Helio's hot new slider isn't quite ready for prime time, so we take this pre-release unit for a spin and tell you what to expect. Is this the phone the cognoscenti should crave?
We got our sample unit of the Helio Mysto just before it's so-called release, before the holidays, but we've decided to hold off on a full review until the official release date. The Mysto ships with some unique software, and some updates to the existing apps, and because the Helio experience is so tied to the software that only the MVNO offers, we wanted to wait until we had the full Mysto experience. To sate your appetities, we offer this hands-on while we complete our initial testing.
Tastes like Korean
The Helio Mysto is a device with which we were somewhat familiar before its launch, because we had seen it in Korea as the U600 "Miniskirt." At 10.9mm thin, it is the slimmest slider on the market, though it doesn't feel like a ridiculously slim or tiny phone. We like the lines and curves of the phone, and it felt solid, not rickety.
Buttons, buttons, and no buttons
Buttons confused us at first, and we wish Helio would have stuck with the familiar Send/End combo that most phones use. Instead, you get the Send key below the two soft keys, though it isn't green or labeled in any way, so you'll just have to remember that the key represents "Send." The opposing key is the "Back" key, not the "End." End is around the side, as a tiny red button. This causes problems in the phone's menus, as the Helio interface keeps track of your history. So, when you want to quit a program and you hit "Back," you are taken to a previous window or another app, not the standby screen.
The touch sensitive buttons were fine, but not perfect. We do like the small bit of haptic feedback that registers a key tap, but we didn't find the haptic vibration active in every app we tested. Eventually, this touch fad will wear off, and Samsung will start putting real buttons on the faces of their best sliders again, but until then, we'll bear it out.
More features
GPS sensitivity on the Mysto was very good, and for the first time we got to play with the Buddy Beacon service. We quickly found some fun uses for the app, and were able to excuse the drawbacks as security features once we understood them. For instance, we were at first annoyed that Buddy Beacon didn't simply run in the background and update constantly. We assumed this was a battery concern, but actually, there are real privacy issues in allowing your phone to tell every buddy you have exactly where you are. Instead, you have to actively update your location for your buddies. This wasn't as convenient, but the trade-off is worth the piece of mind.
The phone seems a bit sluggish on Helio's EV-DO network. Though browsing the interface was quick and easy, once we taxed the network, things started to slow. Maps on the Google Maps app filled in slower than we'd like, and the Web browser also seemed a bit sluggish. Once a video was downloaded, it ran smoothly, though, so perhaps this was local network issues. We'll have a better idea once our longer testing period is up.
Downgrades and upgrades
The Mysto gets a downgraded camera sensor from the U600, from 3.2-megapixels on the Korean phone to just 2-megapixels on Helio's model. We wonder why the company chose to downgrade, though we imagine cost was the issue. Still, a 3-megapixel shooter on this phone would have made it a real high-end standout. Not that it isn't already, but another trend-setting feature surely couldn't have hurt.
Helio was smart to offer navigation from Garmin Mobile on the phone, but the mobile Garmin software is fairly pedestrian, pardon the pun. Still, it offers turn-by-turn navigation with voice directions, and it can re-route if you go off course, all of which were features missing from Google Maps bare-bones navigation software.
So, what are we waiting for?
We'll have more on the Mysto once the Tellme service is active, probably during CES 2008 in Las Vegas next week. Tellme is a location-based, voice recognition search engine. Basically, you say something into the phone, like "ATM," and the phone finds all of the ATMs near you. Beyond this, we also expect to see an upgraded Buddy Beacon, perhaps a newer MySpace app and other apps. Worth the wait, from our perspective, but enjoy our gallery.
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