With BlackBerry Messenger, you can keep in touch with your family and friends here and abroad, in real time, even if they are miles away. And with SMART’s BBM Me packages, you can use emoticons to your heart’s content, and you can also share photos or videos.

SMART’s new BBM Me plans are also available in weekly and monthly packages at P70 and P150, respectively. To register, just send BBM Week (for weekly BBM Me package) or BBM Month (for monthly BBM Me package) to 2207.

For other BlackBerry packages from SMART, you may refer to the matrix below.

Click to enlarge

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If you guys are looking for an affordable dual-SIM phone with dual-standby functionality, perhaps you should be looking for Nokia C2-00. Read on CTB’s review of this candy-bar handset and see for yourself if it’s a perfect match!

Overview

The Nokia C2-00 is one of the two dual-SIM phones introduced here in the Philippines back in June. Running the 6th Edition of the Series 40 platform, this phone supports dual-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, features a basic 1.8-inch 65K-color 128×160 LCD display, an internal memory capable of handling 500 phonebook entries, microSD storage up to 32GB, fixed-focus VGA camera, stereo FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth, microUSB port, and 3.5mm audio jack. One of the main highlights of this phone is its “Easy Swap” feature which makes one of the SIM card easily hot-swappable.

Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby, and Easy Swap Features

The Nokia C2-00 is among today’s dual-SIM handsets which is also dual-standby. What this means is if you’re using both SIM card slots, both will stay active in “standby mode” and will receive call or SMS notifications rather than turning one of the two SIMs on or off. In real world application, you can use SMART on the first SIM and Globe on the other – while keeping both SIMs active in standby mode.

Another exciting feature of Nokia C2-00 is the “Easy Swap”. Basically, this allows the user to easily change the second SIM card through the side-mounted slot without having to turn off the phone or remove its battery. The first SIM card actually resides under the battery inside, and when you decide to change your second SIM, just pull it off from the side with ease and replace with another one.

Camera, FM Radio, and MP3 Player

The camera on Nokia C2-00 may not really be among the best in today’s feature phones, but one should note perhaps Nokia just did this as a value-added feature to the entirety of the phone. The camera is still good to capture moments when you really have no other option, but if truth be told – you really shouldn’t expect much from your shots. Seriously, I didn’t even bother myself uploading one.

When you powered the phone, the FM radio just works right out of the box. Just plug in the headset as its antenna into the 3.5mm audio jack and you’re ready to tune in to your favorite local stations. The Nokia C2-00 can also play MP3 files and so with WAV, so if you guys love music – this handset has it for you.

Verdict

Smartphone users will find this handset hardly impressive, but Nokia brought the Nokia C2-00 into emerging markets certainly aiming those who prefer carrying more than just a single SIM. Here in the Philippines, the Nokia C2-00 is undoubtedly a perfect choice if you’re into e-Loading business or just any reason you’ll need a dual-SIM phone. Surprisingly, Nokia put the C2-00 with Php 2,990 price tag when it launched and with its value-added features, I believe it’s one among today’s most affordable dual-SIM phones in local shelves.

Check out more shots from the gallery after the break.

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Motorola’s MOTOKEY SOCIAL which definitely will get head to head with HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa also dons a dedicated Facebook button on its full QWERTY keyboard. Featuring a 2.4-inch QVGA (320×240 pixel) touch display, this phone runs on a proprietary software (no Android here, folks) and is packed with 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, 3MP camera (no Flash), Bluetooth, MicroUSB and 3.5mm audio ports, and a 910mAh battery promised to offer up to 8 hours of continuous use.

It’s still unclear though if this handset will hit local stores, but surely we’ll keep watching. [via]

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Well, this is certainly not an absurd question giving the fact that Siri just become even more popular with the launch of iPhone 4S and you probably haven’t heard about it when it was still a downloadable application from Apple App Store. That’s why I understand while we are waiting for the official launch of iPhone 4S here in the Philippines, some would be in doubt if that “deal-breaker” Siri feature will work seamlessly as expected.

Before I answer that question, allow me to show first the video below so you’ll learn a bit about Siri.

So, that’s Siri. An intelligent personal assistant you’ve never seen before in any phone.

Now back to the question if Siri will work here in the Philippines, the answer is YES! It’s exclusively available on iPhone 4S just yet and only support selected languages specifically English (US, UK, Australia, Canada), French, and German. Apple says it plans to add more languages in 2012 including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Spanish. Basically that means you can actually use Siri in other countries as long as you speak to it in any of those languages; in fact, according to Siri’s FAQ page:

Siri can be enabled in any country, and you can choose to speak to it in English, French, or German. However, Siri is designed to recognize the specific accents and dialects of the supported countries listed above. Since every language has its own accents and dialects, the accuracy rate will be higher for native speakers.

Siri may not fully work however, particularly if you ask for something that will utilize web apps and location-based services — for example if you’re looking for a local restaurant here in the Philippines. But that doesn’t exactly mean it would always be the same until Siri is out on beta stage. That being said, for any other queries to Siri which will make use of built-in apps on iPhone 4S like Phone and Contacts, Music, Mail, Messages, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Weather, Stocks, Clock, and etc. – I believe you’re really going to have a flawless conversation with such personal assistant!

Update: Read iPhone 4S Philippines Unlock Version Review

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CTB received an update moment ago and due to excitement, I really can’t help myself from typing as long as my fingers permit to do so — just to let you know what our friends at Nokia Philippines pinged into our inbox regarding its Meego-powered Nokia N9.

First up, the Nokia N9 is officially available for pre-order from Smart Communications. I actually told you about it last month, but it was just today that we learned the pre-order page is now live! The Nokia N9 is FREE at Smart’s Unlimited Data Plan 2000 (16GB) and Plan 3000 (64GB). The 16GB version of Nokia N9 is also free at All-in Plan 3500, while the 64GB version needs you to cash out Php 1,200 at All-in Plan 3500.

What’s more, once your pre-order application for the Nokia N9 is approved, you will receive a limited edition Nokia Wireless Music Receiver for FREE! Though I really wish Nokia bundles each Plan with a free Nokia PLAY 360 speaker, like what it did to Singapore’s SingTel — still that freebie is certainly a must-have accessory, right?

Just in case this is the first time you’ve meet this gorgeous handset, you can learn more about it from here. And in any case the Nokia N9 appeals your interest, just head over to Smart’s pre-order page via this link.

Available in Black, Cyan, and Magenta, pre-order for Nokia N9 starts today ’till November 18th. You can pick-up your new Nokia N9 at any Smart Wireless Center on November 21, 2011. Ugh, I’m drooling. No, I’m just kidding!

Update: Nokia N9 Philippines Price now official.

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Powered by the latest BlackBerry 7 OS, the BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available here in the Philippines through RIM’s partner-carriers and authorized retail channels with a SRP of Php 16,990.

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 is one of the three BB Curve handsets announced back in August, just that the other two would never land in the Philippine shores as those are CDMA devices which definitely won’t work in the country just yet.

According to Hastings Singh, RIM’s Vice President of South Asia, “The new BlackBerry Curve 9360 is a stunning, easy-to-use smartphone that will appeal to Filipino customers who want to stay socially connected. The Curve family of smartphones has been very popular in the Philippines and we expect the new BlackBerry Curve 9360, with all of its major enhancements, to be well received by new customers as well as existing BlackBerry Curve users looking to upgrade.”

BlackBerry Curve 9360 Specs

BlackBerry OS 7
800MHz Processor
512MB RAM
512MB Internal Storage, microSD up to 32GB
2.44-inch 480 x 360 display
QWERTY keyboard, Touch-sensitive optical trackpad
5.0 MP camera with flash
3G (HSDPA, 7.2Mbps; HSUPA)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
NFC support
GPS, A-GPS
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
microUSB 2.0
3.5mm audio jack
1000 mAh battery
109 x 60 x 11 mm
99 g

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 comes pre-loaded with the latest BlackBerry Messenger 6 and since this handset supports NFC technology, definitely you’ll get BlackBerry Tag on board once RIM pushes the new update to BlackBerry 7 OS.

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The LG Optimus 2X is said to be on the list of LG’s high-end devices to receive Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich, as a software update over-the-air (OTA). Android ICS was announced just last month with an expected public launch sometime this month or early December.

LG firmly denies the rumors that claim LG will not be providing the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS update for the LG Optimus 2X. These rumors are NOT true. LG is currently in the process of planning the ICS OS update for the LG Optimus 2X as well as other LG high-end smartphones. Detailed information on the ICS OS update schedule for specific models will be announced, once the ICS OS is publicly released by Google. Please stay tuned for more updates from LG.

Thank you very much.

So there you go, Optimus 2X users. You, really, should never be stuck on Gingerbread! It’s just a matter of time for ICS…

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So what LG Android smartphone is exactly on sale? We can expect a lot ‘till the end of the year! At least by now, we learned the South Korean phone maker is dropping the price of its entry-level smartphone, the LG Optimus Black! You can grab the handset as low as Php 15,990 – that’s a 2-grand discount from its latest retail price of Php 17,990.

The LG Optimus Black was originally priced at Php 19,990 when it launched here in the Philippines back in May.

In any case you’re interested of this new promo; please note that this should never be the same as the usual sale we see in mall settings. This happens online and you’ll need a Philippine-issued credit card or PayPal. I personally recommend using PayPal for online purchases, so if you guys don’t have an account yet – you can set up one via this link. It’s free!

Schedule of discounts will be as follows:

October 24 – 30
November 4 – 10
November 14– 20
November 21 – 30
December 2 – 8
December 9 – 18

As a refresher, the LG Optimus Black is an Android Froyo device powered by a 1GHz processor inside an OMAP 3630 chipset, 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 1.5GB internal storage with microSD slot up to 32GB, 5MP auto-focus camera with LED Flash, 2MP front-facing camera, 3G radio, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct support), and 1500mAh battery. LG says the handset’s OS can also be upgraded to Android Gingerbread soon. If you’re ready to go, just head over to www.lgoptimus.ph for full mechanics and finally place your order. As usual, do let us know how it goes.

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Just in case you missed the announcement two months ago, the Samsung GALAXY Note is a new category of product which combines the benefits of various mobile devices while maintaining smartphone portability that is aimed to create a whole new level of user experience. Developed with Samsung’s deep consumer understanding and insight, this yet another super-phone may outsmart other smartphones in the market today with incredibly enhanced features including the gorgeous 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display, claimed as the world’s first and the largest high quality display available in any phone; a touch screen with a unique S Pen, an advance pen-input technology that will produce a uniquely accurate level of control and finesse to capture and create ideas while on the go; a 1.4Ghz Dual-Core Processor that will ensure an incredibly fast and smooth user interface and seamless usability; 1GB RAM; 8MP rear-facing camera and 2 MP front facing camera; and a massive 2,500mAh battery that will surely not hinder your mobile lifestyle. Read more for updates below…

With Samsung’s partnership with Juniper Network, it’s said to enhance the enterprise capabilities of the GALAXY Note, so basically this could draw huge interests from corporate employees. Juniper’s Junos Pulse SSL VPN will provide secure remote access to corporate network resources, enabling large enterprise and service providers “to meet high volume secure access and authorization requirements, protecting data with centralized control and supporting employees’ personal device efficiently”.

And now the question is, when it will land in the Philippines and how much? Well, Samsung Philippines is still yet to release an official announcement regarding the matter; but as early as today, we learned the Samsung GALAXY Note has already made its way to the shelves of Widget City. They ran out of stocks though, but for those who can shell out as much as Php 36,400 (Yes, that’s the unofficial price, mind you.) – you may want to head on this page to book your order with the device’s availability come November 10th.

Samsung’s best selling smartphone to date, the Samsung GALAXY S II retails for Php 29,990 at official launch here in the Philippines; so it’s pretty obvious the GALAXY Note carrying a much higher-end specs will have a price tag above the Php 30K mark, perhaps around Php 33-35K at official launch. Of course we’ll also see this on local carriers Samsung lineup particularly Globe Telecom.

Announced back in September 1st, the Samsung GALAXY Note started to roll-out in Germany late October, followed by Netherlands, Belgium, UK, and France in the next few days. It’s expected to be available in most of Europe this month, so hopefully Asia including the Philippines will have it on late November. Now that makes me think the much anticipated iPhone 4S which is expected to hit Globe Telecom stores on the same time frame really got a huge contender.

Anyway, we’ll just keep you posted once we received official announcement of GALAXY Note here in the Philippines. Stay tuned!

Update 1: November 3, 2011

CTB learned that Samsung GALAXY Note will launch on November 15th here in the Philippines. Official price is still yet to be known.

Update 2: November 11, 2011
Samsung GALAXY Note Official Price here in the Philippines is Php 35,990

Disclosure: This post is made possible by Samsung.

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The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Wednesday has approved PLDT’s application to acquire 51.55% share, amounting to Php 69.2 billion of Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. or Digitel.

Digitel is the Philippines’ second largest fixed-line telecommunication company and owns the country’s third largest mobile telco, Digitel Mobile Philippines or more popular as Sun Cellular. The planned acquisition of PLDT over Digitel (originally a subsidiary of JG Summit Holdings Inc.) which is an “all-share transaction” first broke the news in March, which raised concerns from consumers for possible substantial market dominance leading to cutthroat competition.

Now that the acquisition of Digitel is official, that makes the Pangilinan-led telecom giant the owner of Sun Cellular. And that means Smart Communications and Sun Cellular are merged to beat the Ayala-led Globe Telecom in mobile/cellular telephony and broadband services.

The Nokia Lumia 800 is exactly the same handset we’ve seen in a pair of leaked video few months ago, codenamed “Sea Ray”. It looks identical to the Meego-powered Nokia N9 in the outside, but it’s actually distinguishable with its reduced body design – with just 3.7-inch AMOLED display to be exact, a 0.2-inch short than the N9. The display boasts with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology that reduces reflections on the screen to improve visual image quality, particularly when you’re outdoors. The Lumia 800 is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor with hardware acceleration and a discreet processor for graphics. The Carl Zeiss optics is also there for its 8MP camera. It got 16GB of internal storage and if you want more, there’s a free 25GB space available for the handset courtesy of Microsoft’s cloud-based storage service, SkyDrive.

Available in Cyan, Magenta or Black, the Nokia Lumia 800 will be available in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK in November, with a price of approximately €420 (Php 25K) before taxes and subsidies. Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan will have it before the end of the year, and in further markets in early 2012.

The Nokia Lumia 710 on the other hand also runs Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) at launch sporting the same 1.4GHz processor with hardware acceleration and a dedicated graphics processor. It could be an entry-level Windows Phone with 3.7-inch screen at 800 x 480-pixel resolution, also with ClearBlack technology. There’s a 5MP shooter with LED flash, capable of recording HD videos at 30 frames-per-second. Also under its hood includes 8GB internal storage, 512MB of RAM, 3G radio with speeds up to HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. This handset measures 119 x 62.4 x 12.5mm and weighs 125.5g.

Available in black, white, cyan, fuchsia and yellow – the Nokia Lumia 710 will first ship in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan comes end of 2011, before becoming available in further markets in 2012. Euro price is approximately €270 (Php 16K) before any local taxes or subsidies.

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