Helio began as a telecommunications company founded January 2005 in Los Angeles, California. In spring 2007, Helio introduced their newest mobile phone, the first of its kind that is a dual-slider: the Helio Ocean. This new model came as a pleasant surprise for mobile fanatics, and it slowly became a popular alternative to other famous but more expensive brands. This PDA phone packs in an ocean of possibilities for the busybody or the fun lover.

The Ocean measures 4.3 in x 2.2 in x 0.9 in and weighs 5.6 ounces. It has an appropriately large 2.4 in LCD screen at 262,000 colors and 320 x 240 pixels resolution. The oval-shaped body of the Ocean has an integrated antenna and comes in black finish. When held vertically, the Ocean slides up to access the number keypad. When slid horizontally to the right, the Ocean reveals a QWERTY keypad and operates in widescreen mode.

Helio boasts of the Ocean’s seemingly unlimited phonebook capacity. It can carry up to 4,500 entries, each entry can contain six phone numbers, four email addresses, three street addresses, three instant messenger ID’s, company and department name, and even URL’s for homepages. Each entry can be put into a caller group, tagged with a photo ID or with a polyphonic ring tone ID.

The Ocean is an excellent tool for messaging. It supports Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), email, and Instant Messaging (IM). Helio was smart enough to integrate several email services onto the Ocean: from Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, Gmail, MSN Hotmail, Helio Mail, and Earthlink Mail. With just a click on a tab or icon, users can immediately be directed to their desired mail client. For those who are hot on IM, the Ocean also carries functions for Yahoo! Messenger, AOL AIM, and MSN Live Messenger. As messengers are able to synchronize their Ocean’s contact lists with the IM services, they can easily be alerted when a friend is online in any of the IM programs.

For the multimedia lovers out there, the Helio Ocean has good stuff up its sleeve. You can download over the air song files in mp3, WMA, and AAC format in less than one minute. Each song costs $1.99. Playback quality is well-appreciated, both on the loudspeakers and headsets. The Ocean can also play live TV feeds, in clear and smooth quality. TV show clips from MTV, Comedy Central, and Fox Sports can be accessed at an additional fee per month. Photos and video files can be transferred from a laptop or desktop PC using the USB or the SD card.

There is a lot that remains to be said about the cool and ultra useful features of the Helio Ocean. One can only begin to describe the many wonders it can do to improve work and play. The dual-slider technology innovated by Helio really did double the Ocean’s capability, compared to other mobile phones. As it has been said, the Helio Ocean does offer an ocean of possibilities.

No other mobile phone manufacturer has come up with a design like the dual-sliding Ocean. Sliding the phone vertically reveals the regular numeric keypad most mobiles have, but slide it horizontally, and a QWERTY keypad comes as a pleasant surprise. The huge 2.4 inch LCD screen can be viewed at portrait or landscape orientation. It has 320 x 240 pixels resolution, and can display 262,000 colors.

What else has the Ocean got? For starters, proudly announced as Helio’s hippest smart phone, the Ocean is equipped with Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) technology. Ocean users can enjoy high speed internet access for downloads, communications, browsing, and streaming video right on their mobiles. Plus, the Ocean is enabled with a Global Positioning System (GPS) browser that runs well with Google Mobile Maps. The Helio Ocean also lets owners use the Buddy Beacon, which lets them digitally locate where their friends are, and displays their location onscreen in real time.

Can the Ocean take photos? Of course it can, and with smooth and crystal clear videos to boot. The rear of the unit houses a 2.0 mega pixel digital camera with LED flash. Still photos can be taken in eight resolutions to as large as 1600 x 1200 pixels. The Ocean also has color balance settings, different shooting modes, photo frames, and a selection of preview modes. Videos can be recorded with audio up to two hours long, and can be saved internally or on an external SD card. Photos and videos can be shared via Bluetooth, USB, SD card, or within a message or email.

How well does it send messages? The Ocean is capable of sending and receiving Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS) formats. The user does not need to select SMS or MMS from the menu before creating a message, as the Ocean already can determine it before sending. If a message contains text only, it will be sent as SMS. If there is an attachment such as photo, sound, or video, it immediately assigns it as MMS. The QWERTY keypad makes it easier for text input.

Some of the other features of the Ocean include voice memo, calendar, alarm clock, voice dialing, calculator, world clock, photo ID, and caller groups. The Ocean can alert in vibrate mode, or with any of 16 included polyphonic ring tones. There still hundreds of things to be told about the Helio Ocean. Who would have thought that a relatively young mobile company can come up with something as ingenious as the Ocean? Helio does show a lot of promise, and they will definitely keep their fan base coming back for more.

The Helio Ocean has shown much promise, according to many users that rated the product compared to T-Mobile’s Sidekick 3 and Apple’s iPhone. Regarding the release date, the Helio Ocean had a head start by a couple of months, as the two contenders were released in late June 2007. In terms of price, the Helio Ocean and the Sidekick 3 aren’t much different, but the iPhone’s suggested retail price is a whopping $499 to $599.

The Helio Ocean boasts of being the only mobile phone that’s a dual-slider, meaning it can reveal a numeric keypad or a QWERTY keyboard depending on the angle you slide it to. The Sidekick 3 swivels open to reveal only the QWERTY keyboard, while the entirely touch-based iPhone has no keypad at all. Having two keypads is definitely better than one or none, since most users look for faster and easier ways of inputting text.

Talking about a digital camera, all three smart phones have it. The Sidekick 3 has a 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash and zoom. Both the Helio Ocean and iPhone have 2.0 mega pixel cameras, but only the Ocean has zoom function and LED flash. Images should come out better as compared with the other two devices. Plus, the iPhone does not record videos. Video quality and length is much better on the Ocean (up to almost two hours) than the Sidekick 3.

Let’s move on the messaging. When it comes to sending Multimedia Message Service (MMS) formats, the Helio Ocean brings home the bacon. The Ocean is the only smart phone among the three that allows picture messaging, while the Sidekick 3 and iPhone have yet to work on that department. Instant Messaging (IM) on Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN are supported by the Helio Ocean and the Sidekick 3, but the iPhone? Forget about it.

How about gaming abilities? Every phone user wants to have some fun and entertainment while on the go, right? The Helio Ocean and the Sidekick 3 both support and allow game play, where additional games can be downloaded over the air. On the other hand, the iPhone does not have games and will not download over the air.

Think the Helio Ocean’s done? Not yet. Who wouldn’t want to have Global Positioning System (GPS) on their phones? Thankfully, the Helio Ocean supports it, as users have access to Google Mobile Maps to give them driving directions and locate millions of points of interest. Sorry, the iPhone and Sidekick 3 can’t do any of those.

If this evaluation were a tournament, the Helio Ocean would take the trophy. Truly, the Helio Ocean has shown that it can compete with the best of the best in the market.

First things first, let’s discuss the specifications on this beauty. Many critics adore its sexy but simple oval housing, and the rubberized case makes it comfy to hold. The Ocean initially comes in black, but grey and silver have become available, too. The Ocean measures 4.33 x 2.20 x 0.86 inches, smaller than the often-compared Sidekick 3 from T-Mobile. Helio’s Ocean weighs 5.61 ounces, a little heavy, but the extra mass makes up for extra skills everybody needs from a phone.

Now, let’s rave about the impressive display on the Ocean. The Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) screen measures a very satisfying 2.4 inches. QVGA simply means the screen resolution is 240 x 320 pixels when in portrait mode, and with the Ocean, you can switch to landscape mode for a wider screen. Color display is 262,000 colors, perfect for videos, TV feeds, movie clips, playing games, and viewing web pages. Users can adjust the screen brightness as well as change the font style and sizes.

The memory capacity of the Ocean is not something to shrug off either. It includes an internal memory of 200MB. There’s a micro SD card slot at the base of the unit for expanding storage. The phonebook can hold an unbelievable 4,500 contacts, each contact can have six phone numbers, four email addresses, three street addresses, webpage URL, MySpace URL, company name and department, and three Instant Messenger (IM) ID’s for Yahoo! AOL and MSN. Each contact can even be specifically tagged with a picture ID and a polyphonic ring tone ID. Searching through this multitude of data is made easy by the Ocean. When tapping on the first letters of the person’s name, the user immediately gets a list of possible contact names which match the letters.

With this Ocean, mobile phone users can take advantage of the 2.0 mega pixel digital camera with zoom and LED flash. Photos can be adjusted for color, brightness, white balance, and edited with fun picture frames. Resolution of photos can also be changed depending on the size preference of the user. Videos can be taken with audio, for MMS length or up to two hours. Videos can be shot as Idle Screen Movies, which can be used as an animated screen saver when the Ocean is idle.

It is quite hard to believe that this ocean of features can be integrated into the Helio Ocean. As said, mobile phones have evolved into a more advanced species than those of a few decades ago. With the Helio Ocean, things just seem to keep getting better and better.

The Ocean was developed by Helio, a mobile service provider founded in 2005 in Los Angeles, California. According to them, product development for the Ocean had started even before the company was officially established. Finally, in spring 2007, the Helio Ocean debuted in the American mobile phone market. It was a smart move for Helio, as millions of customers raced to get their hands on this trendy new smart phone, the Ocean.

The Helio Ocean is extremely useful for mobile lovers who always want to get online. Equipped with Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) technology the Ocean downloads large files like songs and videos in a minute. The large 2.4 inch LCD QVGA screen views in portrait or landscape mode, so browsing through websites can be easy. Plus, the Helio Ocean is compatible with GPS servers like Google Mobile Maps, so users can get fast driving directions even when on the road.

Helio also hooked up the Ocean so users can easily access their MySpace accounts. This became a big hit for the younger mobile fanatics. Aside from that, the Ocean has icons and tabs for Instant Messaging (IM) clients, like Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Live Messenger, and AOL AIM. Conveniently enough, you can save your friends’ IM ID’s in the phonebook and your Ocean can alert you anytime your friend is online in any of the abovementioned IM clients.

If your heart isn’t set on multimedia formats like music, video, photos, and games, why not give the Ocean a shot? Over-the-air downloads is supported by the Ocean, and songs in mp3, WMA, and AAC formats can be played on the speaker or onto stereo headsets. Downloaded videos in MPEG and mp4 format are easily viewed on the Ocean, with minimal blurring and very smooth quality. The Ocean has included Java games, and more can be downloaded online. The phone is capable of 3D gaming and multiplayer games as well.

How about the camera? The Helio Ocean proudly displays its 2.0 mega pixel digital camera that can take shots in eight resolutions, with zoom and LED flash. Videos are taken with clear audio, for variable lengths as long as memory is available. Photos and videos can be shared via Bluetooth, USB connection, or SD card. Photos can be used to tag contacts so their photo ID will appear when a call comes in. Even more, photos and videos can be attached and sent as MMS or email, or simply used as wallpapers and screensavers for the Ocean.

Did you have a hard time keeping up? If you feel overwhelmed by the Ocean, relax and try not to be intimidated. See the Helio Ocean for yourself, it really is nothing to be afraid of. What’s more, many people will guarantee, you won’t regret getting your hands on it.

The Helio Ocean was released in spring 2007, at a suggested retail price of $295. It has been viewed by many critics and journalists alike to be a fierce competitor of Apple’s iPhone. The Helio Ocean has a smooth oval body in black finish, much smoother and narrower than the iPhone. It also comes in silver and gray. The favorite feature of the Ocean is its dual-slider design, which reveals both a numeric keypad and a QWERTY keypad. Plus, the gigantic 2.4 inch QVGA LCD screen is not something to laugh about. It displays over 260,000 colors, and is viewable in portrait or landscape mode.

Surfing on the Ocean is said to be such a pleasure, aside from not getting soaked or fearing a wipe out. It’s equipped with Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) technology so web surfers can download and browse pages all they want at high speed, any time and anywhere they may be.

Thanks to the EVDO capability of the Ocean, Helio subscribers can enjoy access to the Helio Music Store. It’s Helio’s audio and video download portal, with millions of songs and clips to choose from. Audio files supported by the Ocean are mp2, WMA, and AAC. According to critics, downloading a song takes only about 40 seconds to a minute on the Ocean. Downloaded videos can be streamed on the LCD screen in smooth quality, with minimal buffering. The Ocean also supports video formats in MPEG.

Searching for the webpage you need has been made super simple by the Helio Ocean. Simply tap on your search keyword on the QWERTY keypad, and you’ll instantly get links to Wikipedia, Yahoo!, and others. Type in the name of a music artist, and the Ocean will immediately flash links to ring tone downloads, song titles from the Helio Music Store, photos, and more.

This Ocean is even smart enough to work with GPS, so users can log on to Google Mobile Maps and get driving directions to millions of points of interest. With the quick search option on the Ocean, typing in the name of a store or a type of restaurant will reveal the nearest ones to your location. How’s that for hassle-free searching?

Surfing without water has never been more exhilarating than with the Helio Ocean. You not only get music, video, and search options, you even get access to GPS. The World Wide Web is just a few seconds away, and just a few clicks away, thanks to the cool and smart features of the Ocean.

In May 2007, Helio gave birth to one of its prize-winning bets, the Ocean. The Ocean debuted in the American market a month short of big shark Apple’s much-awaited iPhone. Critics have already been raving about the competition against these two models, and how the Ocean seems to be taking the lead.

First things first, let’s talk about price. The Helio Ocean is sold at a suggested retail price of $295, while the iPhone, a whopping $499 to $599, depending on the memory requirement. Millions were excited with the release of the iPhone, but not as many were psyched at the price.

Regarding size, both phones have approximately the same width and height, but the Ocean is much thicker by 0.3 of an inch. This slight bulk is well worth it, since the Ocean is a dual-slider that reveals a numeric keypad or a QWERTY keypad. The iPhone, on the other hand has no keypad at all. While it does sound cool to operate on touch screen, some users would prefer the buttons on a daily basis.

In terms of calling and messaging, the Helio Ocean takes the cake. Calls sound clearer over the speaker phone, and the caller’s photo ID flashes on screen. The iPhone does not support photo ID for the phonebook. Finding a contact on the Helio Ocean is speedy and convenient. Just tap on the first few letters of the person’s name, and Ocean immediately searches it for you. When it comes to messaging, the Ocean really is the answer to any message-lover’s prayer. The Ocean packs in SMS, MMS, email, and Instant Messaging (IM) from Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. Since you can add the IM names of your friends to your Ocean’s phonebook, your phone can alert you when he or she is online.

Moving on to navigation, the Ocean supports GPS while the iPhone is still working on it. Plus, Helio subscribers can enjoy the Buddy Beacon feature, which lets you locate your friends via GPS. This is a helpful feature for friends on the same network.

Overall, the Ocean gives you more value for your money. One doesn’t need to shell out a lot of cash to have a phone that performs well. With a smart move like the Ocean, Helio proves that it’s no small-fry. Even the big sharks like Apple and their iPhone need some improvements in their department. The Helio Ocean truly is a great alternative for budget watchers and tech-savvy users alike.

Helio is a relatively young Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) not more than two years old, founded in Los Angeles, California. Helio basically buys minutes of use (MOU) from the Sprint Nextel Company, and sells it to their subscribers. One of Helio’s targets is their young fan base, since they are a great majority of the mobile users today. Helio promises to give their subscribers an even
better wireless experience than other service providers can do. Helio already came up with models like the Fin and the Drift. Their newest unit off the assembly lines is the hip and sexy Helio Ocean, which was released in May 2007.

The Helio Ocean is both a ladies’ phone and a man’s phone. Anybody with this in his or her hand will make other mobile users jealous. The smooth curves of the Ocean come with rubberized edges so it’s comfy to hold and more resistant to scrapes. The trendy thing about the Ocean is its one-of-a-kind dual-sliding design. Slide the phone vertically, and you can use the number keypad. Slide it horizontally, and you have access to a QWERTY keyboard with bubbled keys.

The Ocean has a huge 2.4 inch Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) screen that has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The screen can display 262,000 colors. When the numeric keypad is used, the screen shows images on portrait orientation. The widescreen format is viewed when the QWERTY keypad is active. Either way, videos and websites are a joy to look at on the Ocean. The LCD screen brightness can be adjusted, and font style and size can be selected.

Since the Ocean has an LCD with excellent display quality, why not pair it up with a great digital camera? Yes, the Ocean proudly sports a 2.0 mega pixel digital camera with 4x zoom and LED flash. Photos can be taken in eight resolutions, the largest being 1200 x 1600 pixels. Picture quality can be set up to suit your preference, as you can adjust brightness, color balance, and white balance. Fun frames are also available for photo editing. Photos can easily be uploaded online via the Helio Up service, where users can set up albums and add captions to their photos. The camera also takes great videos with audio. Video length can be for MMS formats or for Idle Screen Movies, which can be saved as screensavers.

Playing multimedia on the Ocean is a pleasure. The large LCD screen allows for better viewing of music videos, movie clips, and TV feeds via Helio’s over-the-air download service. Plus, songs in mp3, WMA, and AAC formats can be played in crystal clear quality over the speakers or on stereo headsets. The Helio Ocean also supports Java games and applications for extra fun on the go. With this phone in hand, what more could you ask for?

It’s not just your ordinary slider. The Helio Ocean is the first and so far the only mobile phone every created that sports the dual-slider feature. The Ocean slides vertically or horizontally to reveal a numeric keypad or a QWERTY keypad, respectively. Each sliding option securely clicks into place, so you won’t have to keep fumbling around for which option to use. You can only use one keypad at a time.

What else makes the Helio Ocean so famous? Since Helio is a rather young mobile network, they wanted to be specific about their target market, which are the young mobile users of the United States. Helio was fortunate enough to have tie-ups with MySpace, so youngsters across the country can log on to their accounts and upload their goodies right from their Helio Oceans.

Not only that, the Helio Ocean is said to have the ultimate inbox. This mobile phone is any messaging fanatic’s dream come true. Not only can the Ocean work with the conventional Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS), bit it also does email and Instant Messaging (IM). When creating either an SMS or MMS message, the user doesn’t need to specify which of the two he will be sending, as the Ocean determines it right away. If a message contains text only, then the Ocean sends it as SMS. If a picture, sound file, or video is attached, the MMS sending option is immediately activated.

So what about IM? You don’t need to be logged on with your laptop or desktop PC to enjoy the perks of IM. Your Yahoo! Messenger profile doesn’t need to be on “I’m on SMS” mode all the time. The Helio Ocean already comes installed with Yahoo! Messenger, AOL AIM, and MSN Live Messenger. Clicking on the icons from the Ocean will instantly log you on with the quickness of high speed internet. Not only that, if you store your friend’s YM, AIM, or MSN ID’s on your Ocean, your phone will immediately let you know if they’re online, in any of the three IM clients.

Finding your friends has never been simpler than on the Helio Ocean. The Ocean supports GPS and is enabled with Helio’s Buddy Beacon service. Friends within the Helio network can locate their buddies via GPS and view their map positions in real time. Who wouldn’t want to try that nifty idea?

The Helio Ocean is quickly becoming popular for more of its cool and innovative features. Getting this unit is a bargain at $295 with subscription from Helio. You can get your hands on the famous Helio Ocean and at the same time get more for your money with the outstanding functions of the phone.

The Helio Ocean is considered by critics to be one of Helio’s smartest moves yet. Bravely enough, Helio thought up their first-ever dual-slider and made it into a reality. Packaged in a 4.3 x 2.4 x 0.8 inch unit, the Ocean weighs 5.6 ounces. The phone comes in black finish with rubberized edges on the casing. Its three-tiered body is attributed to the unique sliding feature of the phone.

The top tier of the Ocean contains the navigational soft keys which flank the 2.4 inch QVGA screen that has a display capability of 262,000 colors. When the top tier is slid vertically, the second tier is revealed, containing a numeric keypad with silver buttons. The fun part comes when the third tier is revealed, but to do that, one must lock in the first two tiers and slide them horizontally. An amply-spaced QWERTY keypad with bubble buttons is accessible, and the LCD screen appears in widescreen view.

When the Helio Ocean was released in May 2007, it has already been rumored to compete with T-Mobile’s Sidekick 3 and Apple’s iPhone, both of which came out in the market in June 2007. Critics have reviewed the Helio Ocean and found it to win against the Sidekick 3 hands down, but the dispute remains when the iPhone steps into view.

For one thing, the Helio Ocean is a fraction of the cost of the famous iPhone, at $295 suggested retail price as opposed to $499 to $599 for the latter. The iPhone is initially a challenge to navigate with, since every task is controlled by touch screen. With the Ocean, users loved the dual-slider feature, which means double to ease for text input and navigation.

The Ocean does a lot more in other departments. Both phones have a 2.0 mega pixel camera, but the iPhone has no digital zoom and no LED flash, unlike the Ocean. Furthermore, video capture option is a big no-no on the iPhone. Apple has yet to work on the over-the-air download capability of the iPhone, while the Ocean’s already got that covered. Only the Ocean can support GPS and has the Buddy Beacon service for locating friends within the same network and viewing them on a map. Plus, the iPhone doesn’t have 3D gaming and multiplayer modes, while the Ocean has those and more gaming options via Java.

Who says Helio can’t catch up with the big guys? The Ocean has already shown to be a strong contender. There’s more in store from Helio. In the meantime, let’s revel in the Ocean’s glory over the iPhone. I wonder what’s next?