Last night, Smart Comm. officially launched the Netphone 701, their very own branded Android phone that’s exclusively hooked up to the SmartNet. Check out our first impression of the device and thoughts regarding the Netphone ecosystem after the jump.
While we’ve already discussed the hardware used for this project (a ZTE Blade) and the dedicated internet plans and prices under the Netphone line, here are some more information we gathered during our interview with Smart reps yesterday.
The Rationale
It is obvious that Smart is aggressively shifting its focus towards IP connectivity, seeking out that sweet spot where customers can comfortably migrate to. Revenue from text messaging and calls (most especially SMS) has significantly gone down in the past couple of years because of the internet with Facebook and Twitter as the major culprits.
The Netphone attempts to address that widening gap by offering very affordable “always on” internet plans to access popular social networks and enable IP-based messaging. We’re not categorically calling it a “walled garden” since there’s a possibility that, in the future, any Android device can actually join in.
The Hardware: Netphone 701
The handset used in this roll-off is very intriguing. It’s not the top of line in terms specs but it’s pretty decent. With a prepaid price of Php9,990, the closest Android handset in this price point would be the Samsung Galaxy Fit S5670, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and LG Optimus One P500.
Smart Netphone (a.k.a ZTE Blade)
3.5″ LCD display @ 480×800 pixels
600 MHz ARM 11 processor
Adreno 200 GPU
420MB RAM
Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset
HSDPA 7.2Mbps; HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
3MP autofocus camera
FM radio tuner
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion battery 1250mAh
Android 2.2 Froyo
The Netphone 701 is actually a pretty decent handset considering its price. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM), ZTE, is a relatively known company and the ZTE Blade V880 is among the top selling, mid-range Android smartphones in China.
The handset is well made, pretty solid construction despite the plastic body and decent performance running Android Froyo (worth noting that it’s actually got 420MB of RAM).
Our Quadrant benchmark gave a score of 422, just a bit below the Xperia X10.
Some noticeable shortcomings include a slightly lower battery capacity (1250mAh) and a very narrow virtual keyboard.
The catch here is that you’re only able to subscribe to the special Netphone plans when you use the Netphone 701 so comparing it to other Android handsets becomes moot.
The Netphone platform and SmartNet
The Netphone platform sits on top of Android 2.2 and acts like a collection of Android apps so, essentially, you can copy these apps (the APK files) to another Android handset and they should work. In the case of the Netphone 701, some functionalities might not work since there’s an OEM API that’s attached to it.
In the future though, Smart intends to make these collection of apps available to anyone for download straight from Smart itself (OTA) or via Android Market.
When you first boot the device, you are asked to login with your Google account (or create one) the same way you do with other Android devices. You will also be asked to register your name to the SmartNet along with a photo. This information is then stored to the Global Directory of Netphone users.
The Smart Global Directory is still somewhat free for all eYellowPages — it allows you to search for people with Netphone and add them as friends on top of your existing contacts, and them chat with them for free (think BBM) as long as you’re online and logged in to SmartNet.
Downside though is that there’s no identity verification so any prepaid user can just sign in using any name (so I’m sure there will be a lot of people posing as celebrities in the network) so it could be prone to abuse.
The internet plans are attractive and very affordable if you’re heavy on Twitter and Facebook.
Our initial assessment?
The handset is pretty decent, not really an aspirational device but we might see more models in the future — which could be either a cheaper, entry-level device or a high-end flagship model. For the meantime, OEMs such as ZTE or Huawei are the likely candidates as sources for future products but it’s possible we might see one coming from HTC too (it’s all about how many units you can commit to sell, right?). The nomenclature (701) will hint of the phone’s capability (same as how Nokia is doing with their handsets) and OEM origin.
The Smart Netphone is a brave attempt at capturing a niche market. The service is currently free until end of the year so we have yet to see the baseline cost to customers who want to remain in the network after that time. The concept is innovative, even at this early stages and could spark a followwing the same way RIM’s BBM did in Indonesia.
What would really catapult it to mass-adoption is when they finally release the SmartNet apps in the Android Market for anyone to download and use.
Smart isn’t selling a handset here but the mobile internet service (they say they actually partially subsidized the units) so I say allow everyone else to gain access to that service thru readily downloadable apps. When that happens, Smart might have a winner here.
Disclosure: The unit used in the photos above was among the 10 raffle prizes Smart gave away during the media event last night.
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Krizzel says:
Hi, i’m selling my netphone for Php 7000. With box. Complete set. :) 1month used. No probleems. Reason for selling: I want a laptopppp! So im open for swap to netbook :) Contact me at 092269***** THANKS!
Heck No more says:
Guys:
Here is the link of the netphone apps:
http://www.mediafire.com/?414p48046jzedo0
mavs says:
Got this cool handset and I was impressed. Btw, how do you update this to android 2.3 gingerbread? It says I have to do it using SD card but I don’t know where to start. Please reply. Thanks! :)
Tess Ting says:
“You don’t need to get a new device to enjoy FREE data services” m.globe is great!
martin says:
so SmartNET won’t work on our existing phones yet? I’m not sure if I would want to buy a low-end phone just to experience social networking and messaging.
blake says:
i have tried using galaxy mini before, which runs on 600MHz, the same as the netphone. I was not happy about it. it’s pretty slow at running applications other than those that were installed by default. would hou know if the Netphone 701 will be the same in terms of performance, considering how other brands and models compete with processing speeds of above 1.2GHz? pretty clever for smart to market it as affordable w/o mentioning it’s processing capabilities. :| your thoughts sir abe?
jc says:
I have Netphone 701 before it launched, bought from a chinese man, with Netphone 701 & smart logo, i am a globe postpaid user and now my phone is running in gingerbread.
Tacloban says:
What do you think of the pricing scheme for the SMART Netphone, Abe?
Operation Super says:
I love Globe’s new jab at Smart’s Netphone, the m.Globe (http://surf.globe.com.ph/app/m-globe).
“You don’t need to get a new device to enjoy FREE data services. With M.GLOBE, twitter, fb and other channels are available for FREE.”
FAQ is still empty but I am very curious on how this works.
spbx says:
pwede pa rin kaya ung netphone app kahit gawin custom rom
dan_md says:
Sir Abe, how’s the LCD performance indoor and outdoors?
What’s the “real-world performance” of the phone when installed with ‘common apps/games’ i.e. Angry birds, facebook, etc.
How’s the battery life once push email and feeds are activated? How long does the battery last?
More importantly, is the firmware upgradable to gingerbread?
Abe Olandres says:
Just used it for a bit today after unboxing it last night.
– it uses regular LCD so not very good in the outdoors, as expected
– it feels sluggish sometimes but Angry Birds plays very smoothly
– the 1250mAh battery is decent but based on experience, even a 1500mAh battery easily drains in a day when 3G is turned on
– yes, upgradeable to Gingerbread
dejay says:
i like this phone!
Sha says:
Nice. Salvage SMS!
heh says:
Naalala ko I had the Smart Amazing Phone, which was the HTC Tanager… Sana magtie-up ulit Smart and HTC. Ayos yun! Kaso Globe ako for the past 5 years. Hirap siguro lumipat ulit sa Smart. Haha.
Messie says:
Same here! That is my first colored phone! I got that with Plan 800 sa Addict mobile pa (which was a Smart Subsidiary). Oh how the good times roll! That is, till I burnt it’s board nang nagkaroon ng fluctuation while I was flashing it =(