Review: Helio Kickflip

by Eric Lin
May 24, 2006

When Helio was first announced, gadget lovers across the US rejoiced. Finally a carrier would bring Americans cool Asian handsets before they were obsolete, and offer a wide variety of features one could rarely find outside of Europe and Asia. When solid details emerged about the first phones and initial service in early April, a few gadget lovers were disappointed. The handsets had no Bluetooth, they couldn't be tethered to PC for use as a modem, and they required special software to sync PIM information and multimedia.

But Helio has still managed to capture the attention of technophiles everywhere with their unlimited data and messaging plans and unique handsets. The Kickflip is Helio's sexy handset, while the Hero is the powerful one. Although the lack of Bluetooth is a minor frustration, the Kickflip offers plenty for most users. About the only power users it will disappoint are those for who need to use their phone as a modem or for enterprise-type tasks.

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