3 INQ1 Facebook Phone: Best Social Networking App Yet, Dull Handset

UK carrier 3 has finally taken the wraps off of its Facebook cellphone, the INQ1, an HSDPA slider with a 3.2-megapixel camera.  The Facebook phone has a new application offering what's said to be the most social networking functionality of any Facebook software to date.  Electricpig spent some hands-on time with the handset, and while as a phone it's not all that inspiring, the Facebook app really is decent.

Anybody cautious about Facebook ubiquity should look away now.  The INQ1 automatically synchronizes contacts with Facebook, Skype and Flickr, offering up peoples' current status, recent updates and Skype availability when browsing through the address book.  The Facebook app caches changes when there's no connection present, with comments, messages and updates added as soon as it finds a signal.

It's only an early look, but this could be the holy grail for Facebook addicts.  What might hold it back, in fact, is the dreary handset itself; put the app on a more attractive handset, with a full QWERTY keyboard, and you'd likely have a serious hit.  The 3 INQ1 is "coming soon" and will likely be priced from free with a new contract.