Ever since NTT DOCOMO launched the i-mode Internet platform for mobile phones in Japan in 1999 (an eternity ago in today’s fast paced mobile lifestyle), keitai denwa in Japan have become more sophisticated with each generation.

These days, keitai take on the multiple roles of mobile phone, camcorder, gaming console, and portable internet device all at once.

In the Philippines, local mobile phone giant Smart Communications aims to emulate the Japanese model of not just providing mobile phone connectivity, but mobile phone-based content as well.

With a range of products such as tone, wallpaper, and game downloads, all the way up to the cash debit system SMART MONEY, the Philippine leader in mobile telephony is poised to take the next step.

This new development is called Sandbox, and it is a revolutionary new social networking system, developed first with the mobile phone user in mind and the PC user second, instead of the other way around. With Sandbox, you just don’t connect with friends and people with similar interests, you can also do so anywhere via your 3G cellphone.

To sign up for the service and get Sandbox both on your PC and mobile phone, simply drop by their website and fill in your details. They’re currently running a recruitment programme alongside KRISPY KREME where you can get free donuts with each sign up. So head on over to the site, and bring your friends as well!

Thanks to Ms. Rezza Custodio of Smart Communications and Ms. Alma Cala-Buenviaje of Geiser-Maclang for including magnetic-rose.net in the Sandbox Beta Test.