Mobile phones today have as much internet ability as our conventional desktops and laptops do, and the best thing about them is that they are ultra compact. One of the nation’s up and rising telecoms companies, Helio, who shares a bandwidth with Sprint Nextel, appropriately named their new handset as the Ocean. It may be because you can surf the internet on it, or because there is an ocean of possibilities that the mobile phone can open up for you.

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.

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?

Its Face
If the iPhone is popular for its multi-touch technology, UpStage is known for its dual face. The phone face, for one, contains a 1.4-inch color screen, a keypad full of flat soft keys, and a directional toggle. The media side has a 2.1-inch with 176×220 pixel display. Moreover, it also features a navigation pad that is touch sensitive and a central button. There’s a small Flip button found at the edge of the phone which allows you to toggle both sides.

The UpStage may feel small in your hand but it’s highly durable. The sound quality doesn’t diminish whether you’re listening to music or a call. Keypads are also very usable. The one great challenge, however, is its four-way touchpad.

Can both sides work simultaneously? No, but they complement each other in some way. For example, if you receive a call and you’re playing some music, the media player will stop and the phone side starts to activate. One you stop the call, the music goes back to life.

Switching Sides?
Even if the multimedia or music is activated, you still need the phone side when you want to put in some text, such as when you’re creating a playlist, searching for some music in Sprint Store, or to specify a website URL that you like to browse using the optimized browser.
Like the iPhone, UpStage is also smart. If the former is sensitive to motion, the latter knows when you have to use the keyboard only found in the phone side. It will automatically reveal a Flip command on its screen.

The Innovative Battery Wallet
This is something iPhone lacks. You still need to buy the accessories separately. But the Samsung M620 battery comes in for free. Embedded in this stylish case is the battery. Its purpose it to protect both screens from scratches and to extend the life of the phone while charging.

Its Face
If the iPhone is popular for its multi-touch technology, UpStage is known for its dual face. The phone face, for one, contains a 1.4-inch color screen, a keypad full of flat soft keys, and a directional toggle. The media side has a 2.1-inch with 176×220 pixel display. Moreover, it also features a navigation pad that is touch sensitive and a central button. There’s a small Flip button found at the edge of the phone which allows you to toggle both sides.

The UpStage may feel small in your hand but it’s highly durable. The sound quality doesn’t diminish whether you’re listening to music or a call. Keypads are also very usable. The one great challenge, however, is its four-way touchpad.

Can both sides work simultaneously? No, but they complement each other in some way. For example, if you receive a call and you’re playing some music, the media player will stop and the phone side starts to activate. One you stop the call, the music goes back to life.

Switching Sides?
Even if the multimedia or music is activated, you still need the phone side when you want to put in some text, such as when you’re creating a playlist, searching for some music in Sprint Store, or to specify a website URL that you like to browse using the optimized browser.
Like the iPhone, UpStage is also smart. If the former is sensitive to motion, the latter knows when you have to use the keyboard only found in the phone side. It will automatically reveal a Flip command on its screen.

The Innovative Battery Wallet
This is something iPhone lacks. You still need to buy the accessories separately. But the Samsung M620 battery comes in for free. Embedded in this stylish case is the battery. Its purpose it to protect both screens from scratches and to extend the life of the phone while charging.