Benefon unveils handsets in grand media launch

Benefon, the wireless communications company from Salo, Finland, reaffirmed its presence in the Asia-Pacific region with the unveiling of its new handphones in the Philippine market in a grand media launch held recently at the poolside of Hotel Intercontinental.

The media launch, hosted by G Toengi and Boy Abunda, was attended by select members of the press as well as big names in the mobile telecommunications industry.

Also in full force were Benefon executives from Finland led by its president, Jorma Nieminen, executives of Multitel International Holdings Inc., a 100 percent Filipino-owned company appointed by Benefon as its exclusive trade and co-branding partner in the Philippines, and executives of Cellmode (led by its CEO, Passi Riitinen), a European solution provider specializing in geographical content development, mobile control and M2M communications for mobile and Web environments.

The event was made more exciting with a grand raffle where 10 Benefon Q units, two Benefon Esc! units and cash prizes were raffled off. Big winners for the night were Mario Dumawal of ABS-CBN News and Manuel Pichel of Malaya, who each took home a Benefon Esc! unit.

Introduced during the launch were the Benefon Esc!, a personal navigation phone that takes the concept of "smart phones" beyond mere concept; and the Benefon Q, touted as the "Swiss-army knife" of handphones that is not much bigger than, well, a Swiss army knife.

And then there were the Benefon Track One and Track Pro, versatile solutions with their combination of GSM-GPS (Global Standard for Mobile Communications-Global Positioning System) features; and the Benefon Twin, the only handphone that provides network choices right off the box with its dual-SIM capacity.

Guests during the media launch were impressed by Benefon’s wireless communications solutions – each handsomely and ergonomically designed – and loaded with features that are standard to GSM handphones: a full-featured personal organizer, including a calendar and alarm with snooze; SMS with T9 predictive text input; handsfree functions; silent alert; call and security management; caller and SMS identification; ringtone control and integrated modem. And with a lithion battery, standby time clocks in at 120 hours and talktime in five hours and 20 minutes.

Ever since wireless communications spurred global economic activity, industry players have been talking about the "smart phone" that is supposed to take handphones beyond being mere toys capable of placing and receiving calls and short messages, with a few playable games thrown in for passing entertainment.

While new handphone models may be regarded as being far more infinitely sophisticated than early entrants, being enabled to browse the Internet and even play music, nothing brings the smart phone concept closer to reality than Benefon.

The Finnish company, however, so extends the functionality of these standard features that each Benefon handphone nearly rivals the usability of personal digital assistants or PDAs. Its full-featured personal organizer, for example, has a calendar with a scheduling capability that makes keeping track of important appointments and events a breeze for the harassed professional.

For another, its SMS features not only include T9 predictive text input but also 640-character support – much more than what comparably priced handphones currently offer.

Where Benefon handphones most excel in, however, is its global tracking and positioning capabilities, as these employ GSM-GPS satellite-positioning and Mobile Phone Telematics Protocol (MPTP) location-tracking technologies that can be deployed for a variety of solutions that range from resource management to personal safety. The location accuracy provided by each Benefon handphone is anywhere from 100 meters to within one meter.

The usefulness of the technologies featured in each Benefon handphone can’t be ignored. For example, in an unfortunate situation as an assault, robbery or other incidents that demand emergency assistance, a user will only have to push the Beneguard button, which can be programmed in a variety of ways to make use of the handphone’s positioning technologies.

Customized as an emergency button, when activated, it will instantly send the user’s location via SMS to a network service center and also open a voice line. Upon receiving the request, the network service center will then take the necessary action: send an ambulance, notify the police, etc.

Of course, Benefon’s special features can come in handy in less dire situations. Adventurers, for example, can explore the great outdoors with confidence with the Esc! with its useful maps, or the shock and water-resistant Track models.

Meanwhile, businesses can be run more efficiently with the resource-management possibilities that Benefon makes available with its unique tracking features. Benefon handphones can even be employed as safety devices for elderly people.

Indeed, the much-hyped smart phone has gone from concept and ceased to be mere hype. While other wireless communications companies are busy adding frills to their handphones and passing them off as smart phones, Benefon brings the concept to a whole new direction that is not only exciting but totally smart.