Philips sets re-entry into Manila market

Philips, a brand that has dominated digital technology, lighting, medical systems and consumer products for decades, is set to re-enter the phone market in Manila.

Although Philips GSM phones have been around longer than most brands today with a high visibility in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan, Bacolod and Iloilo, the company is taking a second crack at penetrating the Manila market.

"This is the best time to re-enter the market in Manila," said Tet Songco, Philips marketing communications manager for GSM phones. "People think they’ve seen it all so they get interested when new choices come up. They want to use phones that are affordable yet will satisfy their needs for fun, functionality and style.

With this in mind, Philips, according to Songco, offers a mobile phone series "that carries not only a new and practical array of features but also a heritage of quality that is hard to surpass."

Each phone in the series – the 768, 960, 362 and S800 – captures all the excitement of stylish living. Many current Philips phone owners already attest to the wonders of the phones.

Slick and stylish to carry, the Philips 960 is arguably the most popular of the lineup. Packed with features, it may as well serve as one’s personal entertainment studio, as it does for Insular Botanicals co-owner Alex Elias.

Elias, 47, who manages the export flower farm, extols the quality of the phone’s features. "I chose this phone over other brands because of the strength of its signal," he says.

Furthermore, Elias takes pictures of his products using the phone’s 2.0-megapixel camera and sends this via MMS to his loyal customers.

"The 8x digital zoom and special effects filter bring my photos to life and make customers eager to buy," Elias adds.

James Fuentes, quality team leader for Dell Computers and a Philips user since 1997, says the 960’s convergence aspect is a big advantage.

"It can be a webcam, a business unit and a music tool all in one," Fuentes says.

And Yamaha School of Music’s Eric Dimsun, 55, certainly agrees. "The 960 has a very good MP3 player that can play even long pieces of classical music," he says.

Dimsun says the phone also helps him manage his work as a teacher at the Yamaha School and at UST.

"I love the voice command feature of the phone. I ask my phone every day what my schedule is and it will show me even if I don’t press anything," he says.

The 960 also comes with a video recorder that captures images at 30 frames per second, which can be shown off to friends on its sliding screen.

The other phones are equally stylish and functional. Photo enthusiasts will appreciate the P768’s high resolution 1.3-megapixel camera which allows its owner to view images on a 262K color screen, use them as wallpaper or fotocall and store more of them in a mini SD card.

Moreover, he can send a video clip via MMS and enjoy music with the phone’s MP3 player.

The Philips 362, on the other hand, is perfect for game lovers. The fun-filled phone is equipped with Java games and allows the user to download more games on its WAP browser.

It is capable of capturing images with a 300K pixel camera that has a powerful torch for night shots. The user can even enjoy his photos in a slideshow for television.

With its special effects feature, the S800, equipped with a built-in MP3 player, one-touch button and a 128 MB memory, can shoot photos and videos in gray scale or sepia apart from its capability to compress images in BMP, JPEG, GIF or PNG for easier sending via MMS.

Available in three colors, the S800, with its USB mass storage, can store more of the user’s special moments.

"With this product lineup," says Songco, "Philips is all set for a successful re-entry into the phone market and confident of becoming the preferred phone of Manila’s phone enthusiasts."