Helio Introduces Mysto Slider Phone

By Geoff Duncan Published January 16, 2008

Helio Introduces Mysto Slider Phone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Youth-oriented MVNO Helio has quietly stopped offering its Drift phone, but now the company has a new slider handset to capture the hearts and minds of folks who live and die by their phone’s capabilities. The Helio Mysto is another rebranded Samsung handset (this time, the U600) Helio has brought over from South Korea and gussied up with new applications and services. Chief among the new capabilities is an integrated GPS receiver—complementing the GPS-enabled services in other Helio devices—along with a 2 megapixel camera, 100 MB of internal memory, and full HTML browsing capabilities.

“Mysto is a startling combination of beauty and brains,” said Helio CEO Sky Dayton, in a statement. “We packed our best communications services and some amazing new GPS features into one of the thinnest sliders available. Mysto feels like a finely tuned machine in your hand.”

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The Mysto also features a 2.2-inch QVGA display, microSD storage, stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, and support for a wide variety of audio and video formats (including MP3 and non-protected AAC audio, along with MPEG4 and H.264 video). The Mysto also offers “haptic feedback”—vibrations built into external electrostatic keys so users get a tactile sensation when using one-key commend to surf the Web or execute a search.

The Mysto also includes support for TellMe and Where, two new GPS-enabled services. TellMe lets users execute searches using voice commands: just touch the TellMe button, speak your search terms, and the phone sends off your query, eliminating time entering search terms or figuring out your location. TellMe fetches local phone information, maps, and other local info, and can send the information to friends via SMS. (TellMe is a Microsoft subsidiary.) The new Where service from uLocate Communications, offers a collection of GPS-enabled widget applications which tap into local weather information and events listings based on a user’s location.

The Mysto is available now for $149; the TellMe service is an additional $2.99 a month, while Where is free to Helio members.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

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