Helio is a virtual carrier that piggybacks on Sprint. It appeals to the MySpace crowd, allowing users to access MySpace on the phone. I looked at them a few weeks ago, but decided against it solely on the basis of their lack of a Bluetooth-enabled phone. Sometime in the last week they came out with a new phone, the Drift, which has Bluetooth. Well then, I guess I need to take another look.

I generally like what I see, and here’s what I’ve found:

Pros

  • They have good coverage (or so it seems from their coverage checker)
  • They offer all-you-can-use data, SMS, MMS, etc starting at $65/mo
  • The Drift has a GPS with built-in Google Maps support
  • The Drift is attractive
  • The company is new (est. June 2006)
  • They offer a 30-day guarantee

Cons

  • They’re a CDMA network, so the phones cannot be used on other services, and vice-versa
  • Their phones are locked down software-wise
  • The company is new (est. June 2006)
  • Address Book support for Mac OS X involves a workaround

I intend to take full advantage of the 30-day guarantee. I opted for a new number, as I didn’t want to port my number. I figure that it’s about time to recycle my contacts. So here’s to 415!