Acer’s very own version of a Windows 8 computing slate and laptop hybrid, the Aspire P3, has finally arrived in the Philippine shore with a retail pricing of Php33,900.

The Acer Aspire P3 looks like a re-modeled version of the Acer Iconia W700 which was launch last year, although this time the Aspire P3 comes with a sleek physical keyboard case.

Acer Aspire P3 specs:
11.6-inch IPS HD LED @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel CoreTm i3-3229Y 1.4GHz dual-core
Mobile Intel HM77 Express Chipset
Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 128MB VRAM
120GB SSD
2GB DDR3 RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
USB 3.0 port
micro-HDMI port
Bluetooth 4.0+HS
Windows 8 OS
Li-Ion 5,280mAh battery

The form-factor and design reminds us much like of a Microsoft Surface Pro with the keyboard built-in to the case and inclusive of the box price. The Acer Aspire P3 is now available at Villman for Php33,900. Go watch the promo video after the jump, it will pump up your mood!

Finland-based mobile giant, Nokia, have just unveiled a new device on its feature phone lineup – the new Nokia Asha 501 – on the stage of the Nokia press and media outlet in India. It’s the first product device packing the new iteration of Ashas with a brand new system platform. The design is inspired by Windows Phone running Lumia devices and Nokia chose red as the signature color.

The new Asha mobile platform is based on the SmarterPhone acquisition that Nokia have had made a few years ago. The new user interface focuses on swipe events and a new feature called Fastlane.

The Nokia Asha 501 is made of only two parts to make it more durable and cheaper to manufacture. The back panel is removable to access the microSIM, the micro-SD card slot with pre-installed 4GB worth of expandable storage (up to 32GB supported) and the removable battery pack.

The Nokia Asha 501 sports a 3-inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen on the front (133ppi), it supports up to two finger multi-touch. On the back, tou’ll find a 3.2MP fixed-focus shooter.

The new Asha platform is a grandchild of the MeeGo OS. The Asha 501 wakes up with a double tap. It features two home screens – one is Fastlane, the other one is the app drawer or app shortcuts.

Fastlane comes with present and your past events. Present includes running applications, while Past shows messages and other notifications (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare) you’ve received.

The Nokia Asha 501 features 2G and Wi-Fi connectivity for faster local data transfers, plus Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0. 3G-enabled Asha 5xx phones will launch later this year.

The new Nokia Asha mobile platform will be a very social platform with Facebook, Foursquare, Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube and more available out of box, depending on your market. There will be a dual-SIM variant too. The second SIM card is exchangeable or unique Easy-Swap SIM technology, which allows people to switch SIM cards without having to power off the device, a feature Nokia was keen to point out is unique to their company.

The new Asha platform promises to be very efficient – the 1,200mAh battery in the Asha 501 is enough for up to 17 hours of talk time and 48 days worth of standby (26 days for the dual-SIM).

As per availability and pricing. The Nokia Asha 501 will start shipping next month, June, in 90 countries on 60 operators. It will cost $99 before taxes and subsidies for the single-SIM version. Watch the Nokia Asha 501 promo video after the break.

Mobile division of South Korean tech giant and the top Android-based smartphone OEM Samsung Electronics has recently unveiled its latest pocket-friendly handset device offering in the form of the dual-Cellular Galaxy Core (I8260). Check out what the Korean titan has to offer in store for the budget-conscious folks after the break.

Design-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Core takes the form of the other Galaxy-branded handsets under the same lineup, but with a slightly smaller display at 4.3-inch WVGA. It possesses a pair of camera sensors, 5-megapixel at the back with LED flash and VGA on the front.

As for the internal, there’s a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB worth of RAM and an internal storage of 8GB which can be expanded up to 64GB via micro-SD card slot. Lastly, the handset will run on Google’s Android mobile operating system Jellybean version and will be powered by a removable 1800mAH battery pack.

Samsung Galaxy Core (i8260) specs sheet:

• 4.3″ WVGA LCD screen @ 217ppi
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• Expandable up to 64GB
• Optional dual-SIM support
• HSPA
• 5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
• VGA front-facing camera
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0
• GPS w/ A-GPS
• Li-Ion 1800mAh
• Android Jellybean 4.1
• Dimension: 129.3 x 67.6 x 8.95mm
• Weight: 124g

The Samsung Galaxy Core will be offered in two versions – single and dual-SIM options. As per pricing and availability. The aforementioned entry-level smartphone will be available starting this month while the other markets may expect it to hit the shelves in July. Pricing is yet to be announced.

SOURCE:Samsung Mobile

Fit

• Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face.
• Extra nosepads in two sizes.

Display

High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

Camera

• Photos – 5 MP
• Videos – 720p

Audio

• Bone Conduction Transducer

Connectivity

• Wifi – 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth

Storage

• 12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total.

Battery

One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive.

Charger

• Included Micro USB cable and charger.

While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use.

Compatibility

• Any Bluetooth-capable phone.
• The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging.

• High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

Camera:

• Photos – 5 MP
• Videos – 720p

Audio:

• Bone Conduction Transducer

Connectivity:

• Wifi – 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth

Storage:

• 12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total.

Battery:

• One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive.

Charger:

• Included Micro USB cable and charger. (While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use.)

Compatibility:

• Any Bluetooth-capable phone.
• The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging.

SOURCE:Google Inc.

In a press release posted earlier this week at Smart Communications‘ website, the wireless carrier announced that they are extending their introductory promo for unlimited LTE from April 30th to June 30th of this year. In the same announcement, they also revealed the regular pricing for mobile LTE.

Originally offered with unlimited LTE access on April 30th, Smart Communications announced that this has been extended until June 30th. This applies when you subscribe to the regular unlimited internet plan.

At the same time, All-in Plan users may now avail LTE bucket of by sending the appropriate keyword to 7577 to enjoy unlimited 4G LTE service until June 30th, 2013. Prices for these plans are as follows:

• Always On 50, 25MB, Php50
• Always On 100, 75MB, Php100
• Always On 300, 300MB, Php300
• Always On 500, 1GB, Php500
• Always On 995, 2GB, Php995
• Unlisurf 1000, Unlimited, P1000

If you don’t want the bucket plans and prefer time-based charging, the regular Php10 per 30 minute rate will apply.

Aside from the older LTE-enabled devices like the Xperia V and iPhone 5, newer mid-ranged smartphones are now being offered on LTE plans like the ZTE T82 and the Huawei Ascend D1. It should be worth noting that the All-In LTE offering is available with a bundled phone only, and not the SIM-only All-In plan.

See Full Press Release

Starmobile Diamond specs sheet:

• 5.0-inch IPS LCD display with 720×1280 pixel
• Dragontrail Glass screen
• 1.0GHz dual-core CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 4GB on-board storage
• up to 32GB via miroSD card (8GB included free)
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• 3G/HSDPA 7.2Mbps
• Dual-SIM
• Dual-Standby
• Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS w/ aGPS support
• 12MP rear shooter, BSI
• 3MP front-facing sensor
• Li-Ion 2000mAh battery
• Android 4.1 Jellybean

The suggested retail price of the Starmobile Diamond will lands for Php9,990. As for the availability of the device, there has yet word has been given when the actual release date is.

A local mobile devices vendor, Cherry Mobile, has just announced today their latest Android JellyBean smartphone with a high definition screen display – the Cherry Mobile Omega HD.

The Cherry Mobile Omega HD is the second-installment to the two-month old Omega. But with this new Omega handset device, it now has a 5-inch HD IPS crisp display with 720p resolution and mounted with Dragon Trail glass panel on top. It also sports a 12 megapixel BSI camera ( that supports 720p video recording) sensor with LED flash, a 2-megapixel BSI front-facing shooter for video calling, and 4GB of on-board storage with microSD support up to 32GB expandable memory. As for connectivity, the Omega HD will have the wireless connectivity essentials like WiFi b/g/n, 3G, Bluetooth, and GPS. Under the hood of the device, you’ll find a dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz, a 1GB worth of RAM, 2,100mAh battery, and Google’s stock Android JellyBean mobile platform.

Along with the Cherry Mobile Omega HD, the aforementioned local company has also announced the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 – Cherry Mobile’s first quad-core smartphone powered by a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor.

The Flame 2.0 is a dual-SIM with dual-standby capability smartphone that features a 4.5-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display, a 5MP shooter with LED flash paired with VGA front-facing sensor, 4GB internal storage, microSD support up to 32GB, WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. It is powered by a MSM8225Q 1.2GHz Snapdragon quad-core processing hub, 1GB of RAM, a 1,600mAh battery, and runs an Android 4.1.2 Jellybean.

While the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 has a price tag of Php6,990, the Cherry Mobile Omega HD will retail for Php7,999. Both devices will be available in the first or second week of April of this year.

The Microsoft Surface Pro sports a 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD display, a third-generation Intel Core i5 processing hub with Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB worth of RAM, and comes with a Surface Pen. Aside from the aforementioned tablet computer, VillMan is also offering a limited edition Surface Touch Cover with a Year of the Snake design for only Php7,500 and the typical Surface Type cover for only Php7,000.

SOURCE:VillMan Facebook Page

Philippines’ wireless communication and ISP – Globe Telecom – has posted their pre-order micro-page for the BlackBerry Z10, and is offering the aforementioned Canadian firm’s flagship device for free under Postpaid Plan 179.

The BlackBerry Z10 will be free under Plan 1799 but here’s the catch, you need to sign a contract with a 30-month lock-in period. If you want the regular 24-month agreement, the cash-out price is Php4,800 (which is the same offer as the iPhone 5 on the same network). Globe Telecom is also offering the BBZ10 with the lowest plan at Plan 999 Php13,100 cash-out.

Here are the available Globe Postpaid Plans:

Plan 999 – Php13,100 cash-out (24 months)
Plan 1799 – Php4,800 cash-out (24 months)
Plan 1799 – no cash-out (30 months)
Plan 2499 – no cash-out (24 months)
Plan 3799 – no cash-out (24 months)

Globe also confirmed that they will be having the 4G LTE service offering on all SuperSurf Plans at no additional charges. The BlackBerry Z10 was officially announced last March 6th here in the Philippines with a suggested retail price of Php29,990. The smartphone will be available starting on March 19th.

You can start sending your pre-orders on the Globe website here.

Philippines’ biggest network, Smart Communications, is now accepting pre-orders for the full-touchscreen BlackBerry Z10 and will be offering it free under Smart Postpaid Data Plan 2000. BlackBerry launched the said smartphone in the Philippines last March 6th and will officially be available in stores on March 19th.

As a promo offering, the first 200 subscribers will be getting the BlackBerry Z10 for free on Plan 2000. Smart has yet disclosed how much the cash-out will be if you don’t make it to the first 200. Smart Communication’s Postpaid Data Plan 2000 comes with unlimited mobile data usage, 200 free SMS and 150 minutes worth of calls to all network. There has yet words regarding Smart LTE on the BlackBerry Z10, but we are expecting that Smart’s LTE network will support BlackBerry Z10 since the carrier is currently supporting more than 5 LTE-powered devices.

BlackBerry Z10 specs:

• Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon chipset
• 1.5GHz dual-core CPU
• Adreno 225 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage
• microSD card expansion slot (up to 32GB)
• 4.2-inch display (1280 x 768 resolution; 355ppi pixel density)
• 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
• 2-megapixel front camera 1800mAh battery (up to 10 hours of talk time or up to 312 hours on standby)
• Dimensions: 130 x 65.6 x 9mm, 137.5 grams
• BlackBerry 10 OS

SOURCE:Smart Communications | Twitter

Nokia Philippines has officially announced the availability of the its Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system running Lumia 820 and the Lumia 620 in the Philippine shores. The Lumia 820 was first announced back in third-quarter of last year and took about half a year for the unit to reach the Philippines. It’s Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone next to the top-end Lumia 920.

Nokia Lumia 820 Specifications:
4.3-inch AMOLED display with ClearBlack @ 480×800 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core, Krait processor
Adreno 225 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
microSD support
LTE
NFC
8MP rear camera, LED flash
1080p video recording
1650mAh Li-Ion battery
Windows Phone 8

Meanwhile, the Lumia 620 was announced later, on the fourth-quarter of 2012. It is one of the entry-level and more affordable Windows Phone 8 handset devices from the Finnish mobile giant company.

Nokia Lumia 620 Specifications:
3.8-inch TFT WVGA (800×480), ClearBlack
1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon (TM) S4
512MB RAM
8GB internal memory, up to 64GB via microSD
5MP autofocus w/ LED flash; Video capture: HD 720p@30fps
VGA front camera
NFC
WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
1,300mAh battery
115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm
127g
Windows Phone 8

The Nokia Lumia 820 and 620 are now available today in select Nokia stores (SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall and SM North Edsa) and has a suggested retail price of Php18,990 and Php11,600 respectively. Both devices are available in black, cyan, green, white, yellow and magenta color variants.

Moreover, we now know Real Racing 3 will be arriving on iOS-powered iPhone and iPad, and as well as Android running devices on February 28th.

The ability to download the game title for free will allow everyone with the aforementioned devices to download Real Racing 3, but we aren’t yet to sure how will Firemonkeys, the game developer, carry out the in-app purchases.

EA’s flagship mobile racing third installment – Real Racing 3 – promised to bring the racing experience up a notch with over 900 events and more than 600 hours of gameplay. Real Racing 3 is scheduled to be available by the end of this month on Google Play for Android users, and Apple App Store for iPhone, iPod and iPad owners.

The Asus Memo Pad Smart is supposedly be launched in MWC (Mobile World Congress) at Fira de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain from 25th trough 28th of February; but it turns out Thailand’s Mobile Expo got it exposed first.

While its younger 7-inch sibling sports an LCD screen panel and 1.0 GHz VIA WM8950 chipset, the Asus Memo Pad Smart packs a 10.1-inch WXGA display and Nvidia Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.2GHz topped with 1GB worth of RAM. It has 16GB of on-board storage with micro-SD card slot support.

Asus Memo Pad Smart Specifications:
10.1-inch WXGA display
1.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage
micro SD card support
WiFi
5 megapixel rear-facing camera
1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
Android 4.1 Jellybean
9mm

The computing slate will be available in three color variants: pink, white and blue. And will be priced at THB10,900 (Thai Baht) — which is translates to Php14,500 when converted to Philippines Peso.

Announced last month during CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2013 in Las Vegas, United States, the Asus Memo Pad is the more affordable version of its half brother – Nexus 7. Adapting the same size and form factor of the aforementioned Google Nexus branded computing slate, this 7-inch tablet PC has reached local stores with a suggested retail price of Php6,995, which is equivalent to $170 US Dollar in today’s foreign exchange.

However, unlike the Nexus 7 that is powered by an NVidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core monster CPU, the Asus Memo Pad is powered by a VIA processing chipset clocked at 1.0GHz.

Asus MeMO Pad ME172V specs sheet:
7.0 inch LCD @ 1024×600 pixels, 170ppi
1.0 GHz VIA WM8950 processor
Mali-400 Graphics
1GB RAM
8GB, 16GB internal storage
microSD support
microUSB v2.0
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Li-Ion 4270mAh battery
Android Jellybean 4.1

The Asus Memo Pad also available in Sugar White, Titanium Gray, Cherry Pink color variants. Local stores like Villman and shops in Gilmore are now carrying the said computing tablet with a retail price of Php6,995.

SOURCE:Yugatech

Instagram announced on Tuesday, February 5th, in a blog post that Instagram.com would no longer be a placeholder front page for its Android and iOS apps links. If you’re logged into the web service online, you will then see your full feed just as you would on a n iPhone or any Android-powered device. Following the rollout of web profiles last year, The popular online photo-sharing and social networking service, Instagram, has announced the launching of an Instagram web feed.

Kevin Systrom, Instagram’s co-founder, elaborates what this new web-based addition means to its users.

“Your Instagram Feed on the web functions much like it does on your mobile phone. You can browse through the latest photos of people whom you follow with updates as people post new photos. Like photos by double clicking on them or pressing the like button. Or, engage in a conversation around a photo with inline commenting. Browse through pages of the most recent images to keep up on what’s happening with the people you follow in realtime. And shrink your browser down to a single column for your feed to look more like your mobile feed.”

Instagram users can able to like photos by double clicking on the images or pressing the like button. They can also able to chat around the posted photos through inline commenting system. Also, web feed users ca resize their browser to simulate how Instagram actually works on its native app from mobile device without a hitch.

Systrom is hoping that Instagram web feed serves as an enjoyable experience that is also fast and simple for everyone to use.

PLDT-owned wireless communication and broadband service provider, Smart Communications, has released its LTE (Long-Term Evolution) Data Packages for its Postpaid subscribers with LTE-enabled devices. It is noteworthy that we are are not talking about Smart iPhone 5 Postpaid Plans, but the other devices (e.g. ZTE T82, Sony Xperia V, Huawei Ascend D1 LTE Smart LTE Modem/Pocket) that are LTE-capable.

The following Smart LTE 4G Data Packages apply to subscribers with Regular Plans, Consumable Plans, Unlimited Data Plans, and iPhone Plans:

It should be worth noting that you need a Smart LTE SIM-card to be able to enjoy the fastest connectivity on LTE 4G network. Smart Communications also noted that if you’re a Smart subscriber since 2010 and below, all you need to do is to just visit any Smart store to have your existing SIM replaced for free. Smart LTE subscribers will be able to enjoy the data speeds of up to 42 Mbps until March 30th of 2013. The aforementioned wireless carrier also promised that its LTE service will be available in more plans soon.

The Canadian handset maker BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM) unveiled two new smartphones that run on its new mobile computing platform BlackBerry 10 OS at a special event in New York City on Thursday, January 31st (Manila time).

The BlackBerry Z10′s slate form-factor and design is reminiscent of the Apple iPhone 5 and is completely multitouch-based while the Q10 (Q for QWERTY) retains the old-fashion physical keyboard similar to that in existing BlackBerry Bold ad Curve smartphones. Complete product specs sheet of both handset phones are as follows:

BlackBerry Z10
Screen Size: 4.2 inches
Resolution: 1280 x 768 touchscreen
Weight: 4.78 oz
Processor: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB (expandable via microSD card slot)
Battery: Removable (305 hours standby, 10 hours talk)
Camera: 8MP back (with flash) / 2MP front
Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE

BlackBerry Q10
Screen Size: 3.1 inches
Resolution: 720 x 720 touchscreen
Weight: 4.78 oz
Processor: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB (expandable via microSD card slot)
Camera: 8MP back (with flash) / 2MP front
Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE
Both phones will be available in black and white.

The Z10 will be hitting the shelves in January 31st in the United Kingdom, and in the following month in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The rest of the world will get the aforementioned smartphone later of this first quarter of 2013. In Canada the cellular phone will be available for $149 with a 3-year contract (it doesn’t specified if its only available for new contract only). According to BlackBerry, some wireless carriers will get the BlackBerry Q10 by April 2012, although there still no word on pricing yet.

BlackBerry claims that as of launch date, over 70,000 mobile apps are available for BlackBerry 10, the most “by far than any first generation smartphone OS.” Some of the 70K apps include Skype, WhastApp, Kindle, Angry Birds, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. Apps will be available alongside with other digital multimedia contents like videos and music on its flagship online store – BlackBerry World. During the launch event the Canadian tech firm announced strategic partnerships with major studios in order to provide video and music content quite similar to that on Apple’s iTunes Store.

Both handsets will include new features such as BlackBerry Hub, an improved BlackBerry Keyboard, BlackBerry Messenger with Voice Chat and Screen Share, BlackBerry Balance and BlackBerry Remember.

As for local pricing and availability, there are still no word yet, but BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins mentioned that price points depend on telco partners.

Research in Motion or simply RIM is making its biggest push today. Aside from launching two new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system running smartphones, the Canadian mobile handset maker has also re-branded itself and will now be called BlackBerry.

Before the unveiling its new lineup of consumer device products, Research In Motion (RIM) CEO Thorsten Heins announced that his Canada-based tech company would, effective immediately, operate under the name BlackBerry, adapting the name of its popular smartphone and mobile computing platform.

Heins said that the new changes comes at a defining moment in his company’s history, “RIM created the first BlackBerry smartphone and changed the way millions of people around the world stay connected. As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name.” He also noted that “One brand. One promise. Our customers use a BlackBerry, our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry.”

BlackBerry has always been the more recognizable brand instead of Research in Motion or RIM so this decision to drop Research in Motion branding and just adopt the BlackBerry trademark as its company name is a good move. I’ve been also wondering if BlackBerry will continue to trade under RIM stocks ticker in NASDAQ or the said firm will be changing it too.

The Ayala-led wireless communication and broadband service provider, Globe Telecom, has officially confirmed that all Apple iPhone 5 postpaid subscribers will get access to their LTE 4G network at no additional cost. This only means that if you are currently opt-in on a MySuperSurf data plan, you will be getting LTE connectivity for free, as long as you are in a LTE-covered area.

“Globe subscribers on iPhone 5 postpaid plans can now experience fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) on their devices by updating to Apple’s latest software, the iOS6.1.

The availability is on the heels of Apple’s announcement that it has enabled the LTE functionality of the iPhone 5 in the Philippines.

With this development, Globe postpaid subscribers on iPhone 5 can enjoy blazing mobile internet speeds of up to 42 Mbps in LTE-covered areas without having to upgrade their plans or pay extra charges.

To enjoy LTE coverage on their iPhone 5, subscribers need to update to iOS 6.1 and use an LTE Nano-SIM.

To ensure greater and more stable coverage, the Globe LTE rollout strategy focuses on large, contiguous areas, instead of sporadic distribution in the form of pocket activations or hotspots.”

Globe Telecom’s LTE 4G network is heavily concentrated in Makati City although it is now also available in select locations in Manila, Pasig City, Quezon City, Taguig City, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Cebu City, and Boracay. Existing iPhone 5 postpaid subscribers will need to get an LTE-provisioned nano-SIM at the nearest Globe Store.

SOURCE:Globe Telecom

The Cupertino tech giant, Apple Inc., has silently released the iOS 6.1 update for the iPhone 5 earlier today and both Philippines Smart Communications and Globe Telecom subscribers have had their iPhone 5 smartphone enabled for LTE connectivity. Smart then announced they are giving their iPhone 5 postpaid subscribers free, unlimited access to their LTE 4G network until 30th of April.

In a press release posted by Smart Communications today, all postpaid subscribers with unlimited data plans will also get the same thing under their LTE network.

From Smart Communications Press Release:

“Subscribers of Smart iPhone 5 postpaid plans with unlimited data can now get download speeds that are up to 20 times faster than the usual 3G connection on their mobile device,” said Smart Executive Vice President and Wireless Consumer Division Head Emmanuel C. Lorenzana. “You can enjoy this superior broadband service in a growing number of LTE zones in Metro Manila and in key cities in different parts of the country,” Lorenzana added.

Smart iPhone 5 users who are on iPhone Plans 999 and 2499 or Unlidata Plans 1500, 2000, and 3000 can automatically use Smart LTE for free until March 30th, 2013. It’s not yet clear whether Smart is planning to make their LTE network available to iPhone 5 owners who are subscribe to monthly unlimited data (All In Plan subscribers). Smart iPhone 5 LTE users can enjoy more coverage in over 700 establishments, 300 sites and 10 cities. For a full list of Smart LTE sites, you may visit this page.