Video messaging has arrived on Philippine shores with the first video SMS service offered by SMART Communications.
SMART launched a “Video Avatar” service in December 2007. The service couples video messages with either a live video or an animated avatar.
Compared to basic text messaging, Video Avatar has the added convenience of allowing users to record messages without having to key them in, and the added touch of personalization that comes with the user’s voice and video.
“Video Avatar is a competitive advantage for SMART because it is an exciting new application that builds on the growing trend of more personalized mobile messaging,” said Jerome Almirante, Head of Data Services at SMART.
According to the SMART website, these are the costs for using this service:
- Video Avatar call - P5.00 (whether video call or voice call)
- Info on demand (Help messages, including wrong keywords)- P2.50
- Video retrieval - 1st is free, succeeding is P2.50
- Personalized avatars - P15.00
In addition to those two avatars above, here are some more samples:
It’s a cool service, but I wonder if it will take off among the majority of cell phone users in the Philippines. Text messaging is still the cheapest way to go.
via AJAXWORLD MAGAZINE ; SMART
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