helio

Despite that Helio is being taken over by Virgin Mobile, it doesn't mean that it should stop releasing new products, right? What new products? Ocean 2, you ask? No, just new colors for a couple of existing handsets, namely Mysto and Heat, which are now available in white and red, respectively. Both will be available soon exclusively in Korea.

Finally it happened. Virgin Mobile has agreed to acquire Helio for $39 million from SK Telecom and Earthlink. The deal is expected to close sometime in Q3.

However, allthough Helio brand will no longer exist, we might still see the Ocean 2 and other cool devices in the near future, as Virgin intends to incorporate Helio's technological advantages and content offerings.

This sign was photographed at a Helio store in Denver, and it says: “The Helio Store is closed. Contact their customer support”. Don't know what to think: first news about Helio being sold off to Virgin, then spy shots of the upcoming Ocean 2, and now this... Let's hope for a happy ending.

Now it's confirmed. According to Reuters, Virgin will buy Helio from SK Telecom, most likely this week. The deal is not final - its terms and amount were't announced yet.

Helio is devided between SK Telecom which owns 69% of its shares, and Earthlink holding a 28% stake. Virgin Mobile will buy SK Telecom's share.

What will happen to the Earthlink's half remains unclear.

Things aren't looking good for Helio, but despite that the company is moving forward with the Ocean 2. Above is the screenshot captured from a YouTube video.

As you can see the device looks the same as its predecessor, but will be more advanced in terms of specs.

Anyway, if we consider the current situation with Helio, we might never see the device going live.

Some sources report that a large part of Helio stores will be closed in the near future as the company is being taken over by Virgin Mobile. There's a big corporate reshuffling coming up, apparently. Now we can only guess what will happen to the Ocean 2 handset, and whether Helio customers will be able to keep their phones...

For a "very limited time" Helio offers its Ocean smartphone for just $99 after rebate.

While the price seems very reasonable, we wouldn't rush, as this could mean that a new device is coming soon...

So, you can either buy the handset now, or continue to wait for the second Ocean to appear - the choice is yours.

 

Finally it happened!

Opera Mobile is now officially available on Helio Ocean devices. Users can download it from Helio’s Web Portal, however, the browser is currently available only for the Ocean smartphone.

But if everything will go as planned soon Opera Mini will be supported by the entire Helio line.

Intellect Wireless has sued Helio, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Virgin Mobile for patent infringement.

According to Intellect all four companies are violating its patents regarding image messaging. All patents belong to the company's founder Daniel Henderson, and are titled Picture Phone with Caller ID, and Method and Apparatus for Improved Paging Receiver and System.

Helio started offering its unlimited plan for $99 per month, as opposed to usual $145.

This is a limited time offer, so hurry up.