Smart introduces Facebook Mobile

MANILA, Philippines - Subscribers of Smart Communications Inc. now have a better way to communicate and stay in touch with family and friends whenever and wherever they are, with the launch of Facebook Mobile.

The development makes Smart the first mobile operator in the Philippines to directly partner with Facebook and make its most popular features and content easily accessible via mobile uploads, browsing, and SMS.

Facebook, whose mission is “to give people the power to connect with and share with those that matter most to them,” is swiftly gaining ground in the Philippines, with more than 175 million users worldwide and about five million new users adding up every week.

“We aim to continue making the mobile phone the Filipino’s primary source of social interaction, entertainment, and information, by bringing the best of the Web right onto mobile, such as Facebook,” said Jerome Almirante, head of value-added and data services at Smart.

Smart subscribers may use their cellphone’s built-in browser to access m.facebook.com, the Facebook-made site designed specifically for mobile browsing.

Mobile Internet browsing through Smart costs only P10 for every 30-minute use.

The link to m.smart.com.ph, Smart’s mobile portal, may also be found at the bottom of all Facebook pages accessed via mobile.

At the Smart portal, thousands of songs, videos, games, and other downloadable content are up for grabs with just a few clicks on a cellphone.

Taking advantage of Facebook’s open policy toward third-party applications, Smart has launched a service called PixMe!, which allows Smart subscribers to upload photos and videos or update their Facebook status directly from their handset, for only P1 per upload or update.

Smart subscribers just need to search for PixMe! within Facebook, install it in their Facebook account, then register their Smart mobile number and follow the instructions that will be sent to that number.

To upload photos, Smart subscribers just need to create an MMS message with the text FBMMS plus the photo to be uploaded, then send to 2330. To update status via text messaging, send FBSTATUS <new status message> to 2330.

PixMe! also allows Smart subscribers to send up to three text messages per day, for free, to their Facebook contacts who are also using the PixMe! application.

“We are developing and will offer more new services in the coming weeks to make the Facebook Mobile experience more exciting and relevant to our subscribers,” Almirante said.