MANILA, Feb. 14, 2003 — The Philippines leading mobile operator SMART Communications Inc. (SMART) and Microsoft Corp. announced today the introduction of the
“SMART Amazing Phone” the first Microsoft® Windows®
Powered Smartphone in Asia that promises to open the door to a world of advanced wireless and mobile internet services.
The phone, which will be available at SMART retail outlets soon, will feature such services as Pocket Outlook® , Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media® Player and MSN®
Messenger. Each SMART Amazing Phone will be sold with an attachable camera, cradle, and charger.
“The SMART Amazing Phone is your mobile personal computer. It is a powerful device through which we will be able to offer more sophisticated but user-friendly services to our subscribers. Its introduction will help change the landscape of the mobile phone industry. The Smartphone will help drive SMARTs data revenue growth through the offering of advanced services such as photo messaging, multimedia messaging, access to high-quality information and content and advanced messaging services,”
said Napoleon L. Nazareno, SMART president and CEO.
This new phone is a tri-band handset offering GPRS and MMS capabilities, high-resolution TFT LCD display giving 65,000 colors and a clip-on digital camera. It also features a 32MB internal memory and an expansion slot for an MMC card for storage of pictures, music, video and software applications.
Moreover, SMARTs new phone makes possible seamless connectivity with other Windows-based devices such as personal computers (PCs) and laptops. Users of the SMART Amazing Phone will thus be able to easily synchronize the Microsoft Outlook E-mail Inboxes, Calendar, Contacts and Tasks on their PCs or laptops with their handsets. This can be done via cable and wirelessly over GPRS.
“Microsoft has spent the past 27 years creating software that improves the way people live, work and communicate,”
said Ken Wye Saw, general manager of Network Services Providers at Microsoft Asia Pacific.
“Now, were able to deliver a familiar and powerful software experience on a mobile phone to people around the world. Smartphone redefines what people can expect from their phone, offering them voice, e-mail, MSN Messenger or Short Message Service (SMS). Were very excited that SMART is bringing the Smartphone to the Asian market.”
“We have worked intensively with Microsoft and the hardware manufacturer to ensure that the SMART Amazing Phone offers features and functionalities that are easy to use and relevant to our customers. We are now working with applications developers to create compelling services that can take full advantage of the capabilities of the phone,”
said Anastacio R. Martirez, head of SMARTs personal communications and mobile services division.
The SMART Amazing Phone, for instance, already features a WAP e-mail service that provides the user with his own phone-based e-mail account.
The Windows Powered Smartphone takes mobile communications to the next level by offering the following key features:
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More than just talk . Smartphone devices are everything mobile phones should be and more. Smartphones allow users to choose their preferred method of communication voice, e-mail, MSN Messenger or SMS as well as enabling them to access information and services at any time.
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Easily accessible Outlook . The intuitive software enables seamless multitasking and provides a great companion to Outlook on a mobile phone to manage contacts, calendar and tasks in a mobile environment.
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Personalization options . Smartphone devices equipped with high-resolution color screens and the ability to play digital media and mobile games make them outstanding mobile devices for work or for play. Personalization options such as ring tones, color schemes and home screens, mobile access to the Internet, and new mobile services provide users with a unique and thoroughly entertaining mobile phone experience.
ABOUT Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART)
A subsidiary of the largest Philippine carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PSE: TEL; NYSE:PHI), SMART is the leading Philippines wireless services provider with close to 7.6 million subscribers being served by its GSM networks as of September 2002. For more information, please visit http://www.smart.com.ph/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows, Outlook, Windows Media and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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