Helio Ocean Review - Hardware
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Richard Baguley Published on May 16, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (10.6)
Using the QWERTY keyboard, we found that the Ocean was a pretty good typing device: we managed to type 53 words per minute. This is at least partly due to the well-spaced keys on the Ocean; because the keyboard is wider than those found on devices such as BalckBerries and the Motorola Q, there is more space between keys, which makes it easier to navigate by touch. Our only issues was that the top row of leys is right up against the edge of the sliding part of the case, which makes these keys a little hard to reach, especially for those with big hands. T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
With the phone in the keypad slider position, the Ocean automatically engages t9 predictive text. This can be disabled by pressing the left soft key, which puts the phone into the more standard abc text mode. There is also a Korean text mode that betrays the Korean origins of the phone.
One Hand Usability (5.66)
Using the phone in one hand with the keypad, the typing speed dropped to a less than impressive 28.3 words per minute. This is because the keypad has small keys and isn’t easy to navigate by touch; we found our thumbs hitting the wrong keys too often for comfort. But most people aren’t going to use the keypad for typing text; unless you are just typing one word, it’s much quicker to slide the phone to the keyboard orientation and type on the larger, more comfortable keyboard.
Keypad Backlighting (8.0)
The keypad and keyboard both had strong backlights that provide good visibility in dark places. And the amount of time that the backlight stays on can be controlled separately from the screen backlighting control.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (7.0)
The circular directional pad on the front of the Ocean is a little small; we found that we sometimes missed it and hit one of the soft buttons instead. But both the directional pad and the center button have a good, positive feel; you definitely know when you have pressed them. Touch Screen (0.0)
The Helio Ocean does not have a touch screen.
Jog Dial (0.0)
There is no jog dial on the Ocean.
Soft Buttons (8.5)
The Ocean is unusual in having four soft buttons around the screen; most phones only have two. This works well because it makes more options easily accessible than two buttons, and means there are soft buttons available in both landscape and portrait mode.
Volume Control (7.0)
Two buttons on the side of the Ocean provide dedicated volume control, covering the ring volume, music volume and in-call volume.
Power and Standby (7.0)
You turn the Ocean on and off by pressing and holding the end button for a couple of seconds; a pretty common arrangement that works well, as you aren’t likely to press it by accident for that long.
Other Buttons (7.0)
As well as the soft buttons, there are 5 additional buttons; three for controlling media (a rewind, play/pause and fast forward button), plus a shutter button for the camera and a voice memo button. These are all well placed, but are a little light; it is a bit too easy to press them by accident when you are holding the phone.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The resolution of the screen is 320 by 240 (or 240 by 320, depending on which way it is oriented); a pretty standard resolution for the size.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (8.4)
The Ocean has a pixel density of 168 pixels per inch; a pretty standard density for displays of this size.
Screen Physical Size (6.0)
The screen measures 2.4 inches diagonally, which means it dominates the front of the device. Given the dual-slider design and relatively small size of the device, this is a good sized screen.
Screen Brightness (4.35)
Using a professional light meter, we measured the brightness of the screen at a 2-inch distance at 63 lux. That’s not particularly bright; other phones had much brighter screens, such as the Nokia N73, which managed an eye-burningly bright 95 lux. The Ocean’s screen does not adjust the brightness depending on the lighting, but it does have 5 different lighting levels which can be set through the customize menu.
Screen Bright Light Performance (2.0)
The Ocean’s screen did not hold up well under bright lights; under lighting similar to a bright, sunny day it became pale and difficult to read. It was still usable, but it just didn’t look particularly attractive, and the plaeness would make it difficult to take photos in direct sunlight.
Color Depth (8.0)
The Ocean’s main (and only) screen can display 260k colors. That’s pretty standard; screens that can display more are few and far between.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (3.0)
A single proprietary port provides both power and data connections to the Ocean. Unfortunately, you can’t charge the Ocean over a USB connection; if you want to charge the phone on the road, you’ll have to take both the USB cable and the charger with you.
Update: As per one of our readers we were incorrect about the Helio Ocean not being able to charge via USB. It is in fact capable of this, making it much more friendly for travellers. The score above has been updated to reflect this, the original score was 2.0.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (2.5)
The headphone/headset jack on the Ocean is a small 2.5-mm mode under a rubber cover. An adapter is supplied that converts this to a standard 3.5-mm socket for use with standard headphones, but we would prefer to see a 35-mm socket as standard; the adapter ruins the clean lines of the Ocean, and leaves the port cover hanging, where it could get damadged. The Ocean also supports the use of Bluetooth wireless headphones through the A2DP Bluetooth profile.
Internal Storage (2.0)
An impressive 200MB of internal memory is available. Although the cost of high capacity memory cards is falling (you can get a 2GB MicroSD card for less than $30), it’s nice to see a phone with a decent amount of internal memory.
Expansion Slot & Format (6.5)
Extra storage above and beyond the internal memory us provided by the Micro SD card slot. This supports cards with up to 2GB capacity. The card slot is located on the top part of the slider on the bottom right of the device. It is protected by a hard plastic cover that is connected to the phone and is easy to open and swing aside. The slot is a little deep, making it somewhat fiddly to get the card in or out, but it is spring assisted.
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