Planning this review has been very difficult. The Helio Ocean is an incredible phone. See? I have already encountered an understatement.

This dual sliding phone is perfectly task-oriented. If I want to make a call, I slide the phone up. If I want to watch YouTube videos or browse the web, I slide the phone sideways. Just like the Mysto, the software is what gives Helio its edge over competitors. The menu system is elegant and intuitive. The built-in options for e-mail include: Yahoo, AOL, Windows Live, Gmail, Earthlink (Earthlink?), Microsoft Exchange and a Helio provided address.

The web browser is adequate, but if you are savvy, you can download Opera Mini directly to the phone. Opera Mini has a very unique approach to mobile browsing that I have not seen before. You see the entire web page and have control over a rectangle that zooms in on its area when selected. Very clever.

The tactile QWERTY keyboard thankfully has raised buttons (unlike the Helio Mysto). I can definitely pump out around 20 words per minute. Numbers and symbols are accessible via an "ALT" button. It is actually tough to go back to an iPhone after using this keyboard so much. I really like how the keyboard does not have buttons that are destined to access applications forever. I am always disappointed when designers try to incorporate the phone's interface into the hardware.

Helio offers real 3G connectivity. What do I mean by "real"? It's FAST. Really, really fast. You can actually take advantage of its built-in portal that includes: MySpace, Yahoo, Facebook, Google News, YouTube and Yelp. This portal also includes a search bar for Yahoo. Sites that are purposefully lightweight for phones load as fast as built-in menus. It is amazing.

My favorite part about the Ocean is the Applications menu. You can download and install applications without a computer. The applications I downloaded were: Opera Mini 4 (which is a vast improvement over the built-in browser), YouTube Mobile, USA Today's Daily Sudoku and Google Maps. YouTube Mobile is exactly what you expect: a nice interface with videos that load much, much faster than on the iPhone. The best part is the ability to record videos using the phone's camera and upload them to your YouTube account (here's an example)

It cannot get any easier. If you are a YouTube junkie, this is the phone for you.

If you are like my roommate, you may not care that much about all of these features and you just want a phone. The Ocean is stylish and the dual sliding definitely draws attention when you are introducing yourself to people around San Francisco's Marina neighborhood. I convinced him to get an Ocean and so far he is definitely satisfied. The battery life is a huge improvement over other 3G blunders like the Samsung Blackjack (which apparently comes with two batteries!)

It was very difficult to write this review because I know I have to send the phone back to Helio now. I have really enjoyed carrying the Ocean around. My iPhone has definitely grown jealous. Here is the truth: if there were no iPhone, I would own an Ocean. Helio's interface and network are fabulous.

Things to take away from this review:
-3G is brutally fast.
-Applications are great.
-Upload videos directly to YouTube.
-Keyboard is easy to use.
-Dual sliding is sexy.

If you've tried a Helio Ocean on your end or have found a mobile phone of choice, let us know over in the comments or forums.