Having pawed lasciviously at a limited edition Frost White Helio Drift, finding the GPS and "buddy beacon" features useful while the MySpace integration good if you're heavily into your social networking, it comes as no surprise that Helio are planning to up their game in the very near future.

MySpace Mobile v.2 will be a free download for Helio subscribers, a dedicated application for the site that promises speed increases of up to five times. If I'm honest, I think this is something that should've been part of Helio's service from the very beginning; it certainly would've quieted the critics who pointed at the browser just about every modern cellphone has and said "why go with a specific operator?"

It's not all wine, fine cheeses and roses however. Helio's exclusivity contract with MySpace expires very soon, meaning the other operators will be looking for a piece of the pie faster than a pie-loving cheetah. Helio must be hoping that a dedicated app, together with new profile editing tools, speedier image uploading and "idle mode" functionality for displaying new messages and alerts on the handset's home screen, will help it keep its edge.

Helio [via Engadget Mobile ]