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GLOBE and Smart are set to (finally) launch the Blackberry Bold this week. And while it really is a tad too late (the Bold was first announced in May), it should bear repeating , or ruminating, whether the Bold can really compete directly against THAT Appl e device. Here's a quick video showing the added features of the Blackberry Bold:
Of course, the iPhone carries better brand recall. I don't expect to hear the w ords "Blackberry Bold" in any conversation among already iPod-toting college st udents. And based from personal experience, I've already seen a few iPhone-toti ng college students. So where does that leave the Bold? I asked Vikki Mapua, analyst from XMG to give me her take on it. Acc ording to her, not much difference in terms of features between the two only th e Bold still carries far superior email capabilities. (For me, though, it's jus t the QWERTY keyboardâ¦sorry, me long-time Blackberry user.) Rightfully so, because the Blackberry targets mainly corporate users, although it's quite common to see pictures of Hollywood celebrities Lindsay Lohan or Par is Hilton) holding on to their Blackberrys like a can't-live-without accessory. According to Mapua, the launch of the Bold carries quite significance in the fa ct that both Smart and Globe are carrying it, whereas the iPhone is exclusive t o Globe. Which leads to the inevitable question: if you're looking to become part or the smartphone-toting set by December, will you a) buy an iPhone b) buy a Blackber ry Bold or c) wait a little longer for the touch-screen Blackberry Storm?

MAKATI CITY â Putting much hype into it down to the last minute, Globe officially launched the iPhone 3G Friday midnigh t. Hundreds --Â joined by Globe officials and a number of local celebrities -- flo cked to Ayala Stock Exchange at the heart of the Makati business district Thurs day night awaiting the official launch. The atmosphere was festive and mirrored New Yearâs Eve as people counted down t owards the midnight launch. Though unlike in other countries where Apple fanati cs lined up for days waiting, some had to line up nonetheless and waited for ho urs before being able to buy the reserved iPhone units. Nina Angela Sarmiento (shown in photo above) was the first person in line to bu y an iPhone, having waited since 3 oâclock in the afternoon of August 21. Gerry Ablaza Jr., Globeâs chief executive officer, also awarded an iPhone as a token to Ankush Raisinghani, human resources director for Procter and Gamble Ph ilippines, who has been a Globe Platinum subscriber since 1997. In May, Globe was among the first operators in Asia to carry the iPhone 3G alon g with Singaporeâs Singtel, Australiaâs Optus and Indiaâs Bharti Airtel. Early this month, Globe initially announced it will sell the device via prepaid at P41,899 and P48,899, for the 8 gigabyte and 16gigabyte models, respectively . Globe afterwards announced price rollbacks saying it will sell iPhone 3G prepai d kits starting at P37, 599 (8Gb) and P43, 799 (16 GB). Buyers can avail of zer o installments through local credit card partners. Globe's prepaid plans come with P1,000 load spread over five months, or P200 pe r month. Also, the first 1,000 phonekit purchases will get additional P1,000 di scount off the purchase price, Globe said in its previous announcement. The iPhone 3G is also available via postpaid subscriptions ranging from P1,599 to P4,999 monthly fees. Here's a video interview of Filipino celebrity Gary Valenciano talking about hi s fondness for the iPhone 3G. Here's also a video of the crowd lining up during the launch:

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines âDays before the unveiling of the new Apple iPhone 3G in th e Philippines, the local online communities and blogs are abuzz with excited fa ns and curious tech users. The iPhone 3G is once again a hot topic in forums, such as the Philippine Macintosh Users Group ) and Peyups.com. Apple's new product is also getting a lot of attention from technology bloggers in the Philippines. The iPhone 3G will launch Thursday night in an elaborate ceremony in Makati Cit y. Globe Telecom has already activated a special iPhone site, where customers c ould get more information about the new device, particularly the paid plans tha t are available, as well as the methods for buying or reserving a unit. Philmug members have been telling their friends in the forum about their variou s experiences with reserving the iPhone from Globe service centers. Some have c omplained about the miscommunication between them and the Globe on whether thei r reservations were accepted or not through its hotline. Others have also complained about not getting the units they wanted, particular ly the 16 Gigabyte version, which costs P43,799 on prepaid. The 8 Gb version co sts P37,599 on a prepaid scheme. Bloggers were also recently discussing the iPhone 3G. These bloggers include Techathand, CNET blogger Sensible Netnonsense, Geek and M oney and TechBlog. Some of them find the iPhone's price too expensive. A reply to Techathand's ent ry on the iPhone showed that the device's pricing in the Philippine is about P5 ,000 (approximately 100 US dollars) more than that in the US. A blogger claiming to be a Filipino living abroad, Juanel, (www.juanel.com), wr ote a review of the iPhone that he acquired through the US AT&T. He said th e unit has many good points and a few bad points when used in the US. But he sa id that it may not be worth the price if it is used in the Philippines. "All the stuff that makes the iPhone worth its price has everything to do with connectivity. 3G is liveable and WiFi is great. Here, WiFi is everywhere -- peo ple just don't secure their routers here. In the Philippines, it's a different story. As far as I know, Globe has a crappy 3G network and unlimited data plan for globe has yet to surface," Juanel said. Regardless of the various comments the iPhone is getting in the Philippines, it is definitely the most talked about device in town and may be so for the next coming months or until a iPhone killer emerges.

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines â Globe Telecom announced it will sell the iPhone 3G via pr epaid at P37, 599 or around P4, 000 less than its initial introductory price, t he company said Friday. Globe said in a statement iPhone 3G prepaid kits will be available at P37, 599 and P43, 799 for the 8GB and 16GB, respectively. Globe said the new pricing will apply to all subscribers -- even to those who h ave made reservations. Globe earlier said Apple's latest iPhone device will be avail able starting August 22. The prepaid plans come with P1,000 load spread over 5 months, or P200 per month . Also, the first 1,000 phonekit purchases will get another P1,000 discounts of f the purchase price. Earlier this month, Globe said it will see the iPhone 3G via prepaid at P41,899 (8Gb) and P48, 899 (16Gb). The iPhone 3G is likewise available through postpai d plans ranging from P1,599 to P4,999 a month, inclusive of free WiFi via Globe Wiz. Globe added zero-interest purchase plans in partnership with local banks still apply. The Apple iPhone 3G, which operates on the third-generation (3G) mobile network , will also come with a built-in global positioning system (GPS) for location-b ased mobile services. The iPhone 2.0 software includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, apa rt from hundreds of third-party applications built with the recently released i Phone software development kit. Globe Telecom has more than 21 million mobile subscribers to date.