New handset for Helio

[admin_mvu]

A new handset potentially destined for mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has popped up on the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site.

The PN-810 from Pantech Corp. is a two-way slider with stacked sections: a middle section slides out to reveal the typical phone keypad, and the phone also has a QWERTY keyboard that slides out separately from the phone’s bottom layer. The keyboard includes a dedicated key that allows the user to input emoticons, or “smileys,” into a message.

In Pantech’s FCC filings, the phone carries Helio’s distinctive logo.

The Pantech phone has a larger-than-average screen: in this case, a 260,000-color LCD display. The CDMA2000 1x EV-DO handset also includes Bluetooth, a 2.1-megapixel camera with flash, MP3 player capabilities and uses a miniSD card for extra memory. It weighs 4.84 ounces and is slightly less than 1 inch thick.

The phone offers up to 310 minutes of talk time and 248 minutes of standby, depending on how it is configured.

Helio representatives declined to comment on the phone, including if and when it would be launched. The MVNO has said that all of its new phones will be equipped to handle its most recently added applications, including GPS-enabled Google Maps for mobile; Buddy Beacon, which allows Helio users to locate friends with Helio GPS-capable handsets; and a full-track music download service.