Arguably one of the best things about Smart’s NetPhone 701 and Galaxy Y was their groundbreaking suite of applications, SmartNet. SmartNet allowed people to check their Facebook and Twitter for free, without incurring data charges and added a whole range of functionality that things like giving load and other services easy and convenient for subscribers. Now Smart has announced that a new version of SmartNet will be rolling out, with a new look and a number of key improvements to give users the best internet experience possible on their mobile devices.
One of the main improvements Smart made for SmartNet is a cleaner home screen, which allows for easier navigation. Aside from overhauling the look of SmartNet, the telco also improved the performance of SmartNet related apps in the new version. Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services Head Gio Bacareza says that the improved apps, “launch more quickly and uses less battery power, thanks to the modifications we made on the software.” Gio says that the improvements significantly increased the response time for chat, which he says now has a delivery time of .8 seconds to your friends.
Smart also took the opportunity to update us in the performance of SmartNet and their NetPhone devices. The telco proudly says that they’ve sold more or less 100,000 NetPhone devices, with an overwhelming number of those being sold to postpaid subscribers. This is substantial, because an overwhelming amount of Smart’s customer base are pre-paid customers.
So it’s not surprising that Smart is looking to infuse SmartNet into a large swath of internet capable mobile devices. During the press briefing earlier today, the telco showed us a couple of other devices running SmartNet, which included several high-end phones including the HTC EVO, and an iPhone 4S. Yes folks, Smart has a working SmartNet app for iOS, and though Smart says that the iOS version of the app is still being tweaked, the functionality of SmartNet on the iPhone present during the event was substantial. Will we see a NetPhone branded iOS device? Probably not, but once the app successfully navigates the labyrinthian maze that is Apple’s app approval process, you can turn your own iOS device into a SmartNet compliant gadget.