The Philippines was ravaged by Typhoon Sendong leaving more than 1,000 dead. Relief operations are on-going and we’ve seen a lot of private individuals and companies pitch in. I’m happy to let everyone know that Research In Motion (RIM) also helped out by donating Php1,000,000 and 30 BlackBerry Smartphones to the Philippine Red Cross.

Thank you RIM and we’re hoping that you guys come back with a vengeance in 2012-2013!

We were invited by RIM to cover the launch of their two newest smartphones: The BlackBerry Bold 9790 and the BlackBerry Curve 9380. The launch event was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. This was a special occasion since this was the first time RIM was doing a global product launch in Asia. Definitely have to give them props for recognizing the importance of the market here.

Here’s a short video we put together which shows what happened during the launch. No less than RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsllie was present to unveil both phones!

Our sister site, Unbox, already has a review for the BlackBerry Bold 9790. Click here to read it.

Last week Research In Motion (RIM) opened a their first BlackBerry Lifestyle Store in Asia. Situated in Jakarta, Indonesia, the BlackBerry Lifestyle store offers BlackBerry products, accessories, and expert tech support. I was there to cover the store launch as well as the unveiling of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and Curve 9380.

Here’s a short video we put together to show you what happened during the store opening.

Our sister site, Unbox, just posted their full review of the BlackBerry Bold 9900. Here’s a short excerpt:

Pros

• The best keypad I’ve ever typed on.
• Liquid Technology and the processor makes the over-all experience smoother, faster, and better
• Best browsing experience among all BlackBerry smartphones
• Looks premium and classy
• Combination of touchscreen and QWERTY keypad is a useful and fun experience
• Near Field Communications (NFC) Technology paves the way for innovative apps and features

Cons

• Camera isn’t good, especially during low light conditions.
• Lack of apps; not for gaming
• No video calling due to no front camera

Verdict
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the best BlackBerry smartphone ever shipped. If you’re looking for a professional phone that’s mainly for communication (BBM, calls, texts, e-mails) and browsing every now and then, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is right up your alley. BlackBerry fans will simply adore this phone.

Click here to read the full review.

BlackBerry TAG coming soon

As most of you know the BlackBerry Bold 9900 has Near Field Communications technology (NFC) enabled. There are only a few accessories though that can interact with this so it’s not really a huge deal yet. RIM is trying to capitalize on this though with the announcement of BLACKBERRY TAG. You can basically “tap” or “bump” your phones to exchange contact information and transfer files. Cool!

Here’s the full press release:

BlackBerry Tag enables effortless ‘tap to share’ exchanges of multimedia content and contact info between friends

Friends can also add each other as BBM contacts with a simple ‘tap’

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES–(Marketwire – Oct. 10, 2011) – GITEX – During his keynote presentation at the GITEX conference in Dubai, Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) Co-CEO Jim Balsillie today unveiled a new way for BlackBerry® smartphone users to connect with one another and share multimedia content.

BlackBerry® Tag, which will be incorporated in the next BlackBerry® 7 OS update*, will allow users to share contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content by simply tapping their BlackBerry smartphones together. BlackBerry Tag will also enable friends to instantly add one another as contacts on BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger).

“BlackBerry Tag is an exciting and innovative feature that makes sharing contact information and multimedia content effortless and seamless,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry Tag opens a new dimension to the BlackBerry platform that is powerful, simple and intuitive and we think it will be welcomed by both users and developers.”

BlackBerry Tag takes advantage of Near Field Communications (NFC) technology included in the recently launched BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350/9360/9370 smartphones, and these are the first BlackBerry smartphones that will support BlackBerry Tag.

RIM also announced plans to expose BlackBerry Tag through APIs on the BlackBerry platform, allowing software developers to take advantage of “tap to share” functionality from within their own applications.

* Subject to network operator certifications. Check with your local operator for availability.

Received a press release from RIM announcing that they’ve sold 70,000,000 BlackBerry Smartphones already. That’s… a lot. ^^; Anyway, to celebrate this milestone they also released a promotional video with some inspirational stories. Check it out below.

Congratulations RIM!

We were under the impression that Globe pulled one over SMART again since they were the first to announce they were going to offer the BlackBerry Bold 9900 (we thought it was another exclusive deal). However it looks like SMART will be coming out with an announcement of their postpaid and prepaid options for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 soon. We found this e-poster on the JUMP Experience Facebook Page.

SMART Telecom sent out a press release saying that smartphone and mobile broadband usage in their network is growing at an unprecedented pace. The report says that the usage of broadband via smartphones doubled this August from just February earlier this year! BlackBerry devices top the list of smartphones used to access mobile broadband with 44% share. Android follows at 27%.

Full press release after the break.

Smart reports spike in Smartphone and Mobile Broadband use

Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications reported today an unprecedented increase in Smartphone and mobile broadband use in their network.

From February to August of this year, smartphone use within the Smart network has doubled while use of its mobile broadband service, Smart Bro, has risen nearly six-fold.

“In just 6 months we have recorded a tremendous increase in data consumption as evidenced by the spikes in usage,” said Smart Chief Wireless Advisor Orlando B. Vea. “If there are still doubts on where the industry is headed, this should put an end to all speculation,” he added.

Blackberry devices continue to account for majority of smartphones usage as it dominates with a 44% share.
Google Android, which recently doubled its presence in the network last May, has a 27% share but is growing on the average at 20% a month.

The figures were based on a snapshot of the devices running in Smart’s network.

Meanwhile, Smart Bro enjoyed phenomenal growth as usage increased 576% during the same period.
Despite this, however, maximum speeds for the Smart Bro Plug It have been increased while the quality of Internet service has improved.

Speed tests conducted by an independent engineering firm showed that Smart Bro bests the competition by as much as 2.29Mbps.

Preparing for the future
In anticipation of such a rise in usage, Smart and parent company the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) is undergoing a P67 billion network transformation program.
The measures include, among others, the installation of additional fiber optic cables (FOCs) which connect wireless services to base stations, base stations to the core network, and the core network to international gateways.

“Like the fiber that we eat, fiber optic cables are good for the health of the PLDT network,” said Peña. “FOCs help decongest traffic so that data flows smoothly from point A to point B,” added Peña.
By the end of 2011, PLDT and wholly-owned subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. plan to have over 56,000 kilometers of FOCs installed nationwide.

By the time the round of upgrades end, more than 10,000 additional kilometers are estimated to have been installed.

The same goes with international gateways which send traffic in and out of the country.
To date, PLDT has a total of two landing sites which are located in Nasugbu, Batangas and in La Union. Another is set to be operational next year.

About 80% of all Internet traffic in the Philippines is directed out of the country.

“There is no disputing that PLDT is taking the lead in developing a network that makes possible the deployment of high speed broadband,” said Peña. “In fact, recent speed tests show that we are already well ahead of everyone else.”

Broadband of the future
At PLDT and Smart’s technology experience center named “Jump” located in SM Megamall, the conglomerate showcases the possibilities and promises of the improved network.

The facility is equipped with the latest in wired and wireless connection technologies such as PLDT’s Fiber to the Home which is capable of theoretical speeds of up to 2.5Gbps as well as Smart’s LTE (Long Term Evolution which is capable of reaching speeds of 50-70Mbps.

Here, Filipinos can get a peek of the future of Internet connectivity whenever they please.
Complementing the cutting edge connections are the latest gadgets, many of which are not even available in the market.

The set of futuristic hardware includes the new PLDT Telpad, the HTC Evo 3D, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.
To know more about Jump, visit the official Facebook page at facebook.com/JumpExperienceCenter or follow Smart Communications at facebook.com/SmartCommunications. [END]

About Smart
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is the Philippines’ leading wireless services provider with 47.8 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-June 2011. Smart has built a reputation for innovation, having introduced world-first wireless data services, such as Smart Money, Smart Load, Smart Padala and the Netphone. Smart also offers 3G and HSPA services. Its Smart Link service provides communications to the global maritime industry. Smart Broadband, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, offers a wireless broadband service, Smart BRO, with about 1.5 million subscribers as of end-June 2011. Smart is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippines’ leading telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. For more information, visit http://www.smart.com.ph.

Globe just posted a limited offer for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 on their website. Starting today until October 7 you can pre-order it and the phone comes for “free” under Plan 3799 with Unlisurf combo. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 was recently launched in the Philippines and the prepaid kit should cost Php31,690. Before jumping into this deal though make sure your monthly consumption is enough to justify the Php3,799 monthly subscription fee. That’s a 24-month (2 year contract) that you won’t be able to get out of easily.

You can also get the BlackBerry Bold 9900 for just Php6,300 under Plan 2499. That makes more sense for me. Click here to go to the Globe microsite so you can already sign-up online and reserve.

Will keep you guys posted once SMART announces their package for this great new phone from RIM.

RIM hosted a media launch for their new line-up of smartphones (Bold 9900, Curve 9360, Torch 9860)last night at the Ayala Museum. The event was packed with reporters, bloggers, fans, and celebrities. We were able to take a few photos before the battery of our camera died (argh). See below.

For the full story, click here.