All throughout the Ocean 2’s development cycle, pictures of it kept popping up in a silver and black motif. When it actually launched, however, everything silver had been turned red. The color change made sense, with the Helio-brand now under the parental guidance of Virgin Mobile (who’s primary color is red) – but it was one of the things we didn’t like. We said in our review that we hoped a black version would follow, as various hearsay had lead us to believe.

Looks like it is indeed. This render of the Ocean 2 decked out with a black bezel was hiding in a Helio page intended for Korean-American customers page, and it appears it might even be for sale already for that market. It might mean a trip to a Korea-town dealer or calling up a Helio CS rep and asking real nicely, but if you’re waiting for a slightly less vibrant Ocean 2, you might be able to get one now.

[Thanks David!]

Since the day the original Helio Ocean hit the shelves, rumors were abound that a followup was in the works. 2 years have since passed, countless rumors and leaks have come and gone, and the company that birthed the original has since been acquired – but it’s finally here. Has the wait been worth it?

After months of rumors and undercover imagery, the Virgin Mobile Helio Ocean 2 is finally just weeks away from hitting the shelves. Don’t want to wait to experience the rush of cracking open the box? Fear not, my friends – we’ve got what you’re looking for. We’ve peeled it apart, piece by piece, and snapped images all along the way. Ready for the unboxing of the Helio Ocean 2? Click on for the gallery.

After word got out that Britney Spears’ next tour would be sponsored by Virgin Mobile and the Helio Ocean 2, the estimated Ocean 2 launch date finally found it’s first deadline: March 3rd, the first day of the tour. We can now confirm that the Helio Ocean 2 will be coming over 3 weeks earlier, launching on Helio.com on February 12.

The Specs:

• 2.6″ QVGA Screen
• Optical Sensor for touchpad-like navigation
• Dual slider (One QWERTY, one number pad), a la the original ocean
• 5 hours of talk time, 10 days of standby
• 2GB internal storage, microSD support
• 2MP Camera w/ video support, night shot, and geotagging
• Full HTML browser with tabbed browsing
• Upgraded Ultimate Inbox: Threaded text messages, Google Talk
• Access to all the Helio services: Connect, Buddy Beacon, WHERE, HelioUP

Contrary to what we’ve seen in previously leaked images, the Ocean 2 will be launching in the “red limited edition” color scheme you see above, with other colors said to be coming “later in the year”.

I will keep this review short and straight to the point, folks. You know how Google likes to keep things in Beta for years and years? Well, Android is no different. Like many of you I was excited at the prospect of a new OS to muscle it’s way in and take down the iPhone, but I’m afraid Android is not it – at least not yet. The OS actually isn’t that bad, but it does have its issues and those cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately it’s the hardware that will be Android’s folly this go around until the other manufacturers can churn out some better goods.

Let’s start with the hardware.

The Good

The variety of input mechanisms is superb. The keyboard is quite responsive and laid out very well. It’s almost on par with the Sidekick keyboards and we all know those are the gold standard. The trackball has a nice tactile feel to it and I especially like that it’s dark grey, so it won’t show dirt and grime over time. But it remains to be seen whether dust, dirt and anything else that can get into it will affect its performance. The touch-screen is nice and bright and quite responsive. It’s not as big as the iPhone screen, but it gets the job done.

The camera works great and takes decent photos when there’s enough light, but in low light situations it stinks and that’s to be expected. It fires up rather quickly when you tap the hard key firmly, but a quick tap won’t do anything for you, so make sure you give it a good push.

I wasn’t keen on the placement of the speaker when I first saw the G1, but it’s a heck of a lot better than being placed along the bottom of the phone like the iPhone. Being super loud isn’t always a good thing but audio quality on the G1 doesn’t deteriorate when it’s at full volume. It’s still just a speaker on a phone, but it’s loud and crisp. Even when it’s placed speaker side down on a table the audio doesn’t get muffled. I’m actually listening to Bob Marley’s Legend while writing this review and it sounds great (speaker side down).

Call quality is relatively clear on both ends and does pretty well out on the streets. It’s par for the course. Nothing great but not terribly bad.

The screen’s hinge is rather strange, but it works. Greg and I are both heavy users of the Helio Ocean, so we know a good hinge when we see one and HTC did very well with this. It slides open and out and does not “fold” like most smartphones. It’s much more similar to the TK than anything else.

The Bad

My biggest gripe with the G1 is that the GPS does not work. I thought maybe it was because I lived in Manhattan, but my iPhone never has a problem finding me within seconds and neither does my T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve (no GPS but at least I’m within a few hundred yards based on cell tower triangulation). Regardless of whether or not I enable the GPS satellites, I’m never where I’m supposed to be. And if it does manage to find me, it immediately drops me off two or three blocks away. Even on my way to JFK earlier in the week, I thought there would be enough exposed sky for it to accurately locate me. No dice. It stinks and turning on the GPS satellites drain the battery like nobody’s business, which brings me to my next point.

If you thought the battery life on the iPhone 3G was bad then you haven’t had to deal with a G1. The first day I had it I managed to kill it within six hours and I was just cruising the Web (medium heavy), sending/receiving e-mails and getting used to the device. I figured it needed a drain and a full charge overnight to cure itself, but I woke up the next day and did some light Web browsing, checked a few e-mails and attempted to locate myself via GPS for 10-15 minutes and the battery drained down to 7x percent within an hour. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I used it as much as I do my BlackBerry or iP3G. The battery life is atrocious. It drops 5-10 percent after 30 minutes of unplugging it and not even doing anything.

While the keyboard rocks that hip with the hard buttons makes it extremely awkward on your right hand and I still haven’t found a comfortable way to hold the device and type on it. I’m sure with time it’s something I could get used to, but I shouldn’t have to. Seriously, who gave this design the green light? It reminds of the Wing and Tilt, but a fugly mishmash of the two. It’s huge and that section with the hard keys is angled up making it uncomfortable to put in the front pocket of my jeans. And I’m no hipster wearing skinny jeans. I see the Touch series and wonder why something like that wasn’t used for the G1.

And last but not least, no 3.5mm jack. That’s right, you’re forced to use the headphones that come with the G1 and connect via USB. Weak sauce.

Now on to Android.

The overall UI is clean and easy to figure out. I hate making comparisons to the iPhone, but Android does a good job in this area. The layout is similar, but with smaller icons, which could look a lot better. I can’t really say that Android is good or bad, but my initial reaction was that it seemed to be slapped together last second and held together by duct tape. It’s not as buggy as the iPhone first was but it looks and feels archaic.

Before I go on a rampage I will point out the few little gems that Android has to offer. The notifications bar is a nice touch and keeps me up to date on what’s going on and it’s easy enough to access by swiping from the top of the screen down. The variety of inputs can be confusing at times and I barely remembered that the menu hard key was there, but it’s something you just have to get used to. It gets much easier and you can whip through the device rather quickly once that happens.

The ability to add things to the home screen was also a nice touch like shortcuts. Having folders that I can dump certain apps like games into is convenient and takes up less real estate.

A minute detail that many might overlook that I found quite useful was the status menu for the device to see vitals like battery level and signal strength. I just wish I could make a shortcut for it to put on my home screen.

Now here’s the bad (and good)

Gmail
-Inability to have more than one Gmail account linked to the device. I know it would throw off everything else linked to it like the calendar and contacts, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have the option of switching back and forth.
-Surprisingly not as polished as the BlackBerry Gmail app, but everything is more streamlined. Depends on the user, I suppose.
-Digging through menus isn’t fun when you just want to spam an email. Not being able to trash your entire spam folder is also a negative.
-Despite the aforementioned quibbles Gmail on Android works and it works well.

Google Maps

-If the GPS would actually work I might shower Maps with flowers, puppies and praise, but it doesn’t so I won’t.
-Street View is phenomenal, but it shows me locations that are nowhere near where I am or where I want to go. Maybe it’s because the GPS doesn’t work, I don’t know.
-The compass (you have to download the app Spare Parts to even get it) in Maps that I thought would kick ass was underwhelming and it’s hard to tell which direction it’s pointing you.
-The entire app is underwhelming due to the non-working GPS and when it is able to locate me it’s slow to update.

Google Calendar
-It works, but it takes a while for things to sync.
-The home screen icon should reflect the actual day.
-I’d like to see the calendar on the notification bar but when the keyboard is closed that wouldn’t leave too much for notification icons. It does show up when you pull the notification bar down though.

Google Search
-It works. No problems here.

Browser
-After using the iPhone’s Safari browser I’m spoiled, but the Android browser can firmly rest in second place among mobile browsers.
-Zooming in and out is a smidge painful when you’re having to tap the + and – icons, but like I said, it’s way better than every other browser on the market except for the iPhone.
-Eight separate browsers should be enough for anyone.

YouTube
-It’s not as polished as the iPhone’s YouTube app, which is appalling, but it works.
-You can also comment on each video’s direct page, but do we really care about that?
-No dedicated video player other than this. That’s rough.

MP3 Player
-No equalizer.
-Longpressing on an album, song title or artist will bring up links to search the Amazon MP3 store, Google and YouTube.

The Market
-I cannot give this a fair review because the apps that are currently available are not very good. But Namco’s Pac Man is FREE! Rejoice!
-The whole barcode scanner app is lame. Comparing the price of items doesn’t locate local pricing for me and I don’t care how much a bottle of Jack costs online. Maybe it’s because my GPS wasn’t working. Who knows?
-Deleting applications is far more difficult than it needs to be. When you hold down on an icon from the home screen the tab at the bottom displays a trash can which you would think is actually a trash can, but it’s not. It’s a receptacle where all your apps are stored. You must delete apps from inside the Market. Fail.
-I’m sure with time the Market will get better, but right now it’s nothing to swoon over.

The Network
T-Mobile’s 3G network is strong in the markets that it is currently deployed in. I’ve had great coverage in NYC, SF and Chicago thus far and have had less switching between EDGE and 3G than on the iPhone 3G. Download speeds are comparable to that of AT&T’s network and I didn’t drop any calls. Oh, and the actual phone works great.

Other gripes
Did they choose black as a background just because the iPhone uses white (grey/blue)? From the home page everything looks vibrant but once you jump into settings or IM or anything then it turns dark and dreary. At least let us change the themes or something. Beyond the home page it’s an ugly and unpleasant experience.

Conclusion
If you’ve been waiting for Android then I suggest you keep waiting. The overall OS seems to be held together by duct tape and needs a lot of work. Apple focuses on the minute details to enrich the overall experience for iPhone users and Android could learn a lesson or ten from it. The hardware design is dated and while the touch-screen and keyboard are great you can’t just forget about the wretched battery life, horrible GPS and the overall ergonomics of it. I wish the G1 were better in every respect because I don’t think the iPhone is that great, but I find myself wishing it were more like it. It’s the best alternative to the iPhone, but it’s just not there yet.

Available starting today is the Pantech Matrix for AT&T. It features the same dual sliding keyboard from their Helio Ocean design in a much better looking form factor. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the pill design, but this new QWERTY keyboard looks a lot easier to use. It features a 1.3-megapixel camera, XM radio, Bluetooth and an MP3 player. Get it now in blue, green and red for $80.

Not reading MobileCrunch yet? Why the heck not? While a MobileCrunch post or two might make the jump over to CrunchGear each day, there’s a ton of good stuff each day that you’ll only see on that side of the fence.

Here’s some stuff you may have missed on MobileCrunch today:

• Rumor: Verizon’s HTC Touch Diamond may launch in October
• QuickPwn 2.1 released for Windows
• Analysts predict 4% Q4 marketshare for Android
• Shots of the HTC Dream G1 handset in the wild
• Helio Ocean II (Oz2) gets the FCC photo treatment
• Nokia E72 and E75 promo video leaked, quickly pulled

Now that the Ocean 2 has slipped back until January of ‘09 at the earliest, we’ve cruised right by the September confidentiality date of the original FCC filing back in March. As a result, a handful of hardware photos and a pack of details have made their way out.

Check’em out over at MobileCrunch >>

For the immediate future, VM isn’t deviating from its pay-as-you-go business model. Just last month they announced their new Totally Unlimited plan with no annual contract or roaming charges starting from $79.99 per month.

Update after the jump

Just a few days ago the Financial Times reported that Virgin Mobile would absorb the Helio brand. As such, all Helio stores will shut their doors although we had heard the NYC store would stay open. It’s unclear what will happen to Helio’s employees, but it’s safe to say that most of them will be let go. The acquisition won’t go through until Q3, so the remaining Helio employees better start looking for a new gig ASAP if they haven’t already.

So what exactly does the merger mean for customers of Helio who have grown to love the hardware and features that Helio is best known for? Well, Virgin Mobile will be keeping all of those goodies in place. If you’ve seen any VM devices, you know they stink. VM is relatively boring and absorbing the technology Helio is best known for will certainly boost the MVNO’s status and appeal to a broader audience. That means future VM devices will include apps such as Google Maps with GPS, YouTube and MySpace… all of which Helio brought to the table before other carriers.

What about the Ocean 2? If you haven’t already figured it out by now, the Ocean 2 has been delayed over the last few months because of merger talks. It’s unclear when the device will actually launch, but it hasn’t been scrapped. Whether the device needs to go back to manufacturing to adjust the backlit Helio logo is unclear. VM just might release the device with some tag line like, “Virgin powered by Helio” to save money. But fear not, the Ocean 2 is still coming. The branding is unknown, though.

While I hate to see Helio dissolve, this is great for both brands. VM knows how to make money while Helio knows how to create technology that works and is appealing. It’s a win-win situation for the customers, but not so much for Helio employees. Let’s just hope VM doesn’t screw it up.

Q&A from Helio about the merger

HELIO and Virgin Mobile USA are teaming up to combine our strengths and deliver a better mobile experience. On June 27th Virgin Mobile USA announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire HELIO.

HELIO gains access to Virgin Mobile USA’s extensive distribution network and broad customer base, while Virgin Mobile USA gains access to HELIO’s exclusive, high-end devices and premium services. Both companies look forward to coming together to bring exciting prepaid and postpaid opportunities to their customers.
Q: What does this mean for current HELIO members? Can I still use my HELIO device, while keeping my HELIO service plan and number?

A: Current service plans will continue without interruption – it will be business as usual. HELIO members are at the center of this transaction and we’ll continue to bring them the innovative mobile services they’ve come to expect.
Q: Can new members still sign up for HELIO service?

A: Absolutely. HELIO will continue to offer exclusive, high-end devices and our innovative All-In plans.
Q: Will the HELIO brand be retained, or will everything migrate to Virgin Mobile USA?

A: Over time, we expect that all aspects of the customer experience will be integrated under the Virgin Mobile USA brand. Integration of the direct sales channel will begin immediately, and we expect that existing HELIO products and services will soon be offered through the Virgin Mobile USA website at www.virginmobileusa.com.
Q: So what’s next?

A: We’re excited by the possibilities our new, combined team offers. We have some big ideas, but as you can imagine, a little bit of housekeeping is in order before we share them. Stay tuned!
Q: Does this affect my current contract with HELIO in any way? When Virgin Mobile USA does acquire HELIO, can I end my current contract without paying an early termination fee (ETF)?

A: HELIO contracts remain in effect and unchanged by this transaction. HELIO members who wish to end their contract early will still be subject to an early termination fee (ETF).

Let’s be honest. We’ve seen this coming for more than a month now and the Financial Times is reporting that VM and Helio could announce sometime this week that the two MVNOs will merge leaving SK Telecom with a 20 percent stake. There have been rumors floating around that Helio stores will shut their doors in an effort to cut costs, which we haven’t been able to confirm nor deny, but we’re pretty sure they’re true. We’re unsure which stores will close, but I’d like to think that the NYC store that’s 200 meters away from me will remain open. We’ll have to wait and see, though. Now that all this merger nonsense is over with, I’d like for Helio to release OZ2.

Reuters is also reporting on this matter. Sources say Helio will be absorbed into the Virgin Mobile brand. Maybe we won’t see OZ2 with the backlit Helio name. :( I guess I’m ok with Virgin.

It seems a video of the Ocean 2 was up last night, but that’s clearly not the case now since we can only provide a screen shot. Not a whole lot to glean from the Heliocity message board, but it appears the d-pad is touch sensitive and the “Helio” is backlit. Looking forward to this upgrade.

“We’re still on track to announce Android-powered phones this year. Some of our partners are publicly stating that they plan to ship Android phones in the fourth quarter.”

I doubt it will be too little, but it may be too late. After all, the Diamond is out, new iPhone will (I don’t know if you heard this) be arriving next week by all estimates, followed shortly I’m sure by the Xperia, Ocean 2, and maybe even something from NVIDIA, for the love of god.

I’m rooting for you, Google, but if you want to get ahead in this game, you have to release a half-baked product and then revise it — like everyone else.

Yesterday I had a moment of panic when I dropped my main mobile phone — Helio’s Ocean — into a mug of hot, steamy coffee. It got wet. Yes, there’s irony in the name, thanks. The phone freaked out. The Ocean’s a tank, it’s taken some abuse in its time, but I’ve always kept it dry. Eventually it dried out and now it’s working fine, but if I continue wetting my phones I might want to look at the new Fujitsus for Asia.

The Fuj has a new handset — the F706i — that’s waterproof. While we’ve seen waterproof phones before, this one boasts digital TV and very fast HSDPA 3G connectivity. Yes, you can now watch porn in the pool.

We’re actually into the idea of making phones waterproof, as it’s not that hard. A rubberized casing around the entire thing should do the trick nicely. Have you ever talked on the phone in the shower? Admit it, you have.

One thing we’ve been hearing a lot about is the new navigation pad. We hear alternately that it’s touch sensitive and non-touch, meaning you gesture above the pad and it reads your movements, which would one-up multitouch as a new technology.

This is apparently what the OZ2 looks like, very much like the current Ocean, which we’d heard, but we’re not totally convinced that’s the final form the phone handset will take. If all of these features are included, the OZ2 just might give the iPhone a run for its money.

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on a Helio Ocean — we know you’re out there — have we got a CrunchDeal for you.

Helio’s got a special offer right now. A $199 Ocean with a $100 mail-in rebate with any qualifying plan. That’s the best deal we’ev ever seen on the Ocean, one of the CrunchGear staff’s favorite phones. We’ve blogged the shit out of it, and we keep finding new reasons to do so.

If your current plan is up and you’re looking for a serious upgrade, snatch it up now.

Helio today updated the YouTube client for its popular flagship phone, the Ocean. The update uses the same general interface, which is pretty good, and is rumored to be based on the new overall interface.

The new client is faster, noticeably so, and it’s not just the interface; loading and buffering times are zippy indeed.

It’s a free download for all Ocean users, and it the bandwidth is included in monthly all-in packages.

This is a nice little Wednesday treat for all of you Helio members out there. If you use an Ocean, Mysto, or Fin, then you have access to the “ultimate inbox” feature, which includes IMAP access to your gMail.

IMAP is good, but on the go users want push email, and starting today Helio devices have just that for gMail accounts.

Just check your gMail like you normally would and you’ll be asked if you want to enable push. Say “yes” and you’re set. I’ve been using it this morning and it works great.

Helio is the first operator Google is offering this to, though our Google rep couldn’t be reached to say how long the exclusivity will last.

I admit it: I’m a text messaging fiend. And many of the recipients of my texts are cute girls. Texting is a modern form of flirtation, and this video totally nails how it works. It’s so true I found myself blushing. For those keeping score, that’s an iPhone, RAZR, Nokia 6100 series, a Treo, and our star is a Helio Ocean.

I have a Helio Ocean and a Palm Centro I use as my daily dialers (I know, I know) alternatively, and between the two they do nearly everything a cellphone can do, but they’re lacking one thing: crocodile skin.

That’s why I should look into this Tag Heuer Meridiist. It’s a very good looking phone from people who make very good looking watches. It’s luxury in your pocket, if having the skin of dead reptiles is lux.

Features-wise, it’s not great: a 2-megapixel camera, 1.9-inch QVGA screen, Bluetooth, and an OLED secondary display, though I can’t figure out where that goes.

And it’s totally affordable at just under $7,000. No, wait, that’s not affordable at all. This is gauche, but I still like it. Kidna.