Apple iPhone vs. Helio Ocean
The Apple iPhone went on sale today in America and equal amounts of apple fanboys and for-profit ebay users are clamoring to nab one up. However, for the rest of us in the market for a “media phone” what options do we have? The US market for more advanced phones is extremely polarized; Phones are either billed as business or “just a regular phone”. Data plans for most providers are marketed mostly to professionals. You can now get a blackjack (icky business phone) for around $100 after contract. Not much in the middle exists focusing on a more human use of the phone.
Recently, however, Apple announced it’s iPhone which has been designed for more human, social uses. It’s key features include it’s media (iPod) uses and it’s internet connectivity. It does not include any instant messaging service. Very little of it’s marketing mentions business applications outright. The Helio Ocean, similarly, has it’s main featured aligned around media but with a slant towards social uses such as messaging, email, and surfing. The Helio Ocean also includes the ability to use AIM.
So how do these two phones stack up next to each other?
Price
The Apple iPhone’s cost is considerably larger than the Helio Ocean. So if you are not looking to drop over 500 dollars on a phone, the Helio Ocean may be for you. Network plan-wise, you get less with the Apple iPhone too. The cheapest iPhone plan is $59.99/Month and has 450 Weekday minutes compared to the $64.99/Month Helio Ocean’s least expensive plan which includes 500 Weekday minutes. The major difference is the Apple iPhones limited on SMS text messages. You only get 200 where the Helio Ocean plans all allow unlimited SMS.
Without the ability to chat on AIM, Apple iPhone users are going to use SMS. this may point towards the Apple iPhone being less of a social communications device and being more a mobile browser, since it has Wi-Fi which the Ocean lacks.
The Apple iPhone comes out costing more than the Helio Ocean, but there are a few other features you get with the iPhone that the Helio Ocean does not include. Plus there is a chance the iPhone price will drop dramatically in 6-12 months or as a new version is released.
Winner: Helio Ocean
Media
The iPhone is much more of a media playing device. The Helio Ocean ships with something like 512Mb of onboard memory. The Mini-SD card slot is upgradeable to around 2GiB. This just doesn’t compete with the iPhone. Plus the iPhone has a larger screen than the Helio Ocean. 2.4″ for the Ocean vs. 3.5″ for the iPhone. You just are going to have a much better experience with media on the iPhone.
Winner: iPhone
Surfing
As far as surfing is concerned, the Apple iPhone comes out on top. Helio Ocean also has GPS built in, which combines with Google Maps to make searching a snap. However, the browser is not as robust as Apple iPhones. So if you’re looking for a full-fledged browser in your phone for undirected browsing (surfing), the iPhone might be for you. I just don’t know when you’d be in a situation without a computer but with your phone where you would want to leisurely browse the internet. The Helio Ocean has more mobile-specific task-oriented surfing available.
Winner: iPhone by a hair
Network
Helio runs on Sprint’s EV-DO network. The iPhone does not use 3G, it uses EDGE. Apple says this speed issue is made up by the Wi-Fi which the Helio Ocean lacks, but wi-fi is just not pervasive enough to rely on. There are also reports of the EDGE network getting a major upgrade.
Winner: Helio Ocean for now
Size
The iPhone is 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches and 4.8 oz. while the Helio Ocean is 4.33 x 2.20 x .86 inches and 5.61 oz. The Helio Ocean is a little larger and heavier. However, some people would rather have something with more girth and weight than the iPhone. So if you’re looking for something that doesn’t feel like it’s going to break, you may want to checkout a Helio Ocean. However, for most of us, the smaller and lighter the better.
Winner: iPhone
GPS
This one is easy. The iPhone lacks GPS. Helio Ocean has built in GPS which is used by google maps which comes free with the service. Google maps on your phone, combined with GPS, makes it incredibly easy to quickly search for locations and businesses around you and know how to get there.
Winner: Helio Ocean
Bottom Line
The Helio Ocean is a viable alternative to the iPhone if you can cut out the media part of the iPhone and replace it with social functionality. The network also is a large difference but that could change soon as well (I hear it is happening now). The price difference is substantial right now and I don’t see it going away. The base price of an iPhone is going to stay high for a while and AT&T will probably never offer a plan like Helio’s.