Smart introduces Facebook for Every Phone

MANILA, Philippines - Smart and Facebook announced that Smart is now offering its customers a new Facebook mobile application for Java-based feature phones.

Smart is also sponsoring the launch by enabling its customers to download and use this application for three months without incurring any data charges.

The Facebook for Every Phone application provides a better and faster Facebook experience for feature phones than other similar applications and mobile sites.

It brings Facebook’s most popular features and user experience to a wide range of Java handsets, and is optimized for speed and performance on Smart’s network.

This application includes several new and unique features that enable people to stay connected and easily share through Facebook, including:

• View News Feed stories and photos;

• Upload photos from your phone; and

• Synchronize your local address book contacts with your Facebook friends.

Facebook for Every Phone is optimized to use as little data as possible while providing the great user experience mobile applications offer.

The application uses less data than other similar applications or mobile sites, enabling it to be much cheaper for people to use when the trial period ends.

“With more than 18 million feature phone users in Smart’s network, we believe that there is a significant growth opportunity in this segment,” said Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services head Giovanni Bacareza.

“With an easy-to-understand user interface, anyone will be able to easily use Facebook for Every Phone from the mobile phone of their choice,” he added.

“At Facebook, we strive to not only provide a great experience on the website, but to also provide a great Facebook experience from any mobile device they choose,” said Javier Olivan, head of international growth of Facebook.

“Through our collaboration with Smart, we are thrilled we can offer yet another way for people to stay connected through Facebook and bring a high-quality and high-speed mobile application experience to feature phones in an affordable way,” Olivan added.

To receive the download link, people need only to text the keyword FB to 211. This SMS is free of charge. They will then receive a text message containing the download link for the application, which is installed with a single click on the link.

Using Facebook for Every Phone is free (mobile data charges waived) for all Facebook-specific features of the application for a 90-day free trial period ending Oct. 14.

Facebook for Every Phone also contains an Apps section for third-party services that people can try out and use at standard data rates.