Helio Ocean 2 possibly launching soon

Pantech OZ2

Pantech OZ2

Silicon Alley Insider claims that a Helio representative informed them that the Helio Ocean 2 will be launched in Q1 2009. An obvious followup to the original Helio Ocean, the Ocean 2 most likely features a slide-out numeric keypad, in addition to a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Virgin Mobile, which purchased Helio in 2008, leases network access from Sprint. The original Helio Ocean is currently still available for $79, which suggests that the Helio Ocean 2 might be priced well over $100. Neither Helio nor Virgin Mobile have commented.