The Helio Ocean marks a sea change in the evolution of MVNOs. Previously allotted for a limited demographic, the Ocean signals a significant market expansion for the cellco youngster Helio. Aimed directly at the Sidekick crowd, the Ocean could be poised to erode some of T-Mobile’s bountiful cache of hip youngsters with cash to liquidate for cool technologies.
Since it announced the Ocean back in March, Helio has been floating pretty on the buzz created by the new $295 device. It was a good position be in, but now with the device nearly released, it’s time to defuse the buzz and see how the device performs.
The Ocean washed up on our doorstep yesterday and I’ve been wading through it over the past 24 hours. Here are my thoughts:
The Ocean incorporates a two-way sliding mechanism that gives the devices the powers of both a phone keypad and a full QWERTY keyboard. The combination of the two adds to the device depth and mass that surpasses that of most typical phones. It’s not obtrusive or anything, it just has a healthy weight to it.
Its keyboard is the best I’ve yet seen on a device of this nature. The keys are adequately spaced so that even with my giant fingers, I could easily hit just one button. This is a problem I’ve experienced with practically every smartphone I’ve used. Everyone knows I love the Blackjack, but typing on it can be a nuisance due to the crowding on the keyboard. Not so with the Ocean. Well done.
From a feature perspective the Ocean holds much in common with its siblings Drift and Heat. The user interface is navigated through a circular design that places your contacts at the center (perhaps indicating that connecting people is at the center of this heliocentric universe). Notable amongst the features that carry over from previous Helio devices is its GPS functionality — a charge that Helio is leading strongly. And it runs quicker and better in the Ocean than in any of Helio’s previous devices.
GPS in phones is a brilliant addition. As the technology proliferates more widely, things like buddy beacons are going to become excellent methods of communication. Imagine being able to see where all of your friends are on a Saturday night. Furthermore, I expect locational comments to develop soon where people can leave messages pinned to specific GPS coordinates to communicate with future passersby. Cool stuff. I should also note that you can turn your beacon off so as to avoid any sort of Big Brother monitoring.
Many have complained that the Ocean lacks WiFi, but I find this to largely be a blank concern. Sure WiFi is fast, but EV-DO is more than passable for a device of this nature. Helio functions on the Sprint network and, as always, Sprint works well for wireless broadband.
It comes ready to support Yahoo! Messenger and AIM as well as Gmail and Windows Live email. Users can also setup additional email accounts quickly so that they’re never out of touch. It’s a dangerous road to venture down, but it’s a path we’re on for better or worse.
The main comparison here is going to be with the Sidekick. Danger has managed to wield a considerable crowd through the implementation of simple, yet feature rich, UI. The Sidekick is also about the size of my cat — and about as practical in a pocket. The Ocean is considerably smaller yet it still maintains all of the core features of the Sidekick and it manages to contribute a few of its own to the fray (like GPS).
I’ve never been a fan of the Sidekick because of its size, but I’m surrounded by people who adore it. I see in the Ocean what they’ve seen all along in the Sidekick. It’s a widely functional media device with massive hipster appeal. There is something decidedly cool about whipping it out in public and having people ogle from across the room. The experience is made even cooler by the fact that the device works immensely well — well enough that it’s just become my new personal phone.
I just found a better dealer. There’s an authorized Helio distributor that does only business-2-business sales. If you call them and say you own a business ( they don’t verify) they can get you the Ocean phone for 179.00 WITH a bluetooth headset, 1gb memory card, and carrying case PLUS they give you $30.00 in downloads… I just found out about them from my friend and I just told them I’ll send them some referrals if they give me the same deal and they hooked it up… definitely one of the best deals i’ve seen out there… in the end you even get it cheaper than using the promo code going directly with Helio. Call them up! 800-801-4174 Metro Cellular
Oh yeah and they offer the unlimited deal for $99.00 until the end of NEXT MONTH…
I got my Helio a few weeks ago, thanks to the great promo code from Jose above, and so far I can’t complain too much. The phone is great, with great features and easy to use, I have 3G pretty much everywhere. The issues I have found with it are: 1) speaker phone is not loud enough by any means, it is pretty much useless. 2) IM alerts and Email alerts are a different sound than your text alerts and I cannot find where to change the sound nor can I find where to change the reminder alerts (reminder every two minutes, 10 mins, etc) – I can only modify text alert settings. I have found where you can somewhat modify it under the messaging dashboard but the only option is to turn on the alerts, not change the settings. I would think that would all be included under ringer but its not. So maybe the functionality is there and I just can’t find it, but I’m starting to think it’s not there. This is annoying to me as I have missed many an IM and email bc I didnt hear the one and only notification, which is a short low-volume beep. 3) it would be nice to have a scroll wheel rather than to have to keep hitting the up-down buttons, but that’s not really a complaint, it would just be nice is all.
oh one more thing, I got my first bill yesterday, the $10 off per month was reflected on the bill so no problem there with the promo code. And taxes were approx $12 extra a month so nothing abnormal there.
i tried the promo code today and it didnt work!!! does the code expire after awile and new ones pop up?
Yeah, I had the same problem….did the codes expire?
I know some of you must have the newest Ocean promo codes…SPILL ‘EM!!!
Hey guys. Has anyone else used metro cellular that was mentioned by rob above. Sounds like a great deal. I would just like to hear more about their legitimacy. Thanks
I need a Ocean Promo Code
Please I will used your number so you can get one month free
It appears all the codes are “invalid” or expired. I tried all of the ones available online with a rep and they all wont work now. However, they can knock $100 bucks off the Ocean (making it $195) if you complain enough. Basically if “the price of the ocean is keeping me from buying it today” they will lower it. I have the name of the person that gave me the $100 off and the extension if anyone needs it. (Also if no one has a number to credit for referral, I would love to get a free month.) Just ask me for my number: RexWinters@yahoo.com
Please send me the person name and a referra number
koolasice72@yahoo.com
metro cellular is an ebay seller as well..going for 185 for HELIO OCEAN –
1 GB MEMORY CARD
LEATHER CARRYING CASE
CAR CHARGER
BLUETOOTH HEADSET
$30.00 IN DOWNLOADS
My only problem with that is that you are not dealing with Helio, but a Helio retailer. If you need to return it, or do warranty work it can be a MAJOR pain in the arse…..Its worth the extra 10 bucks to me…..
Hey all… I bought my ocean like July 29th using this code: H426008CGMBK and it did knock the crap out of the price bringing it down to 147.50 and all the other jazz that came with that promo code. I tried using it again on august 1st for a buddy of mine and it didn’t work. So i did some research on the code, and come to find out that the code was supposed to expire july 15th, but helio didn’t catch it right away. So august 1st was the official cut off. HOWEVER…. the American Express code found up above in an earlier post still works, along with the visa code ( visaob ). I’m still trying to find my codes and deals, but its a treasure hunt.
NOW, as far as the phone goes… I love the thing. I have gotten rid of my home land line phone and I am strictly using this in the unlimited plan. The customer service is great. I had amp’d mobile but they cant pay their bills and went bankrupt. So thankfully I discovered this and I am impressed. My buddy ended up getting the iphone… and is thoroughly disappointed. I mean, the phone is alright, but not worth even a fraction of what he paid for it.
If you dont already have helio, i highly recommend it. If helio isn’t what you are looking for, well, happy hunting.
does anyone know any good websites where i can download free helio games? I would really appreciate some help and suggestions. :)
Does anyone know where i can download some free helio games online? I would really appreciate any suggestions and advice.
Tried out Rob’s advice and went to Metro Cellular… some guy named Robin answered (same guy as on the post)? Anyways… deposit check came out $0.00 and I told him I saw it posted for 179.99 no the 185.00 on ebay so he honored the 179.99. I got my MicroSD card, Leather case, Bluetooth headset, Car charger and $30.00 in downloads (I had to “beg” for it from them but it worked!). My sister bought one through them too and the battery was defective.. she tried calling Helio and they told her it would take up to 2 weeks so she called up Metro Cellular and they sent her a new phone same day and gave her a return package for her defective phone. Also, they told me if I have any problems in the future instead of calling membercare for tech support I could call them up (HUGE PLUS-helio customer care SUCKS!) and if they couldn’t take care of it they could call their Dealer Support line for me and take care of me. Maybe they’re a new company or something… I dont’ know how long they can stay in business like this LOL!
Hi Everyone,
My name is Ashley Penland and I am a Account Executive for B2B @ Helio. All prior promo codes have expired and are unable to be used on Helio.com. There is a new discount availible that I can offer. Here it is, enjoy:
35% off any Device
No Activation fee ($30)
10% off $85 & $100 rate plan monthly ($306- $360 discount)
33% off $145 unlimited plan monthly ( $1,722 discount)
It is a 24 month contract. Great News!!! The discount is good for 36 months
Phones:
Heat – $100 ($65 after discount)
Drift – $145 ($94.25 after discount)
Ocean – $295 ( $191.75 after discount)
Let me know !!! This is a limited time discount
Ashley Penland
apenland@helio.com
Device: 818.859.5064
CAN YOU ORDER MORE THAN 1 PHONE AT A TIME? I HAVE 3 LINES I WANT SWITCH FROM T-MOBILE OVER TO HELIO. IS THAT POSSIBLE?
im 12 years old about to get my first phone.im so geeked up about the helio ocean what i want to know is their any promo codes or discounts i could use to save money. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IT’S MY FIRST PHONE!!!!!!!!!
when u buy the phone does it already have a plan please HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Helio Needs to get with the there stuff together. They are a new company. They need to come with some more promotion.
I have the sidekick and their screen is much bigger. And service is also better
^^ Wait….which one has a bigger screen and better service?
T Mobile. Helio is NOTHING. NET 10. Has more PULL. Helio suck when they stop there Promotion
IPhone has the bigger screen. But you get waht you pay for. The Helio Ocean can’t compare to the IPHONE. go to C-Net and watch both video reviews. The Helio did catch my eye when they had the sale going. Now that none of the Promotion codes work, I will give the Iphone a try since ATT has them on sale.. Helio get a new and better Promo going before you go bankrupe.
I call Helio asking if there was any deals or Promotions going. The woman said NO. Now I have to spend an extra 10 minutes telling her I don’t want it. Helio is like buying a car. The saleperson won’tr take no for a answer. I had to hang up.
Hi Everyone,
My name is Ashley Penland and I am a Account Executive for B2B @ Helio. Unfortunately we do not have promo codes available anymore for activating on Helio.com. We have changed our procedures for selling Helio devices. You must now purchase devices through account executive to get the discount and you will need to contact me directly. There is a NEW UPDATED discount availible that I can offer. Here it is, enjoy!!!!!!
35% off any Device
No Activation fee ($30)
10% off $85 & $100 rate plan monthly ($306- $360 total discount)
33% off $145 unlimited plan monthly ($1,722 total discount)
It is a 24 month contract. Great News!!! The discount is good for 36 months
Phones:
Heat – $100 ($65 after discount)
Drift – $145 ($94.25 after discount)
Fin – $175 ($113.75 after discount)
Ocean – $295 ($191.75 after discount)
**New** We now offer a $50 Visa Prepaid Credit card with any purchase of a Fin, Heat or Drift between the dates of 8/13/07 to 9/18/07.
*The New Fin is now Available (Samsung Flip Device)
* You are able to port any mobile device number over to Helio, even land lines !!!!!! (You are able to get a temporary number and port your current number over at any time)
Let me know if you have any question. Thanks :-)
Ashley Kim/Penland
Account Executive for B2B
818.859.5064 310.231.3787
apenland@helio.com
Helio House
3900 Kilroy Airport Way, Suite 200
Long Beach, CA 90806
want the 50% off device and the $10 of a month but apparently it’s gone. Does anyone have a similar deal? I’m unemployed & broke but need a new phone because mine (with AT&T) no longer works and I need a phone for interviews! The offer above from Ashley kim doesn’t do me any good because the 35% off the device still makes the ocean too much, and the monthly discounts aren’t for the $65/500 minute plan. I need to order in the next few days so any help would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks!!!
Ashley, that deal sounds pretty good but I had some questions regarding your current promotion. Please e-mail me at destiny9286@hotmail.com . I am looking to buy a cell phone in the next couple of days, so if you can contact me as soon as possible that would be great. Thanks! Lisa
Lisa Don’t give in to Helio. The service is poor. Wait until they have another Promo
Helio is a new company. Shame on them with the high ass price
I just got my new ocean today SWEEEEET!!!! I got it from Heliocellular.com
Their website claims they’ll beat any advertised price on the spot. I searched for over a week looking for the lowest price. Then I called them and they beat it by $10 and covered the shipping charges. Very cool people to work with. I will refer anyone I know to them.
Pedro
Los Angeles
I originaly posted this on hofo but this may help some of you guy thinking of getting helio.
If anybody is thinking about getting helio get it from this guy.
his name is david his a b2b rep strait from helio. he has the best deal for the ocean i know myself because i spent a long time looking for a good deal(on ebay,any where else you could thinnk of on the internet, and around where i live too).
i started looking at the ocean when the friends of helio promotion was going on, but unfortunately i was to late. them i posted the thread “I need advise” david pm me a few min. later telling me he could beat any deal anywhere, i was skeptical at frist but i decided to take a chance. i received my phone today i ordered it saturday it got here wendsday from denver and i live in arlington, tx pretty fast i guess.
please if you get it tell him i referred you my name is miguel and my # is 817-627-8945 please
email me for his # at miguel_g_ocampo@sbcglobal.net
heres what i got(man, he realy hooked me up)
helio ocean for 145.00
free samsumg bluetooth
free memory card
free car charger
free case
and get this i even got a free shirt!
p.s. after reading this it kinda sounds like im a salesperson dont worry im not
My fiance and I bought two Helio phones and decided since they didn’t have a family plan that we would return the phones and cancel within the refund time frame. We love the plan and the options but their customer services is the worst. Everytime I have been on the phone with them it has been about an hour each time. It seems like they are so disorganized not knowing when or how much our refund is going to be. After taking all the money I put into this new company they only give me half of my refund. First I was told my refund was approved and will be on its way and when I called to check the status and all of a sudden it was denied and they don’t know why. Telling me Fedex has no record of returning the device when I have all the right tracking numbers and all of suddent they don’t. I think they are trying to delay in giving me my money back to see if I will forget about it knowing I am rightfully due my refund. If you get a Helio I highly suggest to be ready and patient enough to deal with their customer service because they are very GHETTO, RUDE, UNORGANIZED and don’t know how to work their systems. I will Stay with Sprint and their wonderful Customer Service.
Great Concept Bad Service!!
I’ve had my Ocean for a month and-a-half. So far I i’ve gone through 2 of them and this will be my 3rd. The first one after 1 week had some file transfering issues involving the my music media. I returned it and they deemed it defective and gave me a new one. The second one had a bad mic, meaning people would call and they could not hear me and if they could hear they would said I sounded like an alien and my voice sounded mushy. This was very annoying. I returned that one and they deemed that one defective as well and they gave me the 3rd one. I signed up for the automatic VISA debit per month and that was the worst idea. Not only did it charge me a month early, it charged me 26 times IN ONE DAY! (thats 123.49$ X 26). Having issuficient funds at the time, my bank treatet it as fraud and shut my card off and froze my account out of security. So the computer will charge WAY early for amonth you haven’t even used and if the charge doesn’t go through the first time, it will repeatedly try to charge until it goes through. I called an cancel the auto-Debit and they appologized. Now, on my 3rd Ocean, 2 Visa cards account fraud protection, and new bill payment setup later. I’m now happy with my phone. I really like and i’ve been very patient. The only thing im dissapointed with is the lack of compinsation due to faulty equipment, bad costumer service, and an unreliable auto pay plan.
Hi from Dallas, Texas. LOVE LOVE LOVE my HELIO OCEAN. Got rid of my T-Mobile Dash because Ocean is totally wonderful, all unlimited everything so you don’t pay those exhorbitant charges for all the extras. Even T-Mobile Hot Spot is an extra 20 bucks a month. Everything is easy to use and it works off the Sprint network so coverage is fantastic. If you want a good deal, go to Ebay and search for Ocean. All the online cellular companies offer great and cheap packages and they set up stores on Ebay. I got mine for $145 plus some goodies. Love the Helio and the customer service has been great so far.
Helio service sucks. Say Helio to SideKick 3. TMobile will wave the 30 start up fee if you ask. Helio sucks. How dare you stop the Promo. What assholes you are.
try this promo code: aexpob
good luck!
I PROMISE you that i will beat any prices out there for Helio. Don’t believe me?? email me only for serious inquiries.
well helio rep……………whats ur email?
hey i want to get an ocean soon and i am looking for the best deal i can get on one with(preferred) or without a plan.
-thanks
I found this site (http://www.hellohelio.net/) selling helio’s and bought from them. I got an Ocean and I love it. No problems for me. quick shipping too.
THIS ONE IS BETTER
http://www.finawireless.com/helio-ocean-promos-150-bundle.php?gclid=CMCAjYyY3Y4CFRUHWAoduBgABQ
umm how did you go through 3 oceans already
and sidekicks?
lollll
they’re so slow
yeah they’re fun but have you actually used an ocean?
they put sidekick 3s and probably 4s to shame..
the customer service is so much nicer than t-mobile’s
so far i’ve heard like 2 negative reviews of helio
and even then they were still like 7 our ot 10’s..
screw sidekicks..
That is a decent deal on Oceans – but the hellohelio site has Fin’s for free. I may go get a fin for my girl.
i just have a question…if yoo live in canada…would helios ocean work?
anyone have any promo codes that work?
Yes Helio Rep please let us know how to get in touch with you to get a better deal than other non helio sights. I would rather give the company my money directly but don’t like the idea of loosing over $200 in doing so.
There is no dealer support line. When retailers call in they are getting the same reps as the general public.
Right Helio Rep, so please include your e-mail address, since you asked people to e-mail you if they had questions.
hey everybody try this right now you will save a lot i did!!!!
http://www.heliocenter.com/index.php