Philippine Cell Phones

At 0.7-inches thick, the M500 is one of the slimmer handsets available. It is also extremely lightweight at 3 oz., which is a plus for people trying to decrease bulk in their pockets. The phone is 3.7″ x 1.8″ x 0.7″ and has a traditional silver and black clamshell design that is more classic than flashy.

The front exterior of the phone has a 96 x 96 px, 65K-color CSTN color external screen that displays the time, caller ID and can be used as a viewfinder for the digital camera. Positioned above the external display is the lens to its 1.3-megapixel camera. The bottom of the clamshell is comprised of the phone’s internal antenna and standard battery providing up to 3 hours of talk time.

Basic features
# Sprint TV Enabled
# Built-in media player with MicroSD card slot
# SMS voice and text messaging
# 1.3 MP camera and video camcorder
# Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Technology
# PictBridge support allows printing of images directly to a compatible printer
# Built-in phone book holds approximately 500 phone numbers or email addresses
# Enhanced voice recognition, speech dictation and voice memo
# Customizable Picture Caller ID
# Dimensions: 3.7″ x 1.8″ x 0.7″; 3.0 ounces
# Main Display: 1.375″ x 1.833″ TFT (240 x 320 pixels) 256k colors
# External Display: 0.793″ x 0.307 CSTN (96 x 32 pixels)
# Memory: 50 MB Internal User-Accessible Memory
# Standard rechargeable Lithium (LiIon) battery: approximately 3.0 hours continuous talk time

On the inside, the M500 has a large, 176 x 220 px, 262K-color internal color TFT display. Its glossy, black keypad features large numbers and letters accented by a pleasant pale blue backlight. Unlike most devices, its main navigation key isn’t cluttered by Internet or calendar icons, so getting to some features may take one or two extra presses of the button. On the plus side, there’s no need to worry about getting charged for extra services not subscribed to from accidentally pressing the wrong side of the button.

Users can customize their display settings between two different themes and six wallpapers that come with the phone. More themes and screen shots can be downloaded from the Sprint Power Vision Network. Although this phone lacks the convenience of one-touch speaker phone, hands-free communication is easy with a Bluetooth wireless headset which can be used within a 10-meter or 30-foot range from the phone.This Unit would cost about Php 15,000 depending on the add-ons and gadgets that comes with it.

From Technograph:

So, is the Nokia 6500 Slide worth its Standard Retail Price of P14,620? Well, if you must have TV out, then this phone is much more affordable than the N82. If not, there are other phones (like the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Phone) which provide nearly the same functionality, for a lower price.

From Cellphone9:

The 6500 slide is rather handy and thin. It’s comparatively a slightly edgier version of the classic slider phones of Nokia, maybe because of the aluminum finish. It comes with the usual bravado - 1GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, 3G and music player. overall a good phone as it is both practical and elegant, and I must add an updated slider model for Nokia.

Downsides? A little UI lag here and there.

So, to buy or not to buy? Me, hmm, I think not.

John is selling unlocked iPhones. He posts:

Hello

I have Brand new and Unlocked ready to use Apple iPhone 8GB Phones.
PRICE: $300 USD per unit
SPECIAL OFFER ” BUY 5 UNITS AND GET 2 UNITS FREE” + FREE SHIPPING.

In the box:

• iPhone
• Stereo Headset
• Dock
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter
• Documentation
• Cleaning/polishing cloth

To purchase the iPhones ,pls get back to me with these details below :

• How many units do you want to buy ?
• Where are you located ?
• How soon do you want it ?

Feel free to contact me via e-mail at : datadltd (at) gmail.com

Apparently Pinoys are making money out of unlocking iPhones. Please be advised, however that if you buy unlocked iPhones, you loose Apple Tech Support.

If you don’t know yet, the Philippines is considered as the `SMS capital of the world.’ This little distinction gives us Pinoys some insight on cell phones. We’ve had quite a number of advanced value-added mobile services like G-cash or Smart Money. We buy and sell cell phones like candy.

My opinion: The iPhone is not for Pinoys.

1. It’s too expensive. US$499 and US$499 (somewhere around Php30k & Php40k) is too much for a lot of Filipinos. The fact is, you hardly see people with Treos, N90s or blackberries here. The price range is exclusively for the high end market.
2. It doesn’t have 3G.  I am told that 3G is not prevalent in the US. Here, my tech buddies rely on it for mobile Internet. They usually use a bluetooth-enabled laptop that connects to a bluetooth cellphone with 3G. The internet experience has been pretty good and is much more practical than PLDT weRoam or Globe Visibility. You get 30 minutes of decent Internet connectivity for 10 pesos (20 US cents).
3. It will take too long to be released here. The iPhone is slated for release in Asia in 2008. That’s one whole year of waiting. I’m pretty sure that by that time Sony-Ericsson and Nokia while have released more affordable alternative devices. Their goal would be to beat the iPhone before it comes out. With an established distribution network here, Nokia, SE and the other companies already have an enormous advantage.

No, I don’t think the iPhone will sell here. Not yet. Unfortunately, the Philippines is simply not Apple’s target market. I give it probably 2-3 years before I’ll see it amongst ordinary Pinoys.

A review of the K750i tell us it has a candybar form factor, 32 MB internal memory, and a MSD Card Slot. Simply sleek and functional. Average Price: P24,500.