We've mentioned more than a few times that the appeal of the full Internet Explorer browser is one of the big things to look forward to in Windows Phone Mango on Nokia smartphones.

Windows Phone Mango update in detail: the web and search

So imagine our surprise to see a story claiming Internet Explorer users aren't as smart as users of other web browsers. Did that mean Nokia users were dumbing down – quite literally – in making the switch to Microsoft's browser? Or are we lacking in brains to begin with for even considering the switch? Fortunately, it's none of the above, as the story is a fake!

The original claim – that users of Internet Explorer have on average a lower IQ than people who chose other browsers – unsurprisingly made for great headlines and stories on the subject spread like wildfire around the web earlier this week, with even the likes of the BBC having faithfully reported the shock findings.

However, it emerged yesterday that the research agency behind the claim, Canada's ApTiquant, was in fact a bogus firm whose website had only been set up a month ago and whose staff listing had been copied from an unrelated French research firm's website and the names changed.

So if anyone tries to tell you that Internet Explorer is for dummies, they've been duped! The future web browser Nokia smartphone users will be using on Windows Phone Mango powered devices is every bit as impressive as we've been saying it is – in fact, for our money it's the smarter choice around!

Were you caught out by the Internet Explorer IQ story, or did you suspect it was a hoax all along? Let us know in the Comments!