Earthling

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 The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.

Helio just unveiled their newest device. The Heat is a thin and nifty slider that comes in Onyx and Gold, with electrostatic keys on the front which I believe means that they work like the iPod's clickwheel. Like all new devices to come from Helio, it has GPS onboard and the applications that go with it -- Buddy Beacon and Google Maps for Mobile.

The Heat is slightly sleeker and thinner in profile than the Drift, has a slightly less beefy still/video camera at 1.3 MP, and is a bit cheaper as well, at $150. Like the Drift, the number/texting keys have textured breaks in between them, so you can feel the separations fairly easily. On the Drift I've found that makes it particularly texting-friendly. Helio also announced that they're adding mobile versions of Digg and Wikipedia to the sites featured in their "Surf" application. More photos in this Flickr set, and the full product details and purchase information are all now up at Helio.com.

Pun Watch

It's something of a custom for the various gadget blogs to announce new devices with punny titles, particularly when the device's name lends itself to that sort of thing. In the case of the Heat, I had high expectations. But only a couple have dared to make Heat puns. So far I've seen:

• CrunchGear: Helio Brings The Heat
  
• Gizmodo: Helio Turns Up The Heat...
  
• and Endadget took a pass with: The Helio Heat
  
• (update: more punny titles) Slashgear: Latest Helio Handset Is Hot Stuff
  
• Crave: Helio Heats Up Its Lineup With New Phone
  
• Yahoo Tech: Helio Turns Up 'The Heat'
  
• Another from CrunchGear: Helio Heat Hands Burned
  

It's not too late. If you happen to blog about gadgets and haven't yet written up your initial Heat coverage, may I suggest the following chestnuts:

• Heat Rises
  
• Hot Hot Heat (update: taken.)
  
• The Heat Is on
  
• Helio Throws The High Heat
  
• It's Not The Heat, It's The Functionality
  
• Ok, I'll stop now.