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November 12, 2006
Helio Drift
The Drift is the latest handset from mobile provider Helio. It may look like an ordinary Samsung slider but what sets the Drift apart is its tight integration with Helio's 3G network.
Two standout features are Google Maps GPS and Buddy Beacon - for utilizing Helio's 3G network for realtime GPS goodness. The Google Maps GPS gives you instructions to and from your destination. Playing with the handset, I found it to be fast and very accurate. Of course this isn't your full fledged Garmin or TomTom navi, but having it on a phone makes it a convenient distraction. The second feature is called Buddy Beacon. Basically you list all your buddies (who also have to have Helio phones) and you can find them on Google Maps, represented by little colorful stick figures. It's an interesting feature but you have to refresh the program when you move to another area for other people to get an accurate depiction of your location. I hope Helio will upgrade their system to include real time buddy beacons. That way, when I say to my friends, "I'm watching you", I really mean it.
Posted by tranism at 12:58 AM | Permalink