Helio expands portfolio with new Samsung handset

Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. continued to expand its handset portfolio with the “Fin” from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a thin clamshell priced at $175, based on a current discount.
According to Helio, the Fin is the thinnest folding phone in the United States market (11 millimeters deep) and supports CDMA2000 1x EV-DO speeds (Helio rides on Sprint Nextel Corp.’s network). The MVNO touted the Fin’s GPS features, which provide users with new voice-guided navigation (Garmin Mobile), as well as existing GPS-based Helio services such as Buddy Beacon and Google Maps.
The Fin also marks the debut of Helio’s customizable RSS feeds to “Helio On Top,” providing user-selected feeds to the phone’s home screen.
The handset sports the usual bevy of multimedia features including support for several audio and video formats and an array of messaging options. Its 3 megapixel camera is likely to stand out. Onboard memory is 100 megabytes, expandable to 4 GB with a microSD card.
According to the Helio’s CEO Sky Dayton, the Fin launched within 90 days of the last handset launch by the MVNO, in part fulfilling the MVNO’s promise that it would bring an evolving portfolio of intriguing devices to its customers.