Ultra-durable Kyocera DuraPlus available March 11
Arriving on the Sprint network, Kyocera's DuraPlus is a rugged phone built to withstand dust, water, and extreme temperatures.
Designed extra-tough for extreme conditions, Sprint's Kyocera DuraPlus will be available to consumers on March 11 for about $69.99 after you sign a two-year contract on Sprint's Direct Connect PTT network and send in for a $50 rebate.
As CNET's own Brian Bennett reported, the device is designed to meet the U.S. military's brutal survivability guidelines.
It can "withstand exposure to dust storms, shocks and vibrations, drenching rains, plus extreme swings of temperature." And don't worry if you accidentally drop this one in the pool--it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
The handset also features Sprint's push-to-talk direct-connect function, a rugged rubber outer shell, Bluetooth connectivity, a 2.5mm heapdhone jack that supports PTT headsets, and GPS support.
Another neat feature of the DuraPlus is that it comes with a shortcut button that turns on an LED flashlight attached to it. This will come in pretty handy if you experience an unexpected blackout or work in low-light conditions.
Testing out rugged phones (like the Casio G'zOne Ravine 2) here at CNET proves to be interesting when compared with the standard smartphone affair, so we're looking forward to putting this phone to the test when it arrives at our offices.