Virgin Mobile’s upping the ante with their design a bit following the Helio acquisition, and this new slider is proof positive.

Virgin today took the wrappings off its “Shuttle”, a slider phone that is the first from the company to integrate Helio features - took them long enough! The Shuttle boasts Helio’s Buddy Beacon service, which makes friend finding an absolute snap. Friends are displayed by location on a map on the phone’s screen, meaning you can always keep track of your buddies. (Some may call this obsessive, but we won’t comment.) Helio native features such as direct access to YouTube, Accuweather and assorted social networking sites also make the cut, which is super for the younger set who need their Facebook on-hand 24/7. Frenetic wall posting and status updating await!

Aside from the above Helio features, the Shuttle rocks EV-DO-based 3G for your high-speed data needs. A 2 inch screen provides a sizable viewing area, and a 1.3 megapixel camera provides a quick fix for those that need to take an impromptu photo - although given the sensor resolution, don’t make this your primary choice for photography needs. Also, Bluetooth A2DP support is here for all your stereo headset needs, and expandable memory options are also on hand.

Look for the Virgin Mobile Shuttle exclusively through Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile starting on September 28th. Pricing is still under wraps, but we’ll keep you updated. For further details, feel free to shoot around the Virgin Mobile site.

Source: MobileBurn