Multimedia Phone Reviews

A review of the compact Helio Drift slider handset from Samsung has been posted on CNET. 'At first glance, the Helio Drift seems a lot like the other Samsung sliders we've seen. In fact, we found it reminiscent of the Samsung SCH-U420 Nimbus in terms of size and style. On closer inspection, however, we noticed the Drift has rounder edges and softer contours, resulting in a very comfortable feel in the hand. And while we wouldn't call it sleek, it's still quite an attractive handset with its all-black exterior. Measuring 3.8x1.8x0.7 inches and weighing 3.53 ounces, the Drift is compact, lightweight, and easily fits in a pocket or a purse. There is a slight lip underneath the screen that acts as an anchor when sliding the phone open and closed, though you can open the phone by simply pushing the bottom end of the phone upwards. The sliding mechanism was really smooth, and we found that we could open and close the phone with one hand.'

A review of Samsung’s Helio Drift multimedia slider phone has been posted at Infosync World. ‘The Helio Drift is not your average Samsung slider. Perhaps it was the white finish on our review model, but we found the phone to be more alluring than even the Samsung SGH-D900 Black Carbon. The Drift slides open with a healthy snap, and the camera is permanently exposed on the back panel, so it can be used when the phone is closed. The keys have a soft white backlit glow, and the "Send" and "End" keys are highlighted in pastel.

A "hands-on" review of the Samsung Drift handset launched by network operator Helio, has been posted over at Mobile Burn. 'In terms of features and capabilities, the major new tricks that the Drift has that the prior two models lacked are Bluetooth support and GPS capability. The GPS system allows apps like Google maps to actually know where you are without you needing to know your address, and also gives the phone the ability to run other cool applications like the Buddy Beacon. The Buddy Beacon will let you see where your Drift carrying friends are located, and let them see where you are as well. Your friend not answering his phone? Just look for his Buddy Beacon to view a MapQuest map of his location so you can figure out what bar he is in and join him. It is a very cool application.'

CNET have reviewed the Helio HEAT (Onyx Black) slider phone which features built-in GPS, Bluetooth, music player, 1.3 megapixel camera, and EV-DO access. 'Helio is by far one of the sexiest MVNOs on the market today, thanks to the company's innovative marketing campaign, the slick user interface on its Korean-made phones, and supported features such as MySpace Mobile access. Late last year, Helio upped the ante on its handset offerings when it introduced the admirable Helio Drift, the company's first ever handset with built-in GPS technology for applications like Google Maps for Mobile and Buddy Beacon, Helio's friend-locator service.

Infosync World have posted a preview of the new Helio Ocean two-way slider handset. ‘Since the Ocean is a messaging phone, we were expecting a solid, intuitive interface, and we weren't disappointed. The Ocean intuitively groups different messaging options together, so you don't have to navigate though a bunch of menus. SMS and MMS are combined, as the Ocean is able to detect when a picture is attached to a message. Text messages looked clean and very legible on the Ocean's bright and sharp QVGA display. The 2.4 inch screen also fit a respectable amount of characters on the screen in both landscape and portrait modes.’

A review of the Helio Heat (Samsung SPH-A503) handset has been posted over on PC Magazine. 'Measuring 3.6 by 1.8 by 0.6 inches, the 3.2-ounce Heat is small, sleek, and comfortable to hold in the hand. Turn it on and you see its amazingly sharp little 320-by-240 screen. Helio has always said it gears its offerings toward youth, and the small keys and tiny text demand young eyes and nimble fingers.

CNET have published their review of the Helio Ocean “beginner” smartphone. ‘The identifying design characteristic of the Helio Ocean lies in its unique dual-slider system. You can slide the phone vertically to reveal a numeric keypad or horizontally to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. It's completely innovative, though it's worth noting that because the keypad and keyboard are on separate layers (with the display layer on top), you can't keep both open at the same time.

Laptop Magazine have published their review of the Helio Ocean messaging phone. ' The 5.6-ounce, 0.9-inch thick Ocean isn't exactly supermodel thin, but we dig the soft-touch finish and oval design. Sliding up the brilliant 2.4-inch display in landscape mode reveals a slightly cramped but perfectly usable QWERTY keyboard. The layout seemed a bit too wide at first, but we were typing quickly in no time. Sliding the screen up when you hold the phone vertically reveals a traditional dialpad, making the Ocean more comfortable for use when making calls than the Sidekick. Too bad the dialpad is so big and slippery; we constantly entered the wrong digits.'

A review of the Helio Fin multimedia handset has been posted over at Infosync World. 'The interface and display are as good as we'd expect from Helio. The screen is QVGA resolution, and the interface features Helio's colorful and neat wheel of icons. Helio has a new set of annoying sounds for keystrokes, but these and plenty of other sound and display options can be customized. Helio offers a H.O.T. (Helio On Top) feed service to deliver a simple news scroll on your today screen. It worked well, and had some fun entertainment news. On the Fin, the H.O.T. app can also handle RSS feeds. Still, we found this to clutter up an otherwise clean look, so we generally didn't use it. Not because it wasn't useful, it was just our preference.'

PC Magazine have published a review of the Helio Fin/Samsung SPH-M513 music phone. 'Dull gray, measuring 4.1 by 2.1 by 0.5 inches (HWD), and weighing 3.35 ounces, the Fin looks a lot like AT&T's Samsung A717—and like nearly every other slim flip phone out there, for that matter. When the phone's closed, there's a tiny screen below the flashless camera to show battery remaining, signal strength, and caller-ID information. Flip the phone open for a large 2.3-inch, 320-by-240 screen that's easily readable, and a disappointing keypad. The Fin's keypad is entirely flat—there are no physical cues whatsoever around most of the keys, not even the slight bumps or ridges you find on most flat keypads (except next to the 5). As a result, texting is particularly difficult to do.'