Smart “Headlines” app brings Pinoy content to a global mobile audience

The Internet has gone mobile and so has the content that powers it. It is in this respect that Philippine wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has created “Headlines”, an all-Filipino mobile application that delivers the freshest local and international news straight to your smartphone.

Originally a part of the SmartNet suite of applications, the brains behind the Smart Netphone which won the Innovation Award at the 2012 Asia Communications Awards in Singapore, Headlines is a news aggregator which enables phone users to read the latest news from their favorite sites individually or collectively. Headlines subscribers can choose which sites they would like to include in the feed by picking from them from the built-in menu.

“We realize that Filipinos are getting into the habit of using their phones not just as phones but as true mobile communications devices,” said Smart Head of Products Gio Bacareza. “Headlines is an attempt not only to help Filipinos gain access to the content they want but for creators to reach a wider mobile audience as well,” he added.

Unlike its previous iteration which came as a part of the pioneering SmartNet suite of applications, Headlines is now a full-fledged standalone app for Android. It is available for free download from Google Play and is free to use on any smartphone running on the Smart network. It also free to use on any smartphone or tablet anywhere in the world via WiFi.

As the app is available internationally, Bacareza says that Headlines can provide Filipino bloggers an avenue to capture a Pinoy audience abroad. A budding blogger, for example, with limited capabilities and resources to create a dedicated app could easily submit his or her site for inclusion in Headline’s menu of sites.

“Bloggers and start-up sites could simply get in touch with the SmartNet team by emailing headlinesbysmartnet@gmail.com,” said Bacareza. “If the content and the quality of the site are acceptable, it will be included in the next update of Headlines,” he said.

Apart from giving mobile users access to content, Headlines also allows for one-click sharing of articles via SMS or Social Stream. Social Stream is a feature of SmartNet which enables users to post simultaneous status updates on their Facebook, Twitter, and SmartNet accounts.

“The potential reach of Headlines does not end when a reader finishes reading an entry because he or she can easily pass it on to friends,” Bacareza said. “As for users on other operating systems, don’t worry—we’re creating a version for your devices as well,” he ended.

To download SmartNet and Headlines on your Android device, visit the Google Play Store on your phone or tablet or go to www.headlines.com.ph.

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