Below is an August 18 press release from the Office of Rep. Joseph A. Santiago (Lone District, Catanduanes). He is the chairman of the House Committee on Information & Communications Technology.

Filipinos are sending more text messages every day, but now spend less every month on mobile telephone use, Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, said Monday.

Santiago said Filipinos spent anywhere from P293 to P148 monthly for mobile telephone services, mainly text messages, in the first semester. This is 10 to 30 percent lower than what they spent monthly over the same period in 2007.

Santiago, former chief of the National Telecommunications Commission, based in his figures on the monthly average revenue per unit (ARPU) reported by the country’s three leading mobile telephone service providers in the six months to June this year.

In regulatory filings, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) reported that subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. generated a monthly ARPU of P293 in the first semester, down 10 percent from P324 in the same period last year.

Sister firm Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel), which caters to lower-income users, had a monthly ARPU of P203 in the first semester, down 12 percent from P230 over the same period in 2007.

Meanwhile, PLDT rival Globe Telecom Inc. posted a monthly ARPU of P283, a decline of 19 percent from P349 a year ago.

Globe’s TM brand, the counterpart of Piltel’s Talk and Text, yielded a monthly ARPU of P148, lower by 31 percent from P216 a year ago.

Santiago attributed the decline in the monthly ARPUs to double-digit inflation, particularly food price inflation, which he said has forced many subscribers to spend less on mobile telephone “loads.”

He noted that around 99 percent of all mobile telephone users are prepaid subscribers that buy airtime and text load as needed.

“Filipinos are definitely spending less on mobile telephone services to make up for increased spending for other needs, primarily for food, electricity and transportation services,” Santiago said.

Despite the drop in spending, Santiago said Filipinos are actually sending more text messages every day.

“The combined traffic figures of Smart and Piltel indicate that their subscribers, on average, send around 23 text messages every day,” Santiago said.

Smart and Piltel reported an aggregate volume of 121.35 billion text messages in the first semester, up five percent or 6.29 billion from the 115.07 billion logged in the same period in 2007.

Globe did not report its text message volume in its filings.

Notwithstanding the decline in the reported monthly ARPUs, Santiago said telecommunication service providers apparently managed to increase their revenues via “bucket” or promotional campaigns that tend to stimulate consumption, and by enlisting more users.

Smart and Piltel reported a total of 33.2 million subscribers as of end June 2008, up 23 percent or 6.1 million from 27.1 million in the same period in 2007.

Globe reported a total of 22.7 million subscribers as of end June, up 25 percent or 4.6 million from 18.1 million a year ago.

Admob, a mobile advertising company, has included the Philippines in its July 2008 Mobile Metrics report. It cited “continuing strong growth in mobile web usage” here.

From sixth place last month, the Philippines is now fifth among the countries in terms of ad requests, with 2.8% of all Admob requests originating from mobile phones here.

Based on the reports’ Philippines Handset Data, the texting capital of the world remains a Nokia country, as 63.8% of all ad requests from the Philippines were from Nokia phones. With more than 4% share each, Nokia 3510i, Nokia N70, and Nokia N95 were the top handset models.

This time, it’s for real. After repeated leaks on the details of its latest smartphone, Palm has finally unveiled Palm Treo Pro today.

With its modern look, Treo Pro is now the sleekest device from Palm. Mobility Mind says it’s “arguably the best-looking Treo smartphone so far.”

But it’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.1, so Palm OS fans would have to settle with Centro or wait some more. Also, the Treo Pro primarily targets corporate users. It is “for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs,” according to the official press release.

Its unique features include built-in WiFI and GPS, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, and MicroUSB™ 2.0 for synchronization and charging.

For complete details, read the full press release from the Palm website:

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug 20, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today introduced Treo(TM) Pro, an effortlessly usable smartphone for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs, and for users who want to stay on top of their professional and personal lives. With its streamlined design and Palm(R) shortcuts layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is a unique combination of sleek simplicity and robust productivity — including email, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities(1) — that meets the needs of businesses and end users alike. Treo Pro, which will be available from Vodafone and O2 in Europe(2) and from Telstra in Australia, also will be available in an unlocked version in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

“Businesses want the control and savings that Windows Mobile affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. That’s where Palm comes in,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer, Palm, Inc. “Everything about Treo Pro — from the hardware design to the packaging and accessories — embodies the elegant and simplified end-to-end experience that our customers expect from Palm.”

The Treo Pro smartphone lets IT managers support an increasingly mobile work force with the ease of use and robust feature set business professionals demand. Besides the benefits of lower costs and increased productivity, Treo Pro can deliver the increased security, easier device management and access to information on the corporate network that Windows Mobile 6.1 provides.

Users can quickly respond to business and personal email, access the web, stay on top of appointments and contacts, and use Wi-Fi or GPS on the go.(1) Treo Pro’s thin design blends a flush, high-resolution color touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard with a removable battery that packs up to five hours of talk time and enough strength for the business user’s needs, offering a powerful yet effortless mobile experience.

“I’m really happy with Treo Pro — it’s a technology leap from a device design and capability standpoint, enhancing Palm’s presence in the Windows Mobile realm,” said Wasif Malik, senior systems consultant, Student Educational Services & Mobile Solutions, Ohio State University Medical Center. “It’s cleverly designed for Windows Mobile, with a large touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and all the productivity applications for Windows Mobile 6 in a much thinner design.”

Palm Experience on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

The Treo Pro smartphone, based on the popular Windows Mobile platform, helps optimize business processes by effortlessly mobilizing users with enhancements to the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform, including:

– One-touch Wi-Fi button — Easy, fast Wi-Fi connection experience (802.11b/g).(1)

– Today screen enhancements — Web search directly from the Today screen.

– Ringer switch — Silences the device immediately.

– Screen saver — Lets users know at a glance — without turning on the device — what time it is and whether they’ve missed a call or have a new SMS/MMS message.

– New voicemail indicator — The center button flashes to let users know that a voicemail is waiting.(3)

– Dedicated email and calendar buttons — Fast one-button access.

“Windows Mobile is delivering mobile solutions that help businesses address the changing competitive landscape,” said Andrew Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business. “The Treo Pro smartphone brings together a powerful combination of Palm’s feature innovations and Windows Mobile 6.1, providing access to the information people need when away from the office.”

Lower Costs, Increased Productivity

With Treo Pro, businesses can quickly and easily deploy a secure, low-cost and compatible infrastructure for their mobile workforce by taking advantage of a tightly integrated Palm and Windows Mobile 6.1 solution, including:

– Microsoft Direct Push Technology(4) — Direct connection to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007 gives users up-to-date email, contacts and calendars.

– Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 — With the deployment of Mobile Device Manager, the Treo Pro can deliver increased security, easier smartphone management, and access to information on the corporate network. IT professionals can confidently manage large Treo Pro deployments.

– Thousands of applications available for Windows Mobile — Businesses can extend mobility beyond email to optimize business processes.

– World phone — With high-speed UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities(5), Treo Pro is a sleek world phone that’s ideal for companies with an international work force.

– Integrated GPS — Users can access maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches.(1)

– Support and training — Palm shortcuts make Treo Pro so easy to use, businesses can spend less on training and support for their users. End-to-end enterprise support means companies can expand the scope of their mobile deployments without putting a strain on internal support personnel.

– Familiar Windows experience — Users can browse the web with built-in Internet Explorer Mobile; open, view, and edit Word and Excel compatible files; review PowerPoint presentations and PDF files; and open ZIP files remotely.

Pricing and Availability

Treo Pro will be available in September in Europe(2) through Vodafone (from free to EUR 399 with contract) and O2 (pricing is available from O2 direct sales and online business stores), and in Australia through Telstra (from free with contract). It will be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store) as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, giving end users the flexibility to simply insert their existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract.

Detailed regional pricing is available from local resellers and distributors. Additional Treo Pro availability is scheduled to follow worldwide.

The Treo Pro smartphone comes with an international power charger, microUSB cable and a stereo headset (3.5mm). Other accessories designed exclusively for Treo Pro (sold separately) include a vehicle power charger, leather side case, travel microUSB cable, cradle, extra battery, TTY audio adapter, and replacement styli.

More information about the Treo Pro smartphone is available at www.palm.com/TreoPro

Just got this on a news subscription site:

Palm has unveiled a new mobile device, the Treo Pro smartphone. The new phone features a one-touch Wi-Fi button, GPS, Windows Mobile 6.1 and a high-resolution flush color touch screen.

Am still looking for more details as the official press release seems to have been pulled out.

Treo Pro — Palm’s still-unannounced Windows Mobile smartphone — has been the latest and hottest topic in many tech blogs since yesterday. It’s a “simple proof that Palm is not dying,” notes PalmAddict Asia Editor Andy J. S.

“Who said Palm is dying? Who said mobile users are not interested in Palm’s smartphones anymore? If it so, then why all the fuzz of this Treo Pro?” he added.

It would have been best if this new and high tech offering from Palm was Palm OS-powered. But still, here are Treo Pro’s reported features:

• 400Mhz CPU , but snappy response
• 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
• Expansion card supports up to 32GB
• 320×320 screen
• WCDMA/EDGE/HSDPA
• WiFi
• GPS
• 2 MP camera
• microUSB connector
• 3.5mm earphone connector
• 1500mah battery
• Bundled apps: Adobe Reader LE, Windows Messenger, Java (Esmertec), Internet Proxy, Telenav, Streaming Media, Sprite backup

If the above specs are true, Treo Pro will be the second Palm device to have integrated WiFi, next only to Treo 800w.

How was this latest “leak” from Palm discovered? According to PalmInfoCenter, WMExperts member scottymomo “poked around Palm’s Learning site and found a[n] unposed flash tutorial of the unannounced new Treo.” In his/her WMExperts post, scottymomo attached some pictures — including the one posted with this entry.

Later, in TreoCentral, a certain nomad2000 posted more pictures and device specs. (Nomad2000 also posted this info at the Chinese forum Treo8.com). Scottymomo then posted additional features and screenshots of the Treo Pro at TreoCentral.

Treo Pro was appears to be the same product earlier called Treo 850 and Palm Drucker.

PalmAddict Asia Editor Andy J. S. wrote this development explains why Palm has reportedly placed orders of up to 5 million units of new different mobile phones to manufacturer Compal Comm: “So these whole shebangs are actually a solid news we can hope to become into a reality.”