Posts tagged Helio at Switched

Posts with tag helio

Is Helio Going Out of Business?

by Ryan Block, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 1:30PM

It ain't over until it's over, but we just got word that Helio store managers received notification this week that the axe is finally falling: (at least some of) the nationwide chain of retail stores will be shuttered during Virgin's takeover of Helio. As we've heard, "there is no 'merge' in this merger," so it sounds like after this year's big executive reshuffle, SK Telecom (which owns a majority stake in Helio) is bailing on their half-billion dollar enterprise a big way. No word if the fabled Ocean 2 will make it -- or if Virgin will even let Helio customers keep their phones.

Alongside Helio -- more or less the last man standing -- the great MVNO goldrush also dies. Unfortunate that besides Virgin and a few local and M2M providers (like Amazon's Whispernet), pretty much no one was able to make it work. Then again, no one ever never said making cellphones and running any kind of carrier was easy.

Helio Launches Location-Based Nightlife Listings On Cell Phones

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 6th 2008 at 3:39PM

Helio Announces Mobile Social Network and Search

Trend-setter-aimed cell phone service provider Helio is making some moves aimed at drawing in more customers to its service and increasing its revenue. Monday brought an announcement of a $99 unlimited everything plan -- unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data. And now, Helio has announced a partnership with BuzzD, the company behind the mobile sites for Time Out New York and Flavorpill, to provide location-based searches and social networking.

The concept works like this: Launch the BuzzD app on your Helio and enter the zip code of wherever you happen to be located (Helio plans to integrate GPS in the near future). Buzzd will present you a list of nearby clubs, bars, and restaurants, as well as a live updated events page -- all readable on your cell phone screen. The events page will provide not only nearby activities, but also short reviews and messages from other users in attendance. You'll also be able to then send out a message to all your friends telling them where you are.

The service sounds cool and interesting, but a little familiar. Dodgeball, a cell phone oriented social networking service that was purchased by Google, had many of the same features, but lacked the content deals that BuzzD has with Time Out and Flavorpill, two media outlets that have their fingers on the nightlife pulse. We'll try it out and let you know what we think....

From Tech Talk Blog and Crave

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Helio's New YouTube Feature Lets You Upload and Add GPS Tags

by Will Safer, posted Dec 13th 2007 at 6:49PM

And you thought everything was going to High Def in a handbasket? Here's more evidence we live in a lo-fi world: a more YouTube-capable experience is out from Helio, maker of the Ocean, an already cool mobile communications device (the word "phone" just doesn't cut it) that provides video, GPS and a whole slew of other features in addition to making calls.

Many mobile phones already let you watch YouTube clips and some even let you upload to the site but Helio's new YouTube application, available only on the Ocean so far, lets users log in to access more "core" features available on YouTube, such as ratings and access to personal videos. Plus, there's no fee for using the feature, which is always nice.

Best of all, the application lets you upload captured video, GPS tag it, and then share it. You can also browse, rate, comment and subscribe to other YouTube users' channels.

From what we've seen so far, this is certainly the most robust YouTube offering on a cell phone, particularly since it takes advantage of the Helio Ocean's new built-in GPS and high-speed 3G uploading and downloading capabilities. Take your video obsession with you wherever you go, assuming you actually have one of these babies. Do you?

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New Helio FIN Is the Slimmest Folder Phone in the U.S.

by Tom Samiljan, posted Aug 15th 2007 at 9:42AM

Helio is not resting on the rave reviews it got for its iPhone-killing Ocean device. Today, the boutique cell-phone carrier is launching the FIN, which is, at .43-inches, the slimmest folding phone available in the U.S. (making the FIN, potentially, a RAZR2-killer, or at least a strong alternative to all the other super-slim phones out there).

Besides its thin profile, the $175 FIN has a bunch of new features, including Garmin Mobile's voice-activated, real-time GPS program for turn-by-turn directions (and robust listings on everything from nearby restaurants and gas stations to ATMs), customizable R.S.S. feeds for the Helio H.O.T. service (so you can get, say, the latest Switched headlines, pushed right to your cell phone's screen), and a 3-megapixel camera-camcorder that lets you upload Flickr or YouTube right from the phone (as well put time and location stamps, also known as GeoTags, on your photos).

As we've mentioned before, we're fans of the Helio service and its unique and quirky content offerings (everything from The Onion and PopSugar to BuddyFinder and OboPay). And as much as we were impressed with the Ocean, we found that quasi-smart-phone to be a little on the bulky side. The FIN offers all the latest Helio options (minus a keyboard) in a slim, ultra-portable package.

From Helio

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Possible iPhone Killer Revealed

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Mar 28th 2007 at 4:45PM

Our friends over at Engadget got their hands on an early-model Ocean, a new smartphone soon to be offered by upstart wireless provider Helio. The reviewer offers up some product porn shots and some initial impressions, all of which look pretty darn impressive. As you can see, the Ocean sports a dual-slide design that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard that's designed to be much less-cramped than those found on the Treo or Blackberry. It also includes some nicely-integrated instant messaging applications along with built-in Exchange server synching for those of you who want to get your business email while on the road. It also includes a 2 megapixel camera and 200 megs of internal storage for those who love devices that do a little bit of everything. Expect it to show up this summer for around $300, just in time to be a cheap alternative to Apple's upcoming iPhone.

From Engadget.

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Is Helio Going Out of Business?

Helio Launches Location-Based Nightlife Listings On Cell Phones

Helio's New YouTube Feature Lets You Upload and Add GPS Tags

New Helio FIN Is the Slimmest Folder Phone in the U.S.

Possible iPhone Killer Revealed

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