The Ocean...what a mobile phone was meant to be!
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Helio's Ocean is, and will be for some time to come, the best phone on the market. I love this phone and feel fairly certain I'll never find anything to replace my Ocean.
It feels great in your hand. Actually feels like you're holding a device that isn't going to break if you sneeze while talking on it. The dual slider is not only cool, ultra efficient and comfortable to use, it's also has very solid stable movement.
The finish, both the rubberized back and sides and the front display area are very durable and scratch resistant. I've used mine at work and elsewhere non-stop for nearly a year now without a single mark on it.
It also just looks cool. Not flashy at all. It can just sit there on your desk and say, "Me...yeah I'm cool...what about it." Without every saying a word or doing a thing. But then when it comes to life, well then, you just might be a superstar!!
Ocean's display is sharper and more vivid than anything I've seen, and I've compared it to more than one or two iPhones at the college where I work. It just looks great. The sound...even when playing MP3's through the external speakers is awesome...but it's just that much more awesome through headphones. It looks and sounds better than anything else out there.
Where features are concerned, there is no competition. The included GPS, Google Maps, single messaging center (for text, MMS, helio, yahoo, google, earthlink, windows live, AOL and Exchange), all integrated directly with Instant Messaging, contacts and eMail for each of the services, and more and more.
Take a picture and in three clicks it can be posted to your Flickr account. Shoot a video and in three more clicks it's posted to YouTube.
You name it, this thing can do it.
With a simple upgrade from the included Helio web browser to Opera Mini, you have a full featured, full html browser with landscape display.
And more and more...I could go on and on...
...BUT ALAS...THE BAD...
YES I SAID THE BAD (<---not yelling...just don't want anyone to miss the bad)
The Ocean has three fatal flaws...
1) GPS: While it includes GPS, and some great integrated applications, all require that you have a good cell signal as well. Sure you may be able to receive the GPS signal off-network, but you can't access the applications needed to make use of GPS unless your on the network...roaming won't work here.
2) Wi-Fi: Ocean doesn't have any. This is probably the single largest issue with the phone. Actually I'm sure it is...if Wi-Fi had been included, any other issue with the phone would have been mitigated. No Wi-Fi is a real pain when you can't get to a solid 3G signal. Everything grinds to a halt without data access.
3) Helio Coverage: If you live in a major city...or even near one...you can rest assured this is the phone for you. If you don't however, you are going to be disappointed. Helio uses Sprint exclusively for data services, without 3G in your area, most of Oceans features have a heck of a time working. Even if there is Sprint coverage, their non-3G data is appallingly slow.
Worse yet, if there is no Sprint, signal you roam on Altel or Verizon. Great huh? Nope, because a little quirk in the system says that as soon as a Sprint signal is acquired again...even if for a brief second...the phone switches back to Sprint...which of course you promptly loose again...along with your call. ;)
In short: If you live in a big city, you MUST buy this phone! If not...I'm sorry. If only someone would unlock it. If only.
Review ID: 10000000005188297
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