MySpace-Ready Mobile Phones

Both models—the jet-black Hero ($275) and pearlescent Kickflip ($250) swivel phone—feature a 2.2-inch, 262K-color, high-resolution display, removable memory, and a 2.0-megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash for capturing pictures and video. Hero may be a bit more expensive because it also has stereo speakers and a co-processor chip that delivers high-quality music and video.

There's no doubt Helio is hoping to attract a share of the 75 million MySpace users with a service called MySpace on Helio which allows members to post photos from their phones, as well as perform the usual MySpace tasks such as reading and writing to their blogs, adding friends, sending emails and posting to bulletins. They've even thrown in extra photo storage for Helio members, so you can go ahead an snap away, shutterbugs.

What I find interesting is the "Gifting and Begging" feature that lets users either purchase content through their mobiles to have it delivered to another user or they can "beg" another member to purchase content for them.

Seems to me they also packed it with everything under the sun to attract the young crowd. Helio members can mix and match the two phones under one number or plan, purchase video ringers (instead of a ringtone a video comes on) or 3D video games, get live content feeds, use video and picture messaging, stream video, or use Yahoo! Search.

The most expensive plan on the menu is the "All-In-Membership" that will set you back $135 for 2,500 minutes with unlimited video messaging and streaming, texting, Internet access, nights and weekends, roaming, and long distance. Engadget Mobile has more info on plans and other services available for this fun phone. I haven't tested out the phone, but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on it soon. Which, by the way, you can only do online, until its grand release at the end of May. And get this: it will be available in University bookstores. Are they targeting the twenty-something crowd or what?

So parents, whip out the wallets, because I can already hear tweens, teens, and those young adults still living at home 'begging' for what seems to be "the" MySpace phone.