Helio rolls out unlimited plan for $145 per month: Ocean handset now available through Helio, GameStop

Helio L.L.C. announced it is now offering an unlimited voice calling plan for $145 per month. The offering includes long distance and roaming calls, as well as unlimited data services like text messages, picture messages, 3G network access and Helio services.
Helio is also offering an a la carte option for $125 per month for unlimited voice calling with pay-as-you-go data charges.
The move is notable as several other carriers are testing unlimited calling services. Sprint Nextel Corp. recently tested an unlimited service-including calling, messaging and data access-and the carrier’s Boost Mobile brand is also offering an unlimited service.
In other Helio news, the MVNO is rocking the boat with its dual-slider Ocean handset, now available through the mobile virtual network operator’s Web site and stores and, for a limited time, exclusively through GameStop video game retail locations-a move aimed at showcasing the handset to youthful gamers.
The demographics of the stores, which include GameStop and EB Games locations, mesh well with Helio’s target demographic, according to Michael Grossi, Helio’s VP of strategy and business development. The Ocean will be available in multiple distribution channels beyond GameStop by the end of the month, Grossi said.
The handset, which has a full QWERTY keyboard, also has a newly added idle screen search option, which offers layered tabs that allow users to choose from searching Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com, Wikipedia and Yelp.com, a Web site that offers reviews of various products and services in major cities. Grossi elaborated on how the multiple-search options might be used: to search for pizza on Google and then find nearby pizza parlors by clicking on an option to search using GPS-enabled Google Maps for Mobile; to order a pizza stone from Amazon.com; and to learn about the history of pizza from Wikipedia. The search term does not need to be re-typed for each tab, he said.
The device also can play MP3s and, according to Grossi, is the first non-Microsoft Windows-based device that has Microsoft’s PlaysForSure music certification. This means that Microsoft music files are transferable and playable on the device, Grossi said. He added that as far as music formats playable on the Ocean, there are “some others that we’ll be announcing soon.”
The phone is selling for $300.