More affordable smartphones for Filipinos

Due to the emerging presence of high-end phones, more Filipinos prefer phones that give them loads of features especially touch screen capability just like Apple’s iPhone. Fe Varilla of Samsung Philippines announced that the company will be launching more low-priced phones soon.

The country will see more cheaper mobile phones that will come with features found in high-end smartphones.

These mobile phones are targeted at a mass market looking to have smartphone-like features, representatives from Samsung Philippines said.

Smartphones are usually distinguished from entry-level models with their use of color screens, integrated cameras for video calls and high speed wireless connectivity. These also use different operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows Mobile or the more famous iPhone by Apple.
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According to Varilla, the mobile phone trend is geared towards cheap 3G-ready phones for about Php5,000. Now that’s good news for the budget-conscious Filipinos who want high-end features for their phones at affordable rates. Hopefully, Apple will also make the iPhone more affordable to a larger market in the future.

Growth in 3G usage in the Philippines

Qualcomm, a wireless technologies company, expects growth of 3G usage in the Philippines and banks on this as one of its reasons for putting up a branch in the country according to Qualcomm president for Southeast Asia John Stefanac.

Emerging markets such as the Philippines are expected to provide as much as 70 percent of the expected increase in 3G users around the world, according to the World Cellular Information Services (WCIS).

WCIS, which sources its data from the global mobile industry, said that 3G subscribers will grow to 1.4 billion by 2012 from the current 720 million.

“There is a lot of interesting innovations that is going to be very applicable to emerging markets like the Philippines, which is an important emerging market. Wireless is becoming more and more part of everybody’s lives,” he told reporters.

“People in the emerging market have no less the desire to access the Internet as anybody else in any other more developed markets,” Stefanac said.

Stefanac also predicted that a “dramatic shift” would occur in the capability of devices beyond mobile phones.

“We see consumer electronics convergence taking place, convergence of computing platforms and devices. We want to ensure a whole plethora of devices. We don’t think of 3G as just being these handsets. It is more than that in terms of capabilities,” he said.
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The emergence of mobile commerce, such as the transmission of cellphone credits and cash and other financial transactions over wireless phones and gadgets, add up to the increase in 3G usage.

Stefanac admits the 3G industry has its challenges because of several market segments. With Qualcomm as a technology innovation company, Stefanac plans to coordinate with the government ministries, regulators, operators, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), media and the various institutions/establishments involved in the 3G ecosystem.

Welcome to the online resource for Apple iPhone 3G Philippines

Having been named as the Invention of the Year in 2007 by Time magazine, who wouldn’t want an Apple iPhone or even just be curious about it?

The Apple iPhone 3G combines three products in one - a revolutionary phone, a wide screen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and full web browsing.

In the Philippines, the Apple iPhone 3G 8GB and Apple iPhone 3G 16GB is available via Globe Telecom in prepaid phone kit or as postpaid subscription. With the Apple iPhone 3G, Globe’s subscribers can browse the Internet faster via its nationwide 3G/HSDPA network.

This site features information, specifications and news about the Apple iPhone 3G specifically for the Philippine market. Do drop by often for more updates and to find out what’s the latest about the Apple iPhone 3G. Happy browsing!