiving high praise from critics for its coupling of social-networking applications and cheap access to HSDPA data services. In Australia, 3 Mobile will sell the INQ1 handset outright for AU$249.