(by 7 people)
I've tested both the Helio Ocean and Apple iPhone recently, each for about a week.
I wanted to love the Ocean, but it didn't work out for me. The iPhone is all I had imagined and more.
I think the Ocean will be a fine phone for people in the right conditions, as evident by the rave reviews I've seen online.
Here's my take on the two devices and services. Your mileage may vary.
btw, I've edited this page on the iPhone
Your Turn!
iPhone or Helio Ocean?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byiPhone!
JuliaSwan19 says:
I think Apple's iPhones are way better! Apple's ringtones are great and Apple's an established cellular phone manufacturer. I'm hoping to get an Apple iPhone on my birthday.
Julia S.
Learn more about cellular phone ringtones here!
Posted April 17, 2008
Jay Llacuna says:
I tried out the Ocean and found its interface to be unusable, especially when compared to the iPhone.
What's more, I returned my Helio siz months ago and still haven't received a refund. I'm still trying to get it worked out. It seems others have had the same problem.
http://www.lifeclever.com/5-reasons-why-helios-total-happiness-guarantee-is-baloney/
Posted February 25, 2008
jaun says:
The Iphone is very nice and portable unlike the Helio Ocean the Iphone is very high tech.
Posted February 22, 2008
LiveInAlpharetta says:
Comment to Seth: who cares if your phone is cool if it doesn't work? I'll take average if it allows me to actually be productive in my job. Plus, as bad as SPRINT is, Helio was many times worse, if that is possible. Working with customer service was like sticking needles in your eyes. I refuse to deal with them any more and make my wife do it (because she got a free phone at the same time i tried the ocean.) Even my wife hates Helio, the company, and she doesn't hate anything usually.
Posted February 14, 2008
LiveInAlpharetta says:
I tried the Ocean and really wanted to like it, but wound up hating it and Helio even more. I could never get simple things, like configuration of POP mail, to work on the phone. Plus, the SMS messages are not threaded like they were on my Treo, making them MUCH harder to manage.
I could go on an on about why i didn't like the Ocean, but i dislike Helio even more. All the support was Philipines based and their training was over the top...too much emphasis on being polite and not enough on knowing the product and fixing the problems. They told me a one point that they could not help me configure the POP mail becuase no one in the support group had ever configured it...amazing. Billing was even more screwed up when i cancelled my account.
I can't compare to the iPhone, but i can to the Treo and i ran, not walked, back to my familiar device and my old trusted uncle, SPRINT.
Posted February 14, 2008
Danster says:
Iphone - Better company
Hey
Exellentai Lens, 5 *'s have a look at my lens satellite TV on PC.
Rate my lens !
Dan
Posted February 14, 2008
CheekyChimp says:
Just check out www.iPhoneToTheUniverse.com and this poll will be over! Who cares if your flight is late. The iPhone will make U happy 2 have some time 2 yo self! iPhone IS the Universe!
Posted February 13, 2008
Captain Zana says:
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Yes, realy, the iphone is an ASS-KICKING phone
Posted February 13, 2008
Chris Thomason says:
I rarely disagree with Seth Godin but in this case the iPhone has the edge. Because of its ability to capture the imagination of so many people early in its life it will have more options for the end user. It also seamlessly integrates with all of my already existing Apple tools:)
Posted February 13, 2008
Iñaki Goyena says:
Helio What?, I wont give up my iPhone for nothing!
Posted February 12, 2008
Zak K. says:
I tried both, as coreybrown did, but my favorite was the iPhone. I thought that I would like the Ocean better (I text a lot), but I fell in love with the Wifi and the interface.
Posted February 12, 2008
mdwyer says:
The Ocean should be able to beat the pants off the iPhone. It has a better network (Sprint's 3G CDMA), and the email and chat functionalities are first-rate. Helio's price and contract structures are unbeatable, too.
But the things that make the iPhone suck make the Ocean suck even more. You cannot load any of your own applications on the device. Loading your own content is tricky, if not impossible. I'd kill to be able to put an Opera Mini browser on it (since the built-in one sucks). If they opened up the JVM, I'd be back to an Ocean in a second. Until then, I'd rather have a iPhone, thankyouverymuch.
Posted February 12, 2008
NoName says:
iPhone is just the slickest of the two.
Posted February 12, 2008
NoName says:
iPhone is just the slickest of the two.
Posted February 12, 2008
Seb says:
The iPhone is by far the best phone I've ever used.
And you can easily create ringtons directly from iTunes for free (save as AAC, and then rename the file to ACR, add the file to iTunes again, and they will show in the Ringtones section)
Posted February 12, 2008
koyya says:
To Hell with iPhone !!! :D
Posted February 12, 2008
Cameron says:
Iphone is cool. Other phones suck.
Posted February 12, 2008
Cameron says:
Iphone is cool. Other phones suck.
Posted February 12, 2008
Helio Ocean!
Shirley says:
oceaN! iphone is much too delicate
Posted June 26, 2008
Aysha says:
I've not even had my phone a week yet but to be honest with you I can't stand the iPhone. I know some people who have it and its lack of functionality for texting appalled me.
For one thing, it comes with no IM clients. The Ocean can keep you logged into AIM, Y!M and Live all at once and give you access to your inboxes for those accounts. I can get my Gmail with no hassle whatsoever! I bet the iPhone can't even come close to the level of ease I had with my Ocean in getting my email account up and running.
Also, the iPhone can't receive MMS. WTF? I have to email you the picture? No problem from my Ocean, of course, but that sheer lack of functionality is retarded for a phone that is supposed to do everything and be cutting edge.
No removable battery? Not a problem with the Ocean. I can keep several batteries around the house or on my person when I travel to keep me running whenever, wherever. Not so with the iPhone. Those resets are also very bitchy. If you've ever owned an iPod that bit the dust you know what I mean!
Flash? Zoom? No problem with the Ocean. And I can download my photos easily to my memory card for printing and sharing with friends. The iPhone has a lot of memory, true, but it is also FINITE. With the Ocean you can own as many memory cards as you want and swap them out at will. One for photos, one for music, one for files, whatever!
Oh, and don't get me started about how "secure" the iPhone is. You have to use mac programs to get your files off and one the phone. Who the fuck thought that one up? It's my phone, I'll decide what I put on it, thanks.
I'm a heavy texter and I can't imagine doing that touch screen. I need that tactile feedback while I'm typing. I can type without even looking at my phone half the type. You can't do that with the iPhone.
In short, if you want a fancy MP3 player that will cost you an arm and a leg, sure, go for the iPhone. If you want a real communication device that truly takes your social life to the next level, it's the Ocean all the way.
Posted June 15, 2008
Jella says:
The Ocean was the first of its kind, and its technology was EXTREMELY innovative when it first came out [2006 I'm pretty sure]. How many other phones do you know had a full keyboard along with a numeric keypad, 2 megapixel camera with flash and zoom and video capabilities, GPS navigation system, high-speed 3G network, and a SUPER CHEAP price for all of the FREE applications that it comes with.
I've had mine for only about two months and I'm absolutely in love with it.
Plus, the unlimited plan is only 99$ a month, and that is TRULY unlimited. With Helio, the only thing you pay for every month is minutes, because texting, internet, picture texting, instant messaging, EVERYTHING comes free and standard with every contract.
Helio is the type of company that will come out with something cool and innovative and different, but they won't come out with anything else until they've waited for everyone else to catch up with them.
Think about it. The Ocean was the first affordable phone with all of the features that it has, and only within the past year or so have other phones started to COPY it. The only thing it doesn't have is the touch screen.
One thing I will give to the iPhone though is the way they have their text messages set up, like iChat. But that is DEFINITELY an Apple thing and if anyone tried to do that, it'd be obvious they were copying the iPhone.
The Ocean is a trendsetter, not a follower. Although, in order for the Ocean 2 to be successful, it HAS to have some sort of touch screen function. These days that's the only way to win. The only reason it doesn't have that already is because the technology simply wasn't available until AFTER it came out.
Supposedly the Ocean 2 is coming out this December so we'll see how you stupid iPhone does against that :]
Texting with the iPhone is so ridiculously hard that I walk away from the test phones frustrated. No super fast 3G network? You don't have the Ultimate Inbox? Or MySpace/Facebook applications for FREE? No instant messaging? No picture messaging? No video camera? No mobile gaming? No removable battery!?!?!? Sorry, you've already lost 5 trillion cool points in my book before I've even turned you on.
Posted June 15, 2008
iPhone Flusher says:
Ha Ha, ya i love the iPhone but can i get video texting?
Can i zoom in on my camera? Can i take out the battery and replace it? Oh... I cant? Well then thats the suckiest phone in the world! What phone cant have a replaceable battery? If the iPhone is supposed to innovate, then it can innovate cellphones to become stupider!!! All Hail HELIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted June 13, 2008
mike says:
i justt got the ocean. its damn sexy. its got a qwerty keyboard. ive tried the iphone and itouch many times and i just hate the keyboard. sure u can hack it and get justabout anything on it. but without that ocean beats it for so many reasons. way cheaper too. i dont know about the iphone interms of instantt messaging service and email. but ocean has rext and pic messanges, aim, yahoo,windows live,gmail, earthlink, microsoft excell. iv had helio for over 2 years now and loveit.
65$ 500 minutes unlimted text, internet, data. cheapest than everyother company i looked at
Posted June 06, 2008
unknown says:
HELIO VS. iphone hmmmmm... DEFINITELY HELIO CUZ 1. HAS I.M. 2.CAMERA THAT ACTUALLY HAS A FLASH AND ZOOM. 3. GPS and a buddy beacon and 4. 3G network awesome. There is no competition we all know helio is so much better. I know iphone doesnt have that.
Posted May 25, 2008
Unknown says:
HELIO OCEAN IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!! People complain that iphone has more memory than an ocean for their music but who cares I mean get an ipod then. I VOTE OCEAN ALL OUT, I MEAN DID YOU SEE ITS A DUAL SLIDER AND STUFF I DONT THINK iphone can top that. HAHAHA
Posted May 25, 2008
Unknown says:
HELIO, has more awesome features like GPS, Buddy Beacon, I.M., Internet, Unlimited texting, picture video messaging and so much more without getting charge extra, how cool is that? With the iPhone its great but its a pain in the ass to type. Helio is so worth it especially if you compare the price and all and what you get out of it. I mean its iPhone $399 vs. Helio Ocean $199.
Posted May 25, 2008
azzhten says:
did I forget to mention the 99$ a month plan for unlimited everything... that means g3 internet, minutes, text/picture messaging, you name it. To be able to do that with an iphone? I bet that's over $150 a month!
Posted April 15, 2008
azzhten says:
Helio all the way. a 100% touch device isn't for a phone!!!
Posted April 15, 2008
Braxton says:
I have had a little bit of experience with the iPod Touch(which as said earlier, is the iPhone minus the phone part), and I have a Helio Ocean. Frankly, I was impressed by the "wow" factor of the iTouch, such as the music handling, Safari web browser, touch screen, etc, but I must say... The ocean is better.
You can very easily get Opera Mini, which does an excellent job of rendering web-pages. You also get AIM, YIM, and MSN. It is also very comfortable in making phone calls as well as with texting.
I must admit, though, that the iTouch has a better music managing system. The Ocean's(or really any Helio's for that matter) music player/managing system are good, but the iTouch's is simply better. Another thing about the Ocean that I find to be quite annoying is the fact that about once every ten times I turn my Ocean off, it spazzes and sends itself into "Emergency Mode" which cannot be helped unless you take the battery out or wait until the phone dies. :-/
I still vote the Ocean
Posted April 09, 2008
Amanda says:
Also search functions from the idle screen are amazing!!! :-)
Posted March 25, 2008
Amanda says:
I don't like the fingerprints that get all over the iPhone.
Posted March 25, 2008
Unknown says:
Helio Ocean. I have now owned both and Ocean has taken home the gold medal. It does everything I have wanted in a phone and more. Sure iphone has touch screen. Which is Major bonus when it comes to the typing of messages. One will hope Helio ocean will improve on that in the near future. But for now I love my Ocean and would not trade it for anything else.
Posted March 23, 2008
Anonymous says:
iAnything is junk. Apple is only good at making shiny products that you pack rats love to look at and brag about. Touch technology is the death of cellular phones. You can say goodbye to ever texting/calling without looking. Supposedly the best phone with the most features but it doesn't even have a camera, something my last free phone had.
Whoever mentioned that there's no opera on the helio apparently hasn't looked very hard. Opera Mini is now available for the Ocean.
Posted March 12, 2008
coreybrown says:
Hold the phone! I might need to change my vote. Has anyone seen Morph?
Posted February 25, 2008
FL3X says:
sure the iphone is slicker and thinner(w.e.) the oceans internet is muchh faster,typing/texting much easier, and its new apps rock any1s sox.. not to mention how much easier messaging (aim,msn,etc.) becomes with the ocean. no competition =]
Posted February 23, 2008
HungFuKung says:
As a Helio Ocean user and an Ipod Touch User, which is basically an Iphone minus the phone. T have to agree with everything that Seth said, in the fact that the Iphone was cool for about 2 weeks until everyone had one. Its not alternative, its mainstream, so not as cool as the funky and functional OCEAN
HELIO OCEAN is not a Smart Phone, it was never designed to read excel files and crap (even though it now does that to), it was designed to be the MOST HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN THE US, Communication being the key word. Thats what it is and thats what it does better then any phone around. It connects you to other people and now to YOUTUBE.COM as well. Its advantages being its long admired GPS apps like GOOGLE MAPS, GARMIN MOBILE, BUDDY BEACON to name a few, all of which are now being developed for major carriers. Its dual slide function, which has just been mimicked by the Sidekick Slider (including the sound effects the OCEAN makes...BITERS!!)As well as its MYSPACE and FACEBOOK functionality, are now all being copied by other providers, because HELIO is just cool like that. Oh and lets not forget PRICE $$$, $400 w/ Contract VS $150 w/ Contract you do the math and its just the BEST DEAL IN WIRELESS anyway you cut it.
Posted February 16, 2008
coreybrown says:
@Chris, I agree iPhone has the edge (no pun intended!) But I agree with Seth on the part about the Ocean being cool & alternative. I had the Ocean first, and everyone wanted to hold it :). If had worked better for me, I'm sure I'd still have it. Too many problems with the network, and especially email.
Posted February 13, 2008
Ken says:
hell yes helio
Posted February 12, 2008
15 things about the iPhone
- Breathtaking usability and design
- Reliable email (Helio's biggest drawback for me)
- Wi-fi is very speedy, and Edge is good enough so far. Wi-fi switching and alerts are terrific
- Keyboard is taking some getting used to. I think over time this will be less of an issue.
- Apple is being silly about customized ringtones. Stop blocking this already.
- No out of the box IM and GPS, but there are some add-ons for it.
- I'm not crazy about the internal battery. I dread when the battery goes, and I only hope I will have upgraded my phone by that time. No option for switching batteries, as is the case with the Helio
- Limits on minutes and text messages, based on the plan (Helio offers unlimited everything plans, AT&T offers roll over minutes)
- Love the innovations in zooming in the browser and elsewhere. The touch screen is remarkable.
- Wish there was Flash support
- iGTD is available for iPhone!
- Really thin and lightweight
- Visual voicemail is the bomb!
- The notes function is very handy, and I especially love the built in email capability for notes
- iCal integration (and therefore, Google Calendar through iCal integration). The Google Calendar for mobile is terrific through Safari as well, and allows updating without syncing.
15 things about the Helio Ocean
- Second tier "high speed" access was very slow for me (I don't live in a 3G area).
- Email was terribly inconsistent for me outside the 3G Network.
- Dual keyboards is a neat concept, and like the iPhone, the keyboard is hidden until you need it. The top row of the QWERTY keyboard was pretty tight, and I found it difficult to type
- Helio's web browser is pretty bad, but Opera Mini comes to the rescue. Opera on the Ocean isn't as nice as Safari on iPhone.
- Syncing contacts is over the air, which is nice compared to iPhone's requirement for syncing via iTunes.
- The screen is very sharp, but seems tiny compared to the iPhone.
- Easy custom ringtones.
- Some tools are too buried and require too many clicks.
- Easy to buy new apps, ringtones and more. Just a few clicks and you get everything over the air.
- Battery life wasn't great for me, but the battery is removable, and Helio offers a very inexpensive battery and charger/case combo. Nice to have a spare battery on standby.
- Loved the unlimited everything plan.
- A little bulkier and heavier than the iPhone.
- I couldn't figure out how to integrate the Ocean's calendar app with Google calendar or iCal, so it was pretty worthless to me.
- Helio's customer support is excellent. I felt bad canceling my account.
- Helio lives up to their 30 Day Total Happiness Guarantee. No problems canceling the account.
Bottom line
I had been with Verizon for 8 years and was nervous about a switch. So far, AT&T has been equally reliable for me.
The iPhone is just too remarkable a device, and while Helio is a pretty neat phone by itself, there's really no comparison for me. There's only a $100 difference between the devices now that Apple has reduced the price (8 GB version).
Helio offers a 30 day Total Happiness Guarantee, and they lived up to it without giving me an ounce of grief. They tried to find out if there was a way to keep me, but without pressure. If you're on the fence, I'd say it is a safe bet trying them out (if you live in a 3G network area!)
Your favorite?
Your take
Agree or disagree with any of the above?
Is the answer "C: none of the above, there's a better phone out there"?
Let us know!
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MeganCasey
Yeah, I have the iPhone, and yeah, it's better than my Crackberry. But I've uncovered a LOT of stuff that it doesn't do that I wish it would. This post actually covers quite a few of my gripes, all in one place: Posted February 12, 2008 |
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red
iPhones rule. It's really unfair to compare the iPhone to anything else out there. It's its own species. You might as well compare a ray gun to sharpened stick. Posted February 12, 2008 |
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giltotherescue
The iPhone is the best phone ever made. Period. Posted January 06, 2008 |
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boop1
With all the features that the Iphone doesnt have I am surprised people still buy it, but alas we are obsessed with media telling us what to do. For people that live the ocean is much more comfortable, reliable, fast, fun, productive. Plus I dont have to wipe the goo off of a touchscreen every sec Posted January 06, 2008 |
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boop1
ALso With Microsoft exchange on my Ocean I can SYNC my outlook, calendar, mail, contacts and more. I can surf at the speed of light in my 3G network. Opera browser is great. I have an ultimate in box with over 6 emails accounts all in one place! plus I can send you a 2 megapixel pic or vid anytime Posted January 06, 2008 |
More comparisons and debate
- Compare iPhone to the Ocean
- Side-by-side comparison of each phone. Disclaimer: I think this was prepared by Helio's PR department, but I think it is a fairly accurate comparison.
- Ultimate phone duel: Apple iPhone vs. Helio Ocean - infoSync World
- Our favorite messaging phone vs. the popular newcomer. Will the Helio's dual-keypads and 3G beat the iPod features on Apple's device?
- iPhone features - from Apple
- iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want--just like email.
- Ocean features - from Helio
- Helio All-in cell phone plans include mobile Myspace, unlimited text, photo, video & IM messaging, free nights, weekends and more.
iFlickr
Photos taken with my iPhone
I'm pretty impressed with the iPhone's camera quality. Shooting and posting to Flickr makes it a lot of fun.
iflickr
iflickr
iflickr
iflickr
Helio Ocean Tips & Tricks
- Opera Mini 4 Beta
- Run Opera's new mini browser on your Ocean.
- The Official "Can you help me figure out ringtones?" thread.
- How to customize ringtones on the Helio.
- GPS Map replacement
- MGMaps replaces Google Maps for the GPS capabilities on the Ocean. People are reporting faster response times with MGMaps.
- Big list of Helio Apps
- A list of apps and games for the Helio Ocean.
iPhone Tips & Tricks
- iPhone Faux-GPS Hack Works and is Awesome
- Whoa, the iPhone just got GPS. Well, it's actually using peer-collected GPS data linked to cellular tower, which Navizon describes as peer to peer location detection. Either way - it actually works.
- iPhoneiGTD
- One of my favorite apps... now on the iPhone.
- iPhone double header: First native IM client AND first native IRC released - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
- Big news today on the iPhone development front. This morning brings the release of both a native instant messaging client and a native IRC client.
- 25 iPhone Power Tips- MacLife
- MacLife offer 25 tips that help you take total control of your iPhone.
