Remember how easy it used to be to get your sibling into trouble by telling Mum or Dad they were STILL on the phone?

That was back in the day when a phone was only as mobile as far as the telephone chord would stretch and calling your nextdoor neighbour cost more than it does today to phone Outer Mongolia.

Nowadays of course, kids barely use the home phone at all.

They can talk to or text their friends using their mobile phone, leave messages for each other on social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo and "chat" to each other on their computer via the wonders of instant messaging.

And soon they will be able to do all of the above using an INQ¹, the new mobile phone from 3 - and for a flat monthly fee too.

The INQ¹ is manufactured exclusively for 3 by mobile phone manufacturer, INQ. Never heard of them? Join the club. That's because it's a brand spanking new company, but it does come with borrowed pedigree because its part of Hutchison Whampoa which also owns 3. Hence the exclusive tie-up.

The INQ¹ (pronounced Ink One, but take the opportunity to annoy your kids by constantly referring to it as I-N-Q-1) does everything a normal phone does and comes with the now obligatory MP3 player, FM radio and camera (3.2 Megapixels). But it has built with social networking in mind, meaning Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger are fully integrated. So not only can you access these services very quickly, the I-N-Q-1 automatically lets you know which of your friends are currently online and using them.

What's more 3 are pricing this phone with teenagers in mind.

For £15 a month you get:

A free INQ¹ mobile phone
75 minutes of phone calls
unlimited texts
unlimited web access
unlimited Facebook
unlimited Skype calls
unlimited instant messaging with Windows Live
unlimited email
unlimited free 3 to 3 mobile calls

Not bad eh?

And if the idea of a contract phone doesn't appeal, you can also get an INQ¹ on Pay As You Go for £79.99 with web packages starting at a fiver a month.

For more details visit the 3 website.




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