MANILA, Philippines – Nowadays, mobile Internet isn’t just a novelty, it’s a necessity. With blogging and constant social networking becoming bigger than ever, it’s essential to have a phone that will help you keep up with your online activities.

While smart phones are increasingly becoming popular, they’re not exactly the easiest to use, especially for people who are used to conventional text-and-call cell phones.

Phones such as the iPhone helped revolutionize the system, but at the same time, the Mac OS proved to be confusing for a handful of faithful Windows users.

Thankfully, new phones are constantly being introduced to the market, making it possible for mobile phone subscribers to choose from a wider set of choices.

At the CommunicAsia conference held recently in Singapore, a number of brands unveiled their latest phones to the market. One of these was Samsung’s latest mobile innovation, the Jet.

“Every year, 150 new mobile phones are produced,” said Younghee Lee, vice president of Samsung’s overseas marketing mobile communications division. “The needs of people are changing; entry-level phones cannot offer just the basic services anymore. People want good cameras, they want music, they want Internet browsing. The Jet is what we call the ‘smarter than smartphone’ because it’s easy to use but provides the features of a smart phone.”

She added, “The Jet is our first step in democratizing the smart phone. No longer a gadget for techies, it’s something that anyone can use. The best part is, people can add the widgets that they want in order to personalize their phones.”

Hongsik Cho, senior vice president of the east/west Asia sales and marketing group of the mobile communications division added, “The trend for mobile phones is toward the touch trend; people want a smart phone. The Jet makes it more accessible to them.”

The Jet, aside from having a sleek and easy-to-use interface, comes equipped with features that would make techies drool, but without sacrificing style and accessibility.

“We’re very ambitious about the Jet,” Lee said. “After all, an innovative product always works in any market.”

E-mail the author at biancaconsunji@yahoo.com

Top 5 things we love about the Jet

1. It’s super fast. Faster than most smart phones, the Jet has an accelerated application processor speed of 800MHz. That’s about as fast as desktop computers were a few years ago; you can browse up to five windows on the Internet without a glitch.

2. Sharper display. Its 3.1-inch WVGA AMOLED display is four times sharper than your typical screen—great for viewing photos and watching videos of your friends! Its display also has a 180-degree viewing angle, so you won’t miss out on anything.

3. Easy touchscreen. You can use one finger (instead of the usual two) to zoom in on photos or surf the Internet. Thanks to its speed, the response of the phone to your finger is instant; plus, its “smart unlock” and TouchWiz 2.0 technologies allow you to draw on the screen instead of typing passwords or names.

4. You can make it completely yours. Add widgets of your choice to make a phone that’s designed to follow your interests—no wasted applications here! Over 30 widgets are available on the phone, with more available for downloading on the site.

5. No need for annoying file conversions. You can watch your favorite shows or listen to music files directly after downloading without the hassle of having to resize or convert them to a compatible format. Other functions include GPS Geo-tagging, 3D Map Navigation, and DVD-like video playback recording.