History meets technology in Samsung-Smart Palace tour

MANILA, Philippines - Having conducted walking tours around Manila for more than five years now, Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks has probably shared with tour participants eve-rything he knows about the country’s capital.

One of his recent outings, however, had a novel, high-tech twist. In Manila’s venerable San Miguel district — home to lavish colonial-era mansions as well as the presidential address — Ivan toured a group of Smart postpaid subscribers using the latest gizmo, a tablet computer/smartphone.

“This is what the Malacañang Palace looked like in the olden days,” Ivan said as he stood on the steps of the Kalayaan Hall. He then tapped the screen of his Samsung Galaxy Tab and instantly, it displayed a PowerPoint slide.

His audience checked out their own Smart-powered Galaxy Tab units. With a few taps and slides, they got to have a closer look at the majestic photo showing the Palace in its earlier years. With a few more flicks, they were online, looking at the exact location of the Palace compound through Google Maps, and reading news about the people walking those halls in that day’s issue of The Philippine STAR.

Thus did they travel back in time, aided by the device of the moment.

Armed with their Galaxy Tabs, the participants joined Ivan in exploring the nooks and crannies of the Malacañang Palace Museum. Husband and wife Tata and Antoinette Betita shot photos and videos with the device’s dual cameras and posted them online.

“It’s an ingenious marriage of history and modern technology,” said Ivan. While printed visual aids used on regular tours serve their purpose, the Tab enhanced the touring experience. “We were able to incorporate more interesting historical tidbits through videos and personal accounts of authoritative sources,” he said.

Imee Marcos is a virtual tour guide via an online video.

“The Galaxy Tab made the tour more interesting and interactive,” said the Betitas. “Unlike other tours, this one enabled us to view multimedia content. We were able to take pictures with the unit and immediately e-mail or post them to our Twitter and Facebook accounts. We were sharing our tour experience with our friends in real time.”

Aside from inputs from the tour guide, tour participants were also able to get personal accounts from people who have previously walked the halls of Malacañang through videos posted on video-sharing sites like YouTube. And whenever they would encounter interesting trivia about the Presidents whose different sections of the museum were named after, they were able to do a quick Google search and access a rich source of information — the World Wide Web.

For couple Bryan and Iolanie Cabrera who have been using tablet computers, the Malacañang walking tour made them appreciate the Galaxy Tab’s versatility.

“We use our tablet at home and at work, for browsing, gaming, social networking and, of course, for the apps,” said Bryan. “The Galaxy Tab’s camera also proved useful. Of course, its unlimited Internet connectivity just gives it more power. Without the Internet, it has limited use.”

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is powered by Smart Gold’s Unlimited Data Plan which allows users to connect to the Internet anytime, anywhere, even in non-Wi-Fi zones. With constant connection, users can update their social networking accounts, download, use and update apps, send and receive e-mail, access the Web and stream multimedia content like audio and video clips anytime. This tablet packs all one will ever need while on the go.

The Galaxy Tab is available in Smart Wireless Centers nationwide. It is offered free for every approved Smart Gold Unlimited Data Plan 3000 application. Smart Gold’s Unlimited Data Plans for the Galaxy Tab include free voice call and SMS allocations.

By offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Smart becomes the first and so far the only local operator to offer a tablet computer fully powered by mobile network and data services.

Tablet devices are expected to be a major trend in mobile this year, with their powerful and efficient PC-like connection and applications coupled with the portability and convenience of a mobile phone.