Helio, a new mobile carrier targeting the young segment, has announced the launch of two phones: the Hero and the Kickflip. The two handsets were created in Korea and destined for the US consumers.

The Hero, produced by Pantech, is a multimedia slider phone with 3G compatibility. It features a 2.2 inch high resolution LCD display in 262k colors, a 2 megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash capable of capturing pictures as well as video, full duplex stereo speakers, 70 MB of flash memory, memory expansion via microSD cards. A co-processor is included, which delivers high-quality music and video. Kickflip has similar features and is produced by VK Mobile.

Both Hero and Kickflip have an elegant, luminescent user interface designed by Helio. The black Hero features a "night" theme interface, while the Kickflip has a "day" theme interface. An exclusive partnership between Helio and MySpace will allow the access of the MySpace environment directly from the mobile. This will offer users the ability to read and write MySpace mail, post photos, view profiles and add friends directly from the phone.

Sky Danton, CEO of HELIO LLC states that "Helio is for those of us who want a badge of personality, not a phone; a mobile lifestyle, not a utility. We combine innovation directly from Korea, one of the most sophisticated mobile cultures in the world, with local consumer insight to give our members devices and experiences they've been craving but haven't had access to before in the US."