If Helio Ocean is what you want then Helio Ocean 2 is what you get! That’s right folks, the phone is available already, and it will cost you just $149 with a contract or $400 without a contract. If you’re really impressed with it then you should go ahead and get the contract version. Maybe $400 is a lot to pay, especially with all the phones coming up this year.

via HelioCity

We’ve been waiting for this Helio Ocean 2 since 2007 and it looks like it will arrive later this quarter. And it’s Virgin Mobile who will probably launch this Helio since it owns it.

The Helio Ocean 2 will come with a QWERTY and an alphanumeric keyboard. We are to expect a QVGA display, 3G connectivity, a full HTML browser and an external memory slot.

We have no idea on how much this phone will cost but it’s said it will go on sale starting with February.

The Helio in the picture here is a Helio slider phone which might or might not see the light of day. It is said it was made by Samsung based on the Samsung F400 and branded with B&O and Armani but we have no idea if Virgin or anyone else is going to pick this phone and launch it to the public. It’s also supposed to be multimedia-friendly but we didn’t have a chance to go over an official specs sheet.

via Engadget

The Helio Ocean 2 phone must surely have some fans out there which have to know that the FCC has just approved an OZII device which is made by Pantech and which must be the Helio Ocean 2.

Here’s what the FCC says about the insides of the OZII:

• QVGA screen
• Numeric keypad and QWERTY keyboard
• EVDO 3G with full HTML web browsing
• Stereo Bluetooth
• 2 megapixel camera with flash and video recording
• microSD card slot

No pricing and availability dates have been mentioned yet. Is Virgin Mobile going to pick it up or not?

Virgin Mobile has now entered the 3G realm with the new Virgin Shuttle, manufactured by Personal Communication Devices. Designed to work with 3G of the EV-DO kind, the Virgin Shuttle slider manages to be both stylish and feature packed with a little Helio touch, fresh off its recent acquisition. PCD has squeezed in a 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture, Bluetooth, SD expansion, a 2-inch display, and a media player that also supports streaming media. The Buddy Beacon app from Helio has been renamed as uLocate for the Shuttle but performs the same function of tracking your friends and the “Where” application is carried over just as it is, providing localized information about restaurants and other places around you.

The Virgin Shuttle will land on September 28 at your nearest BestBuy store and will be available for just $79.99 without the frills of a contract and data plans starting at as little as $5 for 20MB to $20 for 50MB with unlimited access to VirginXL content.
(more…)

Helio today has just announced Mysto, an ultra-thin slider featuring a large, reflective mirror-like screen, a svelte, sapphire blue body and electrostatic keys that make the device shake when pressed.

Along with this, they also released WHERE and Tellme, two new GPS search services by Helio. This will be an added service to Helio’s already large collection of GPS-enabled services. Combined with nationwide 3G access and Helio’s acclaimed user interface and suite of communications services, Mysto is an ultimate mix of good looks and intelligence.

Mysto of course is a combination of sophisticated technology and well-thought of exquisite design. It sports a 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, night mode and built-in Photo Studio for high quality photos and video, a large mirror-like 2.2 inch QVGA display, 100MB of available internal memory expandable via microSD to 4GB, an HTML browser, stereo Bluetooth and support for an array of audio and video formats including MP3 and AAC audio, and MPEG-4 and H.264 video.

Mysto is now available at Helio retail locations and at thousands of retail locations nationwide for $149.

(more…)

The gesture confuses us a bit here in Mobilewhack, but we guess Helio, Samsung and SK Telecom have their reasons for doing so. The new Helio Mysto soft-launched in the United States last December 21. It uses the Korean language. In the United States.

A conjecture would be they wanted to test its performance in the market but the development of the English-language version has been delayed. What the reason is exactly, we may never know. But worry not, English-speaking friends, the earliest release of the English-language Helio Mysto would be available in the Helio stores located in Santa Monica and New York City on the 26th. Full launch will be late January 2008.

(more…)

Helio’s Ocean is making more waves. This time around, the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) will unleash a YouTube application for mobile phones. One of the key features missing in the iPhone’s YouTube application is the ability to login using your credentials and view your own videos or leave comments. With the Helio application, you can do that and more. In fact, the Ocean lets you not only capture video but upload it to YouTube directly.

You can also geotag your videos, letting viewers know where the video was taken. Helio is owned by SKT and EarthLink.

(more…)

With its partnership with Samsung, Helio has announced another very hot addition to their suite of 3G handsets. The new Samsung Fin is a 11.4mm thick clamshell phone that packs in all sorts of great features. There is a 3 megapixel camera that works in conjunction with the HelioUp application and the Fin’s built-in GPS to upload geo-tagged photos to the Flickr.com photo website. HelioUP can also upload video clips shot with the camera to YouTube.

The Fin is also suitable for music lovers because of its Bluetooth wireless stereo headphone support and a microSD memory card slot that supports 4GB cards. And like the Helio Ocean, the Fin supports Helio’s all-in-one messaging application for quick, unified access to email, text messages, and IM sessions. And, of course, the Fin support Helio’s tight MySpace integration.

A new feature for the phone is the Garmin Mobile navigation application, which will provide verbal turn-by-turn directions to Fin users for a $2.99/day activation fee. The GPS system can also be used by the included Google Maps and Helio Buddy Beacon applications, which cost nothing to use.

The blue-black colored Helio Fin is available online and at Helio retail locations for $175, after a $50 rebate.

(more…)