Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

“Sky Dayton, the founder and chief executive of Helio, is stepping down as CEO to become chairman of the youth-oriented mobile phone provider.”

Helio today released Mysto, an ultra-thin slider featuring a large, reflective mirror-like screen, a svelte, sapphire blue body and electrostatic keys that make the device shiver when pressed. Mysto also debuts two new Helio GPS search services, WHERE and Tellme, adding to Helio’s burgeoning portfolio of GPS-enabled services that started with the industry-first launch of GPS-enabled Google Maps for mobile and GPS-tagging of photos and videos, plus real-time Garmin turn-by-turn Navigation. Combined with nationwide 3G access and Heli’s acclaimed user interface and suite of communications services, Mysto is an ultimate mix of good looks and intelligence.Mysto is manufactured exclusively to Helio for the U.S. market by Samsung. Customized with Helio’s UI and line-up of services, Mysto is based on the hugely successful overseas U600 model, which has enjoyed sales in the millions in the short time since release in Europe and Korea.

Mysto boasts 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 also has external electrostatic keys that vibrate with “haptic feedback” with the tap of a finger, giving users the look of touch sensitive controls and the tactile sensation they want while using one-click search to jump onto the Web from the device idle screen, navigating through Helio’s ultimate inbox messaging hub made famous on Ocean, or playing a favorite song or video downloaded from Helio Player.

With the introduction of WHERE and Tellme, Mysto expands on Helio’s line-up of GPS-enabled services that already include geo-tagged images and videos uploaded to Flickr and YouTube, Buddy Beacon, Google Maps for mobile and Garmin Mobile. Tellme,, a subsidiary of Microsoft and the first one-touch voice search application for mobile in the U.S., lets users simply press one button and say a word to receive local search results, no need to know your location or spend time typing, just say what you want and get it. Tellme returns local listings containing phone numbers, maps, turn-by-turn directions and the ability to SMS the listing to friends. Now, Helio members don’t have to worry about saving restaurants, theaters or other business listings in their address books and finding a late night snack is a snap.

WHERE, a service of uLocate Communications, a GPS widget platform worldwide that gives users access to a library of location-enabled applications. WHERE provides information on things like local weather and events based on the user’s current location. WHERE is accessible on Mysto through its location-aware mobile browser and is a free service for Helio members.

Availability and Pricing

Mysto is now available at Helio retail locations, www.helio.com, by calling 888-88-HELIO and at thousands of retail locations nationwide for $149. Tellme is available on Mysto for $2.99 per month. WHERE is free of charge to All In Members; data charges apply for A La Carte Members.

“South Korea’s SK Telecom Co. said on Friday it had allocated $70 million to inject into its U.S. mobile venture with Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. (ELNK.O: Quote, Profile, Research), effectively gaining management rights.”

Helio’s portfolio of innovative mobile devices just got thinner with the introduction of Fin by Samsung, the thinnest folder currently available in the U.S. True to Helio form, Fin’s ultra thin blue-black magnesium body comes packed with Helio’s full line-up of 3G content and services, including MySpace on Helio, GPS-enabled Google Maps for mobile, YouTube, HelioUP for instant upload of photos and video to YouTube, Flickr and other destinations, plus Helio’s messaging suite which combines Instant Messages, text messages, picture messages and emails in one ultimate inbox. With Fin, Helio also debuts Garmin Mobile for GPS-enabled voice-guided navigation and the addition of customizable RSS feeds to H.O.T. (Helio On Top), letting members sign up for updates on news and information they want delivered to their device home screen, no clicks required.The Fin

Supercharged and ultra thin, the slim and loaded Fin is a powerhouse in blue-black magnesium and just over 11mm deep, the thinnest folder currently available in the U.S. Fin by Samsung runs on a high-speed nationwide 3G network, has a 3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, night mode and built-in Photo Studio for high quality photos and video, a 2.3 inch QVGA display, 100MB available internal memory expandable via microSD to 4GB, an HTML browser, GPS capabilities for integration with Helio’s GPS services like Buddy Beacon and Google Maps for mobile, stereo Bluetooth and support for an array of audio and video formats including MP3 and AAC audio, and MPEG-4 and H.264 video. Fin also has communication covered with a version of Helio’s ultimate messaging suite, combining Instant Messages, text messages, picture messages and emails in one messaging paradise. Fin has out-of-the-box access to Yahoo! Messenger, AOL’s AIM Service and Windows Live Messenger, email from Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail, Helio Mail, EarthLink email, the ability to add additional IMAP or POP3 email accounts, and push mail support for Yahoo!, AOL, Windows Live and Helio Mail.

Point + Shoot + Share

With HelioUP, high quality photos and video shot with Fin’s 3 megapixel camera can be automatically uploaded to popular sites like YouTube and Flickr directly from the device, so members can capture and share their experiences as they happen. HelioUP is GPS-enabled so users can geo-tag photos and video with location information and other metadata. Another industry first, Helio is the only U.S. mobile operator to let members automatically post geo-tagged photos from their device directly to Flickr’s World Map (flickr.com/map), one of the world’s largest collections of location tagged photos. Now members can photo blog a road trip, vacation or party and let friends and family tune in on Flickr to not only see what happened, but where.

Customizable RSS Feeds for H.O.T. (Helio On Top)

Helio adds customization to the innovative H.O.T. (Helio On Top) service by giving members with compatible devices click-free access to their favorite RSS feeds delivered directly to their device home screen. Through the new H.O.T. area of the Helio website, members can set as a H.O.T. channel one of the countless available RSS feeds on the Web. Members can also share their favorite RSS feeds with the Helio community or select from other member recommendations. Members can also still select from an assortment of optimized H.O.T. channels from Helio partners including Yahoo!, MTV, Accuweather, Surfline, The Onion and more. Whether it’s their own blog, favorite news or weather site, the latest celebrity gossip or sports scores, members can have RSS feeds delivered right to their mobile device, no clicks necessary.

Garmin Mobile

Helio members can now get voice-guided navigation with Garmin Mobile. Utilizing the device’s GPS capabilities, Garmin Mobile provides a moving map with turn-by-turn directions that follow the member in near real-time, making it easy to get to a specific street addresses or any of nearly six million pre-programmed points of interest, including gas stations listed by price at the pump, ATMs, and more. Garmin Mobile can even check weather for driving conditions and find alternate routes in the event of heavy traffic. Garmin Mobile is available now on select Helio devices for $2.99 per day.

Fin Availability and Pricing

Fin is now available at Helio retail locations, www.helio.com, by calling 888-88-HELIO and at thousands of retail locations nationwide for $175 through a limited time $50 off promotion for Helio’s exclusive Samsung devices. New members purchasing a Fin or other Samsung device receive $50 instant savings at Helio locations. If purchased at third party retail locations, new members can mail in for a $50 Helio Visa prepaid debit card.

Helio introduced today the ability to upload videos shot with Helio devices to a YouTube account with only two-clicks. Available exclusively on Helio service and free-of-charge for Helio All-In Members, this faster and easier upload opens YouTube to near real time publishing, freeing people from their PCs so experiences can be shared as they happen.”Helio has made it easier than ever to watch and publish videos to YouTube wherever you are, on a nationwide high-speed 3G network,” said Sky Dayton, CEO of Helio. “Going even further, we’ve made it so you can shoot video on your Helio device and publish it to millions of YouTube users, in just two clicks. Taken together, Helio is providing our members with a complete YouTube experience unlike anything on the market today.”

“Helio is one of the most innovative mobile services in the business today and by partnering with them we help further our vision of bringing originally created videos to mobile devices,” said Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder, YouTube. “We’re particularly excited about the direct upload feature and look forward to working together to bring the best YouTube experience to Helio’s members.”

Two-Click Video Upload

Helio members can shoot a video using Helio’s exclusive premium devices and in only two simple clicks, upload it via a high-speed 3G network to their YouTube account. Members need only to sign up for a YouTube mobile profile, then preprogram their Helio Album, Helio’s media sharing service, and after taking a video click “Helio UP” on their device screen, and then “Post” and their videos will be live for their friends, family and the YouTube community to enjoy.

Optimized YouTube Mobile Experience

Designed specifically for Helio service, YouTube has been optimized for mobile on Helio through a close working relationship between companies to deliver faster and easier access to compelling content, letting members share their experiences with friends, family and the YouTube community. Leveraging the rich QVGA screens and landscape viewing mode on Helio devices Ocean, Drift and Heat, as well as future Helio devices, paired with the speed of a nationwide 3G network, Helio members can now browse, search and view thousands of the most popular YouTube videos. More YouTube videos will be added each week, and the full YouTube catalog should be available this fall. Featured, Recently Added, Most Viewed, Top Rated and Top Favorite videos will be available in a wide range of categories.

Ocean(TM) has arrived. The world’s first dual-slider combining a traditional numeric keypad and a separate full QWERTY keyboard in a single device, Ocean delivers the definitive 3G mobile experience in an uncompromising form factor, exclusively on Helio’s nationwide service. Designed to keep people connected like never before, Ocean merges Instant Messages, text messages, picture messages and emails from the major portals and ISPs in one location. Running over a nationwide high-speed 3G network, Ocean also offers full over-the-air music downloads, video-on-demand, a high-resolution camera, an HTML browser, GPS-enabled Google Maps(TM) for mobile, Buddy Beacon(TM), first-of-its-kind full Web search from the device home screen, integration of IM presence into the address book, GPS tagging of photos and videos, MySpace on Helio and more U.S. industry firsts, all in a single, beautifully designed package.More Than A Phone - More Than A QWERTY

Voice, IM, text, email, search, music, video and the speed of 3G - Ocean has it covered, by design. With a flowing minimalist face and a soft-touch surface, the shape-shifting Ocean slides vertically to reveal a traditional alphanumeric keypad for comfortably making calls, sending quick texts or surfing the web, and horizontally to reveal a separate wide full QWERTY keyboard suitable for the heaviest of emails or text and picture messaging, Web searches and full screen landscape viewing of crisp images and video. Ocean answers the question of full keyboard for messaging speed or traditional keypad for voice without the uncomfortable compromise of a QWERTY keyboard on your cheek - now you don’t have to choose.

Ultimate Inbox

Ocean combines email, text messages, picture messages and Instant Messages in a single messaging hub that’s just one touch away. Ocean’s integrated messaging dashboard includes out-of-the-box access to Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, MSN Hotmail, Gmail(TM), Helio Mail and EarthLink email. Just enter an ID and password and Ocean is ready to go with no additional software or manual setup required. Ocean also lets users add two additional IMAP or POP3 email accounts and supports push mail from Yahoo!, AOL and MSN. Soon after launch, Ocean will also support Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, which will be automatically downloaded to Ocean devices when available, combining business with pleasure as Ocean wirelessly synchronizes Microsoft Office Outlook email, calendar and contacts from a Microsoft Exchange Server. Want instant gratification Ocean incorporates Instant Message access through Yahoo! Messenger, AOL’s AIM Service and Windows Live Messenger all in this single messaging paradise.

Integrated messaging means users don’t have to choose between text messages or picture messages. Ocean does all the work through one interface, automatically sending an SMS for text messages or an MMS when a picture or video is attached, so staying in touch and sharing life as it happens is quicker and easier than before.

Contact Lists with IM Presence

Ocean’s Contact list syncs with Yahoo!, AOL and Helio Mail address books and introduces an industry first of “presence detection” so users can instantly see which IM service their friends are logged into directly from their Contacts. Just start typing a name from Ocean’s idle screen and the Helio Smart Dialer searches the address book by first and last name and pulls up full contact information, complete with icons to show if a person is logged in to Yahoo! Messenger, AIM or Windows Live Messenger. Getting in touch with friends has never been easier.

Idle Mode Search

Searching the Web on a traditional “phone” is a multi-step process. With Ocean, there’s no need to search for a search box. Just begin typing on the roomy QWERTY keyboard from the idle screen and the device automatically switches into search mode, delivering tabbed results from Yahoo!, Google, Wikipedia, Amazon.com and Yelp on a single screen, another Ocean industry first. Ocean also has a built-in HTML browser so users can visit WAP sites or freely surf the Internet. Ocean’s Web browser also offers features like a mini map, zoom and full page viewing so navigation is easier than before.

Multimedia Powerhouse

Ocean sports a large, 2.4-inch, 260K color high-resolution QVGA display viewable in both portrait or landscape modes, external stereo speakers, Bluetooth for wireless voice and stereo Bluetooth for untethered music and videos, a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash for photos and over two hours of continuous video recording, 200MB internal memory expandable via microSD(TM) to 2GB, and USB Mass Storage Mode for drag-and-drop sideloading of content from a computer. Ocean supports an array of audio and video formats including MP3, AAC and WMA audio, and MPEG4 and H.264 video, all delivered over a nationwide high-speed 3G network.

Ocean also carries a multimedia chip designed to optimize music playback for up to 15 hours of continuous audio, has blazing fast USB sync speeds and is the first device to support over-the-air music downloads from Helio Music as well as side-loading of individually purchased and subscription music tracks from popular music services. Ocean even allows users to browse the Web or their music library without interrupting music playback.

Helio UP - Share and Post Photos Instantly

Ocean’s 2.0 megapixel camera takes advantage of Helio UP, which lets users take a picture with their device, tag it with metadata including a title, description, keywords and location information and upload it directly to Helio Album, Helio’s photo service. Helio UP is also GPS-enabled, giving users the option of attaching their GPS coordinates to their photos and video and uploading them to a photo service for the first time from a mobile device.

Unlimited Voice

Helio memberships are also now available with unlimited voice minutes. That means days, nights, weekends, mobile to mobile, you name it, voice minutes are all included with no overage, no long distance and no roaming. Helio’s popular All-In memberships with unlimited voice minutes are $145/month and include unlimited data like text messages, picture messages, 3G network access and Helio services. It’s the perfect Ocean accessory. Unlimited voice is also available with A La Carte Memberships for $125/month with pay-as-you-use data charges.

Availability and Pricing

Ocean is now available for $295 at Helio Stores, www.helio.com and by calling 888-88-HELIO. Ocean is scheduled to be available at select GameStop and EB Games locations beginning May 21 and soon after at thousands of additional retail locations across the U.S.

 HELIO LLC announced the newest addition to the company’s portfolio of exclusive mobile devices — the Heat(TM) — and the addition of popular online sites Boing Boing, Digg(TM), Metroblogging and Wikipedia, to be available for the first time on a mobile service WAP deck. A slim, gleaming slider with an electrostatic touchpad integrated into a chic form factor, Heat is a high-tech device combining Helio’s line-up of 3G content and services into a fashionable package worthy of the most style conscious consumers.The Heat

Smooth as glass with a minimalist face and slender silhouette, Heat is a fresh mix of smart design and advanced technology. Produced by Samsung exclusively for Helio members in the U.S., Heat comes in two colors: high-gloss Onyx and shimmering Gold. Heat features a highly responsive exterior electrostatic touchpad with customizable sensitivity (super, high, medium, low) for navigation through a simple finger tap. Thin and pleasing to the touch with smooth sliding action, Heat has a 1.99 inch high-resolution QVGA display with landscape mode, stereo Bluetooth support, 136MB available internal memory, MP3, MPEG-4 and VOD support, Helio Music compatibility for music on the go, and built-in GPS capabilities for access to Helio services, including GPS-enabled Google Maps(TM) for mobile and Buddy Beacon(TM).

Helio Turns On More Targeted Content

Building on the rich line-up of targeted content available on Helio, members can access favorite online sites through their mobile device with the addition of Boing Boing, Digg, Metroblogging and Wikipedia to the Helio WAP deck. Offered for the first time by a mobile service, these sites are optimized for mobile and will be available to all Helio members. Boing Boing and Metroblogging are currently available on the Helio WAP deck, and Digg and Wikipedia should be available to Helio members this month.

The Heat is now available for $150 at www.helio.com and at retail locations nationwide. Boing Boing, Digg, Metroblogging and Wikipedia are free with Helio All-In Memberships, data charges apply for A La Carte