As Helio grows in popularity, anticipation for each new phone is growing. Weeks back, the rumor mill started churning with discussion of a new phone. Details were sparse, but it was definitely clear a new phone was on the way.

Today, Helio announced the newest addition to the device family: The Fin. Over 75% of the market rocks flip phones, and the Fin is lookin’ to grab some of’em with its clamshell body. Coming in at a crazy 0.45” in depth, Helio’s take on the Samsungs A513 comes in an impressive 25% slimmer than its most obvious competition (Motorola RAZR), making it the slimmest clamshell in the US.

MSRP for the device comes in at 365, with the New Member price set at 225 ($175 under the current promotion).

Basic Specs:
Dimensions: 4.06”x 2.04” x 0.45” (HxWxD)
Weight: 3.35 oz
Display: 2.3” Display (QVGA, 240×320)

Additional Specs:
Body: Metal (Magnesium)
Color: Blue-black
Camera: 3 Megapixel, 4x Digital Zoom, Night Mode
Memory: 100 megs internal; support for 4GB microSD
Battery: 800 mAH (Removable)

Features:
-EV-DO
-Stereo Bluetooth
-Voice Dialing/Commands
-GPS
-MyPet (Virtual Pet; can be set as your main screen)
-Ultimate Inbox
-HTML Browser
-H.O.T (w/ RSS)
-Skins (removable customizations)

Helio’s first flip phone is also its first non-exclusive; Sprint is offering a lower-end plastic bodied version (M610), while we know of one other carrier planning to offer it in metal. However, the shell used on Helio’s model was reportedly completely customized for them. Thinnest, and made of uber light Magnesium.

The only concern most people have is that in offering new devices, some of the devices already on the market might not get the lovin’ they need (*cough* Ocean updates); hopefully that won’t be the case.

Call us silly, but we’re actually pretty excited about the Skins. Carriers don’t always offer first-party customization options; when they do, they’re usually horribly ugly. Fortunately, the skins Helio’s showing off on the Fin accessories page look surprisingly good. We’ll check’em out and let you know how they are.

We’ll have our hands on a Fin in about a day, so we’ll get back to you on how we like it once we’ve had time to play with it a bit.

(Oh, and yes - Custom applications seem to work on it.)

Resource: Manual
Resource: Quickstart Guide
Hi-Res Shot: Phone Open
Hi-Res Shot: Phone Closed
Hi-Res Shot: Phone Closed (Side View)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 6:01 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.