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U.S. Cellular to sell Kyocera Durapro phone for outdoor types

The carrier will launch the rugged new phone on Wednesday at a price of $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Kyocera's Durapro.
Kyocera's Durapro. Kyocera

U.S. Cellular is about to kick off a phone that can reportedly resist water, dust, shock, and vibrations.

Set to sell online this Wednesday and in stores on Thursday, the Kyocera DuraPro is designed for people who need a feature phone that can handle rugged conditions. The phone can survive in around three feet of water for up to 30 minutes, according to U.S. Cellular and Kyocera.

It also meets Military Standard 810G, which guarantees that it can withstand extreme temperatures, heavy rain, low pressure, salt, fog, humidity, and even solar radiation. The phone itself is protected by a Dura-Grip material that makes it more durable and easier to hold.

"For those who work and play outdoors in varying weather and climates, the Kyocera DuraPro is an ideal device to help you stay connected to people and information wherever you are," Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular, said in a statement. "At U.S. Cellular, we want to provide a better wireless experience, and our customers can rely on this phone to keep working even in extreme conditions."

Selling for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, the DuraPro offers a 2-inch 240x320 pixel internal display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a large keypad, and an option to display large fonts. Memory is expandable to 32GB via a microSD card slot.

A programmable hot key on the side of the phone also gives users access to the calendar, alarm, Bluetooth connection, and the Internet.