Making The Case For Feature PhonesMaking The Case For Feature Phones

I've long thought that features phones like the Samsung Rogue were on their way out because low-cost Android devices or other smartphones would eventually make their way down market. After conversing with Frank Meehan, CEO of INQ Mobile, I may be reconsidering that stance.If you're unfamiliar with the company, INQ is a small company that makes devices like the Facebook phone or the Twitter phone. These devices were built from the ground up with Internet integration in mind, Meehan said, and they offer feature phone users access and deep integration with things like Skype, Twitter, Facebook , and other online services. What's even better is that their cost structure isn't as high as players like Nokia, Samsung, and others, so INQ can deliver a full QWERTY device with 3G, GPS, and deep social networking integration for less than $200 before subsidies.

Meehan said the mobile market is in a tumultuous position now thanks to the shockwave that was Apple's iPhone. Apple's touch-screen device has changed how mobile operators, consumers, and handset makers think about their mobile phones, and it has also made the big manufacturers play "clone catch-up."

INQ is not going after Apple, yet. Instead, the company is going after the roughly 85% of the market that is still using a feature phone, Meehan said. While some reports have smartphones growing at an incredible rate, INQ said it thinks these percentages won't change that much over the next five years. I do think we'll see a sizable increase of smartphone adoption but I'm sure there will be plenty of room in the feature phone market.

So, operating under that assumption, a killer feature phone needs to look good and connect me in a simple way to the things I want. Fortunately, INQ excels at both of these as the industrial design of their devices is super sleek and very stylish. The software is also pretty good too, as there's a universal inbox for texts, e-mails, Skype, and social network messages, and the user interface is pretty clean and smooth. It is far better than most of the stuff I've seen in other feature phones.

So, can a company with 120 employees slay giants like LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia? Meehan certainly thinks so, as the size of his company means it can be nimble and more innovative than its competitors.

"They remind me of the car companies because their whole model is to make a base, and then just spin out a slightly new version of it for a few years," Meehan said of the dominant handset makers. "That doesn't cut it in the Internet world."

Meehan said it has been working hard for the last year or so to get into the U.S. market with a carrier, and it should have handsets for sale sometime next year. This will be an interesting company to keep an eye on folks.