The Helio phone has been known about for a while, no full feature list and no photos up until now, but when accessories vendors and Samsung’s site itself listed the phone as a Helio phone, the gig was kind of up. The only specs that we kind of new about the phone (I know, don’t call us a phone company; don’t call it a phone) was that it had a 3.0MP camera, it was to be a clamshell, and so far its name is the “Fin”.
The name is aptly applied considering it is to be the thinnest clamshell packing a 3.0MP camera. Apparently it’s also blue, which was kind of hinted to in some forums. So other than everything that we already know, there is the fact that the FCC filing was filed not too long ago and it had a 180-day embargo on all information other than the FCC sticker location and the FCC test reports, which means that at or before the end of that 180 days we should have an announcement at the very least if not a release.
The Fin is also part of the Ultra series of Samsung phones, which bodes well for an extensive list of the latest and greatest features being included in cell phones these days. Another thing to note is that for this to be Helio’s first foray into the clamshell market says a lot about how they shop for only the best in cell phones. They have actually had nothing but sliders with the exception of the Kickflip, which was some sort of cross between a slider and a clamshell.
The Gleam isn’t much to talk about; really the only important details are the network, cam, and external controls/display. Other than that its plated in gold, likely just the color, not the actual precious metal.
So, in summary there is the Gleam going on the VZW network, and the Fin going on Helio which is a great MVNO running on top of the nearly equally-great Sprint network. In case you hadn’t caught on, the Helio is the one I am most excited about.
