Smart Comm. is set to announce its own branded Android phone called the Smart Netphone, a Froyo handset originally manufactured as the ZTE Blade.
The ZTE Blade was first shipped back in November 2010 but never arrived in the Philippines.
What Smart might have done is include some custom apps into the handset, upgraded it to Froyo (from Eclair) and renames it the Smart Netphone 701.
It’s also known as the Orange San Francisco in some parts of Europe and was selling for 99 euros in January.
Photo credit: John Karakatsanis
The specs are pretty decent for an entry-level Android phone and could very well be competing with the likes of the Cherry Mobile Eclipse 2.2 and the Alcatel Blaze Duo 890D (though the latter one is dual-SIM) at the Php5,000 price point.
Smart Netphone (a.k.a ZTE Blade)
3.5″ LCD display @ 480×800 pixels
600 MHz ARM 11 processor
Adreno 200 GPU
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
No word if this handset is upgradeable to Gingerbread but by the specs alone, I think it’s possible.
Though the unit itself is a bit dated, the key here is for Smart to offer the unit at a very affordable price point — I think anything under Php5k would be a great price. Imagine if they sold this for like Php2,999 right?
Or they can bundle it with some of the low-cost internet plans and they’re on their way to offer Always On smartphones to the masses.
Update: We’ve spotted the ZTE Blade V880 being sold online for $225 or around Php9,500. It’s possible Smart Netphone 701 will be selling around this price as well.
Saan po pwede bumili ng LCD ng ZTE-BLADE?