Helio Ocean does it all
The Helio Ocean is another example of how much catching up we have to do in Canada for mobile technology, even with our neighbours to the South. Helio is a “Lifestyle” MVNO operating in the US that caters to the younger, potentially MySpace-using, web-savvy crowd, and its catch line in marketing its phones is, “don’t call it a cell phone.” Now I can see why. The Ocean, which will launch this Spring, offers just about every feature you can think of, including:
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Dual QWERTY/numpad slider
2.0 MP camera with flash
Integrated GPS, Google Maps, and Buddy Beacon functionality that (optionally) lets you see where your friends are.
Over 2GB of expandable storage via MicroSD
Windows Live, Yahoo!, AIM instant messaging functionality, and AOL, Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! Mail integration
Dedicated music processing chip that allows for 15 hours of music playuback, and PlaysForSure support
Portrait/landscape UI support, contact book-IM presence integration, location based (using the GPS receiver) search results in the Web browser, and much more.
Normally I’m skeptical of convergence devices that claim to do so much at once, especially in terms of usability, battery life, and cost, but this device looks like it’s got just about all the bases covered. I can almost forgive it for the MySpace integration. Helio Ocean [via NOTCOT]
Update: Engadget managed to get a hands-on (including photos and impressions) with the Ocean at the currently ongoing CTIA conference in Orlando, and it seems like it’s living up to the hype.
Comments
Hi,
I’ve been using the Samsung P207 for around 2 years. It’s a great phone but is starting to wear out. I want to get a phone that is better in body type and functionality. I came accross this phone (Helio Ocean) and immediatly wanted to know how to get it. If I lived in the US, I wouldn’t have a problem. Do you know how I could get ahold of one and actually be able to use it in Vancouver Canada?
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Adam is a User Experience Specialist at IBM in Toronto and also produces content of all kinds around the Web.
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