Seth looks at Helio

Seth Godin, marketing guru and author of the Purple Cow, writes about EarthLink's new venture, Helio. ELN is an MVNO with South Korea Telecom pitching to youth.

$2000 a year

That's how much the typical family in the US spends on telecommunications. It's certainly one of the highest discretionary items in a typical budget, and it's particularly surprising given that long distance is a fraction of what it used to be.

So, David Troup points us to Helio, a phone/toy for teenagers and those that think like them (the phone, with built in music and video capability, is primarily sold at record stores, at least in NY). I give them credit for tapping into a desire that consumers are already voting for with their dollars. Is it a killer app for geezers like me? Nope. And that may be exactly why it works.