Posted on November 9, 2006 at 12:01 AM in @earthlink
Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.
A new Helio device joins the Kickflip and Hero today. It's called the Drift, and it looks like it'll be my new favorite. Sorry, Kickflip.
It brings completely new functionality to the Helio line-up including integrated GPS technology and new applications that put it to good use. Through Google Maps for Mobile and GPS, the Helio Drift can:
- Give you driving directions from wherever you happen to be
- Show you the results of a Google search for services near you (right on a draggable map)
- Point out traffic jams and accidents in your path with real-time traffic reports
- Give you access to satellite views of your maps
Through another application called Buddy Beacon, you can find where your Drift-carrying friends are, and let them know of your location throughout your travels. If you'd rather stay under the radar, you can always turn Buddy Beacon off. And if you want to know where everyone is, you can send them an SMS prompt to turn their beacons on.
Helio tells me that all of their new devices will be GPS-enabled from now on, and they'll continue to develop new features for Buddy Beacon and new applications as well.
The Drift is the first Helio to offer Bluetooth technology, including support for wireless stereo headsets. It supports USB mass storage mode, so you can connect it to a computer and drag and drop to it like a USB hard drive. Like the other Helios, the Drift has a really nice 2 Megapixel still and video camera, nationwide 3G connectivity, MySpace Mobile support, video on demand, MP3 audio, and supports microSD cards up to 2 GB. And it makes excellent phone calls too. It's made by Samsung, is only available to Helio members, and comes in both Black and White.
The Drift costs $225, and is available right away at Helio.com, in retail stores, and through 1-888-88-HELIO. New Helio stores will be opening throughout the country soon.
As soon as I get my hands on one, I'll report back on what it's like in the flesh.
Update: More details at Helio.com.
And some thoughts from Google's Alex Medina about the GPS integration with Google Maps for Mobile at the Official Google Blog.
I'll add more photos after the "continue reading" link.
Here's another photo of the Drift, with the slider open and in black:
Comments
I wasn't impressed with Helio's first two phones, but this phone looks like a winner.
To be honest, I'm a little surprised Samsung wasn't involved with Helio from the get-go, seeing how SK Telecom and Samsung are some of the biggest players in the Korean mobile phone industry. At least Helio learned from its experiment with less than top-tier vendors, and decided to go with the goods.
This definitely makes Helio a lot more attractive option. Kudos to them on making an excellent and attractive choice.
Posted by David Shin | November 9, 2006 5:39 PM
I agree with David. After all the intial hype of Helio, I was utterly dissapointed with their first two phones. Sure, the MySpace thing was cool with huge potential. And the kick flip was novel, but certainly not a "must-have". They just didn't seem to be all that convincing, at least to me.
In general, Location-based services are great when your on the move, but up until the moment gps receivers were included in phones (they're out there, but not a whole lot of them)) it required extra hardware (ie. gps+laptop). Not really a viable mobile scenario for the average user. Now, we can start to see (and write :) cool LBS software real soon!
Things are turning around. WTG, Helio!
Posted by Rocko | November 10, 2006 3:30 PM