Helio News
Looks like the end is near for Helio and all you Helionauts, I'm sad to say. Ryan Block - the Editor in Chief of Engadget Ryan Block - just reported that Helio store managers are being notified that Virgin will be shuttering the doors on some, or possibly all, of Helio's retail outlets across the country as part of their takeover of the copmany. Furthermore it looks like Virgin will simply absorb all that is Helio, doing away with the Helio brand in the process.
No word yet on when... At long last some news on the forthcoming sequel to Helio's flagship device: The Ocean 2, aka OZ2. The notable changes seem to be on the inside, as OZ2 rocks the same dual slider form factor as the original and looks to be more or less the same size, if a little more rounded and futuristic looking. Honestly, it's hard to tell from the sole photo that hit the Web over on Engadget Mobile.What's easier to get a read on are Ocean 2's specs: 3mp camera (up from 2mp), 30 fps video... Could everyone's favorite MVNO be looking to merge with a less cool but bigger and badder MVNO? Could be.
Multiple media outlets have been reporting that Helio (everyone's fave, if you ask me) and Virgin Mobile USA (actually bigger and badder than Helio) are in talks to join forces. Details are a little bit sketchy right now, but one scenario desribed by The Washington Post has Helio's parent company SK Telecom buying out Virgin Mobile USA and then pouring some cash into the... Unlocked episode 1 with Noah from PhoneDog.com. Apple unveils the iPhone SDK and announces iFund. Unlimited plans take center stage with Sprint and Helio leading the way. Hands-on with the Helio Mysto and Palm Centro for Sprint. Yesterday Helio announced a limited-time offer $99/month Unlimited plan that gives you all the voice, messing, and handset-based data (read: no laptop tethering) you can stand for just under one hundred bucks a month. Today Sprint - Helio's network provider - chimed in with their own offer: Unlimited "Everything" for $119.99/mo, with laptop tethering available as a $30/mo add-on. (Note that the offer is currently only available in five US markets.)For the extreme power user, these... This one comes as a pleasant surprise: Helio has lowered the cost of its unlimited plan from $145 to just $99/month. The plan includes unlimited voice, text/video messaging, GPS services with Google Maps, and 3G data speeds (no laptop tethering option) for surfing the net or checking your emails.
With most carriers steering away from unlimited data plans, Helio's offer seems like a great alternative, but be sure you review chapter 10 of their Membership Terms before signing up. ... Helio - that MVNO birthed by SK Telecom and Earthlink some three years ago now - announced that Sky Dayton has moved from his post as CEO to become non-executive chairman of the board. President and COO Wohnee Sull will become the new CEO of Helio; Sull was formerly an executive at SK Telecom.
According to Helio's press release, Dayton's M.O. is to run a company for a few years and then step aside from day-to-day operations, so this shift at the company's upper level should not be... Call it the eye of the storm: CES teased us earlier this month with a few new handsets from Sony Ericsson and Motorola (not to mention the official debut of Nokia's N95 8GB US model), and all sorts of sexy new phones should be unveiled at next month's World Mobility Congress (aka 3GSM) in Barcelona. And then there's CTIA Las Vegas, which kicks off on the last day of March.
This break in the action seems like a good time for some Top 5 lists. Here are my picks for the best... Helio's newest handset, the Samsung-made Mysto, is now available to anyone with the desire and $149 (with contract) or $320 (without). I actually got to play with a Mysto awhile back under "promise not to tell" embargo and came away impressed. The handset feels super solid and luxurious, packing a nice heft (not heavy, just substantial) into a slim body and offering up basically all of Helio's services and applications.
Mysto features that front-mounted jog dial cropping up in... Boy Genius reports he's got his hands on the new Pantech Duo for AT&T, and word is also trickling in from other sources that the Duo is, in fact, available in select locations. This Windows Mobile 6 smartphone features a Helio Ocean-esque dual-sliding form factor with dedicated dialing and QWERTY keypads.
3G support, a 1.3MP camera, and support for AT&T's Mobile Music and CV (video) packages make this a really compelling choice in the newly hot "entertainment smartphone"... Hands-On: Motorola Q9m, SE w580i, Helio Fin
I've got a handful of new handsets soon to be given the full review treatment. To tide you over, some thoughts on a few notable new mobile phones recently delivered by the mail carrier:
Motorola Q9m (Verizon)I remember seeing the new Q back at CTIA when I sat next to a Moto executive at some panel discussion or another. I was kind of impressed back then, but in the six months hence I've had the chance to try a bunch of... Noah takes us to Napa CA along with the new thin Samsung Fin device. Being called the thinnest flip phone in America right now, the Samsung Fin is full of features. Key features include the 3 megapixel camera phone (without flash though), integrated messaging and other great Helio features such as mobile myspace and mobile youtube applications. A full expert review about Noah's take of the Samsung Fin with Helio can be found at phonedog.com soon!
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