Tag: Facebook

Netphone: Smart’s affordable smartphone

Posted on by jane

While smartphone prices have already been on the decline, making it affordable to more and more people, there is still a great majority of Filipinos whose mobiles are not internet-capable. This is true despite the Philippines being recognized not only as the texting capital of the world but also the world’s online social networking champ. Almost everyone I’ve asked has a Facebook account. A friend of mine even has a yaya (nanny) who’s got a Facebook account.

Recognizing these patterns, Smart designed its own brand of an internet-ready phone and tailor-fitted its features and apps to the Pinoy’s lifestyle and preferences. At a media launch recently, I was introduced to the Netphone, Smart’s offering for those who are budget-conscious but love to get on the internet and engage on social media.

By September 10, the public will be formally introduced to Smart’s very own brand of internet-capable phones via Netphone 701 (which I hear is a ZTE model). It is only the first model to come out, with other higher-end models being planned in the coming months.

Netphone 701 is an Android-powered phone, running on Froyo (ver. 2.2). This was my first time to play around with an Android handset but I noted that the initial apps loaded on it were pretty good. An FM radio, a Bible app, and even my favorite Docs To Go app was loaded in it. It’s got 2 cameras. The back camera is 3.2MP while the front cam is a VGA one. It was pretty light, something I’d always appreciate in a phone. Colors were quite vivid. This handset also allows you to turn your phone into a hotspot and it supports Flash 10.1. It has a 3.5″ touchscreen and runs on a 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Not being familiar with the menus, I was trying to find out if the phone had wifi or ran on 3G only. Yup, the Netphone is good for both wifi and 3G. 

So far, we’ve seen features of an Android phone. Now what appears to set this Netphone apart from other smartphones in the market today?
Smart Center – Just a swipe and you can see your load’s balance. A few more touches and you can manage your Smart account, subscribe to call, text, data packages, and see any subscription’s expiry date/time. There’s no need anymore to memorize the text format for subscribing to any of these packages. As soon as new promos and offers are available, your phone’s info is updated.
SmartNet – this is a proprietary layer of software built on top of Android that allows social networking (Facebook and Twitter) and chatting (Yahoo Messenger) without having to spend a peso. And no matter how many status messages or chats you post, it does not eat up your load. Just one peso on your phone will still make all these work. 
Watch this video.

Now, you’re asking how much, right? Well, the prepaid phone kit costs PhP9,990 (very affordable compared to other Android handsets) but it is FREE when you get a postpaid Datalite plan at P800 (access to select sites) or a regular postpaid plan at P1200.
For those with a limited budget and have been holding off on purchasing a smartphone, the Smart Netphone may just be something to consider.

Make Miracles Happen with the Miracle Machine

Posted on by jane

Kraft, through Miracle Whip, wants to whip up miracles outside the kitchen for this Christmas. It is inspired by the collective efforts during Typhoon Ondoy last year when many people turned to social networking sites like Facebook to mobilize rescue, feeding and rehabilitation efforts.

Out of this inspiration, they created the Miracle Machine, a Facebook application whose objective is quite simple: to get people, their friends, and their friends’ friends working together to make miracles happen for the less fortunate.

11 beneficiary organizations were selected after a screening process. Each organization was asked what their Christmas wish was. Beginning December 1 and every day thereafter, an organization will be featured by the Miracle Machine with a list of tasks that volunteers like us can fulfill if it is within our capabilities.

The idea is that each of us is a working part of this machine. For every task that each of us can do for any or all of these beneficiaries, your name will be put on a cog and added to the Miracle Machine. If all tasks are fulfilled by the end of the 12 days, the Miracle Machine will work perfectly and all 11 beneficiary organizations would have their Christmas wishes fulfilled.
Will you help whip up miracles for these 11 beneficiaries? It’s very simple.


1. Join the Miracle Machine on Facebook and click ‘Like’ to be a follower.
2. Go to the Miracle Machine tab. To go to the Miracle Machine application, click the image of the machine (similar to the one above). When prompted, click ‘Allow’.
3. Check the tasks under each beneficiary’s page and see which is do-able for you. Most are not difficult at all. The task could be as simple as donating something needed which you have at home already. Or rallying friends to donate or support. 
(Note: When you volunteer to fulfill a task, someone from the beneficiary organization will contact you to verify the task you wish to fulfill and make arrangements if logistics are needed.)
If you get your friends on Facebook to join the Miracle Machine as well, we can collectively grant the wishes of these beneficiaries. The more people who join and become part of the Miracle Machine, the more amazing things can happen.
Below are the wishes of the 11 beneficiaries as well as the tasks needed to make them come true. Do look over the tasks and see which ones you can volunteer for or donate to. Or which ones you can get family and friends to pitch in for. I’m sure you can pick out several from the list that you yourself can fulfill.

Social: Facebook App for the iPad

Posted on by jane

(UPDATE: This app has been taken off the App Store already.)

One beef that I have with Facebook up to this time is that it does not have a version for the iPad. While Twitter and my other social networks and blogging platforms have already come up with tablet versions, Facebook seems to be taking its sweet time.

Since moving to the iPad, I have been making do with the iPod Touch version I used to have. So imagine holding the iPad but seeing a teeny tiny iPod Touch screen. Really frustrating.

Well, tonight I made a great discovery after searching the App Store. Social does well (actually, very well so far) as an almost native Facebook app. There is a similar Facebook alternative app called Friendly but from forums I saw, more people prefer Social.

Social has beautifully incorporated most of what I need to do on Facebook. Macworld’s article describing it enumerates several things you can do with Social:

• Add friends, groups and pages to your favorites for quick and easy access • Post new messages • Send private messages • Upload pictures and create new albums • Create groups, events and pages • Easily search through your friends, groups and pages • Browse the full Facebook page, but customized to the iPad touch-screen






And those are not all. I discovered to my delight that I could actually change the privacy settings of each message I posted just like in the real Facebook application. I could comment, LIKE on my friends’ posts.  And to refresh the page, the downward swipe action works!!!

Here are some screenshots I took off the Macworld page (I tried taking my own pics but the shots came out bad). You’ll find that pretty much what you could do on Facebook, you could do with Social.

And here’s a great motivation to get the app right now. It retails for almost $3 but at this very moment, it is being offered at 66% off as a special fall sale — but only for a limited time. In fact, Macworld isn’t updated yet and its site says the app is only being offered at 33% off or $1.99. 
So, download Social app now for only $0.99 (remember, it’s only for a limited time)!