Helio KickFlip with a 2-megapixel camera

The Helio KickFlip features a 2-megapixel camera and a 262k color QVGA display. Other features include:

* microSD slot
* 70MB flash memory
* EV-DO
* stereo speakers

Via Engadget

EngadgetMobile has a hands-on look at the Helio KickFlip, and find the phone's flip-open motion addictive. About the KickFlip's camera: "The camera on the rear has a "flash" (you know how those things are on cameraphones), and a macro focus setting for taking pictures of your food like everyone in the world does. (Oh, and that blue thing is the self portrait mirror without the protective plastic film removed.)"

Infosync reviews the Helio Kickflip and isn't very impressed with the phone at all, despite it's innovative features. About the phone's camera, the review notes, "Speaking of the 2-megapixel camera, we weren't too thrilled with the snapshots we took. The camera itself boasts a formidable range of features, including an LED flash, 4X zoom, a rapid-fire mode (up to nine snapshots), plenty of light, brightness and color settings, 10 picture frames, landscape and macro modes, and video capture. However, we were bummed by the lackluster image quality; our snapshots looked foggy and washed out, as though the camera lens was smudged (which it wasn't), while our videos looked murky and juttery (par for the course with a camearphone). "

From the news release:

HELIO LLC, a new mobile brand built for young, tech-savvy consumers, today unveiled its exclusive launch devices - the Hero and Kickflip - and initial details about its mobile service strategy. The multimedia handsets, debuting exclusively with Helio this spring, are designed to maximize the high-speed 3G experience for US consumers. The Helio service portfolio has also been carefully crafted to make Helio the hub of a connected group of friends by giving members extraordinary access to the people, entertainment and information they care about. Highlighting Helio’s services suite is a partnership to optimize the mobile MySpace experience for Helio members.

Exclusive, Powerful Handsets
The first two Helio devices, based on popular high-end handsets from Korea, combine innovation from one of the most advanced 3G markets in the world with design elements and features tailored for the US consumer.

The jet-black Hero, produced by Pantech, is a multimedia powerhouse, featuring a virtual mobile entertainment center with a 2.2 inch, 262K-color high-resolution QVGA LCD display, industry-leading audio capabilities with full duplex stereo speakers, removable memory, and a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash for capturing pictures and video. Hero also packs a co-processor chip that delivers high-quality music and video for an exceptional entertainment experience, allowing for versatility in content and services like never before.

The pearlescent Kickflip, produced by VK Mobile, packs similar advanced features as the powerful Hero in a sleek body with an innovative swivel opening that flips to the right or left with the simple nudge of a finger. The swivel action was designed by Helio to be fun and addicting, like its services. Hero and Kickflip each sport an elegant, luminescent user interface designed by, and exclusive to, Helio.

The jet-black Hero features a night themed interface, while the lustrous Kickflip glows with a day theme.

"Helio is for those of us who want a badge of personality, not a phone; a mobile lifestyle, not a utility,�� said Sky Dayton, CEO of HELIO LLC. “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."