Sorry folks, I just carried away by this being neglected once again from this momentous occasion in Apple history. In other words I want the iPad and I want it the same day that American Apple fanboys will be getting it.

Anyway, in case you haven’t  read about it – the iPad will be available on April 3 and you can start pre-ordering 6 days from now. That is if you are located in the U.S. and some other countries excluding ours. Delivery date will be on April 3 for the iPad Wi-Fi edition and last week of April for the Wi-Fi+3G.

Now, it’s time to explore all possible means to get this magical Apple product called the iPad. So help me God.

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With already two weeks of using the BlackBerry Bold 9700 which I got through Globe Telecom’s BlackBerry Plan Php1599, it’s just about the right time to come up with a review. This review will be centered on the Bold 9700’s features and functionality as applied to Philippine setting. For a more general review, please check out this article.

Now on with my Globe BlackBerry Bold 9700 review:BlackBerry Bold 9700 – Design and Form Factor

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is RIM’s second handset in the Bold series, the first one being the BlackBerry Bold 9000. Both handsets sport almost the same set of features and the difference is perhaps could only be ascertained with their design and form factor. Specifically, the Bold 9700 is smaller and slimmer.

Also,  this is my third smartphone and the only non-touch screen model, the other two being the iPhone 3GS and Google Nexus One. So coming from both touchscreen devices,  it kind of felt ackward to be using a real QWERTY keyboard again. The last time I used phone with this kind of keypads was with the Sony Ericsson P990i.

If you’re used to touchscreen smartphones, it would take quite some time before you get use to the QWERTY keypads of the BlackBerry Bold 9700. If you’re use to using the usual mobile phone numeric keypads, your learning curve in using the Bold 9700’s keypad will be quicker.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the lightest of my three smartphones. It is also the smallest. Design-wise it sports a similar classy design and is at par with the look and apperance of both the iPhone and Nexus One.

The phone’s back panel has a leather lining which adds class and sophistication to the phone. The glossy black and silver combination finish of the phone is highly desirable, despite the fact that it is also a magnet for finger prints and smudges.

Overall, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is a well designed and crafted mobile phone which is expected of any RIM devices.

Day to Day Usability

One distinguishing feature of the BlackBery Bold 9700 is the concept of always being connected.  It is supposed to be a business-oriented device that gives you access to your corporate email accounts as well as your webmail accounts. Indeed, it gives you all those features plus another distinct feature of all BlackBerry devices – the BlackBerry Messenger App. Simply put, this is a mobile IM client that utilizes the BlackBerry’s unique PIN number for communicating with other BlackBerry devices.

To get the most out of these features, it is highly advisable that you register for unlimited data plans with your mobile phone providers. For Globe Telecoms postpaid account holders, there is an existing Unlimited BlackBerry Plan which requires you to pay a monthly fee of Php 2000 over and above your monthly service fee. So if you got the plan Php1599 and you connect your BlackBerry to your webmail account, browse the internet regularly, visit Facebook and Twitter – then the unlimited data plan is a must.

Basically, you usage of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 will revolve around Instant Messaging, Text Messaging, Web Browsing, Social Networking and Voice Calling.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 – Applications

Like the iPhone and Android phones, BlackBerry devices also have their own applications market – the BlackBerry App World. Unfortunately, we, BlackBerry users in the Philippines are not yet supported. So our only chance at getting BlackBerry applications is through direct downloads on the web. Fortunately, third-party apps abound on the Internet.

And besides, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 comes preloaded with some of the mostly used applications including Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo Messenger and more.

Third-party apps behave faster on BlackBery devices and are useful add-ons to the functionality of the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Why You Should Get the Globe BlackBerry Bold 9700?

Unlike the iPhone, Android Phones and other Smartphone models, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 will not  lead you to incur a huge amount of data charges. It closely monitors your daily usage and lets you set a limit to your KB downloads that once you’ve reached that threshold, it will remind you immediately to close apps that maybe open and incurring data chargers even if you are not using them. And that’s the biggest reason why you should get the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

All the other features of this smartphones are value added that you can enjoy using without worrying too much about mobile data cost.

Suffice to say, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is great smartphone with heavy usage intended for business and corporate purposes.

Advertisement: aczafra.com

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Sony Ericsson to send Filipino flag bearer to FIFA World Cup

A Filipino child will get the chance of a lifetime to experience the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ live on the pitch in South Africa . Sony Ericsson has opened a video competition that will bring the country’s first FIFA flag bearer to a FIFA World Cup™ match in July, marking the first time the country will participate in the global sports event.

The competition dares Filipino children aged 10-16 years old to creatively answer in a 30-60 second video, “Why I deserve to win the Sony Ericsson Search for the FIFA World Cup™ flag bearer.” Act, dance, illustrate, sing or perform your reasons on the video. Or show off your best football moves to impress the judges. Get family and friends and play around, do fancy footwork or put on some Shakespeare. Just remember to have fun and use your imagination. Contestants can submit as many entries as they want. Video entries are accepted www.clickthecity.com/sonyericssonfifa from now until March 25, 2010.

Starting March 28, 2010, five videos will be shortlisted for a new and final round of voting. The five finalists will each win the Sony Ericsson Kita, the gesture gaming phone wonder with 5-megapixel camera, photo geo-tagging, Net access, high quality media player and stereo speakers.

Sony Ericsson will let the public decide which child should carry the FIFA flag before thousands of spectators around the world in one of international sports’ most exciting events.

“Sony Ericsson was designated an official FIFA World Cup™ partner in 2008, allowing us this tremendous opportunity to participate in this unique way. This will be the first time for the Philippines to participate in a FIFA World Cup™ event so we are inviting Filipino children to try out and give it their best,” said Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson General Manager.

The winner, together with his parent or guardian, will fly to South Africa complete with hotel accommodations and pocket money. In an inspiring moment at the semi-finals, the winner will walk the pitch with other young flag bearers and watch a thrilling FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals match firsthand.

Visit www.clickthecity.com/sonyericssonfifa to learn more. Registered voters on the site also get a chance to win the exclusive Sony Ericsson Team Pilipinas shirts. The winner will be announced on April 20, 2010.

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It’s a date, April 16 to 17. See you there folks! Full details after the jump.

iBlog6: The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit will be on April 16 and 17, 2010 at theMalcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman, from 8 am to 5 pm. Registration will still be FREE.

We will very much appreciate if you can help us spread the word about the event and encourage sponsors to support it too.

iBlog6 will be two days this year. The first day (April 16) is targeted for businesses and entrepreneurs wanting to understand how to tap blogs as a medium to promote their products and services. The second day (April 17) is meant to everyone interested about blogging. REGISTER NOW!

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So Globe Telecoms finally informed me that they got a stock of  BlackBerry Bold 9700 for me. I wasted no time in claiming it and so after some paperworks since I got the unit under the Globe BlackBerry Plan 1599 (cash out is 4,500+ for first month MSF and unit cost).

My first impressions? The BlackBerry Bold, despite being a smarthphone is of course very different in all respect with both my iPhone 3GS and Nexus One. It’s feels totally different to be using a QWERTY keyboard and some navigation buttons for main controls.

But the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is definitely for keeps. Design-wise, it’s elegant, stylish and classic-looking. Now wonder it’s the chosen enterprise phone of many.

I haven’t tested all the features since I’m still waiting for my new postpaid account to be activated. Anyway, I’m very satisfied so far with the BlackBerry Bold 9700. It truly deserves to be at the level of the iPhone and Nexus One and other Android smartphones.

Watch out for a full review in a week.  In the meantime, check out some more hi-res photos after the break.

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the Innocase II Surface Black Case

The Innodock Jr. Desktop Cradle which syncs and charges the Nexus One

the Motorokr S9-HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Good Times!

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After that, if you want you can follow me on Google Buzz.

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If there is such a thing as Gadget Acquisition Syndrome (GAS), there must be a SAS (Smartphone Acquisition Syndrome) as well.  And I think I’m getting hit by it badly. In other words I want this BlackBerry Bold 9700 and I want it now.

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Wohoo! Multitouch enabled on Google Nexus One. Can’t wait for the OTA update? Here’s how to force update your phone’s software. Love it!

Features of the Software update are here.

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