kyocera

Sprint today announced that the rugged and waterproof Kyocera Torque will arrive on March 8. Priced at $99 with a two-year service agreement, the Torque is the first "Ultra rugged" 4G LTE handset with Sprint Direct Connect push-to-talk service.

Previously introduced back in January, the Kyocera smartphone features a 4-inch IPS display and dual-core processor. Whereas the typical rugged smartphone is hampered by older versions of the platform, the Torque runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is good news for anyone who has grown accustomed to the Holo theme of Android and its added feature set. … Read more

Owning a smartphone usually means being stuck in an expensive two-year contract, but Republic Wireless is offering an unlimited everything service that will cost you as little as $19 a month.

Most smartphone services start at about $70 a month on one of the major carrier networks. Prepaid providers, like MetroPCS, offer similar unlimited everything deals for $50 a month. Now Republic Wireless is offering an unlimited data, voice and text messaging service for smartphones that is only $19 a month.

Dear Maggie, I'm a college student, and my parents are dropping me from their cell phone … Read more

Virgin Mobile today announced that the Kyocera Brio has joined the family of devices offered under the payLo umbrella.

Priced at $39.99, the handset is aimed at those with very basic mobile needs, mainly talking and texting.

The Brio, first released on Sprint, has a 2.2-inch QVGA display, a QWERTY keyboard, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. There's also a microSD memory card slot for expandable storage.

On the smarter side of things, the phone offers Bluetooth 2.0, mobile web, email, and a few basic applications.

Virgin Mobile, one of Sprint's prepaid arms, offers the Kyocera … Read more

Two years is a long time. In that amount of time you can finish a master's degree or, uh...raise a baby into a 2-year-old child. OK, that latter example wasn't the most illustrative, but what I'm trying to say is that for some mobile phone users out there, two years is too long to be locked down in a carrier agreement. That's why I've gathered a few top-notch, recently released phones on prepaid carriers that are ideal for those who want to be contract-free.

Samsung Galaxy Reverb (Virgin Mobile), September 2012 Though it doesn'… Read more

Initially launched on Sprint, the Kyocera Rise is now available on prepaid network Virgin Mobile starting today.

The Rise is an entry-level keyboard handset running on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

It's equipped with a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1GHz Qualcomm processor.

When I reviewed the handset, I was impressed with its attractively designed keyboard, call quality, and updated Android OS. However, a slow processor and hefty design hold it back from really shining.

The Rise is going for $99.99 online and will be offered in retail stores beginning … Read more

Sprint and Virgin Mobile announced today that they will carry the Kyocera Rise, a slideout QWERTY keyboard phone that we first caught a glimpse of in May during CTIA 2012.

In addition to its four-row keyboard, the Rise runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It has a 3.5-inch LCD display, a 1,500mAh li-ion battery (which roughly translates to 8.5 hours of reported talk time), and a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

The handset also has a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera with accompanying flash, and an Eco Mode feature that allows users to customize and conserve battery … Read more

After unveiling it during CTIA 2012, Kyocera finally announced that its newest waterproof Android 4.0 handset, the Kyocera Hydro, will be available on Boost Mobile's network starting August 3.

Though it isn't considered a "rugged" device per se, the Hydro is waterproof and can withstand a good dunk or two in water, as well as time in the rain.

It has a 3.5-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash, and it is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. In addition, it's 3G-enabled, and comes with an Eco Mode feature that … Read more

If you can't get enough of Sprint and Kyocera's rugged phones, you're in luck. This morning, the Kyocera DuraXT goes on sale for $69.99. Another addition to Kyocera's Sprint Direct Connect family, the DuraXT flip phone has military-grade durability and is water resistant up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.

The DuraXT has a small 2-inch QVGA screen and is light on features, but I'm happy to see a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder with flash, in addition to Bluetooth and a handful of apps. There's also room for 32GB of expandable … Read more

Sprint Nextel set a firm date on when it will kill off the Nextel part of its business.

The carrier said today that it would completely shut off its Nextel network, which uses a technology called iDEN best known for its walkie-talkie capability, on June 30, 2013. The company will begin alerting customers on Sunday.

The date marks the end of troubled era in Sprint's history, a period in which the company struggled to integrate the Nextel assets after an ill-fated merger between the two wireless giants. The phasing out of iDEN is part of Sprint's larger Network … Read more