Sprint just announced it will soon add the Kyocera DuraPlus handset to its lineup. The candybar supports the carrier's Direct Connect push-to-talk service and is ultra-rugged, meeting military-spec 810G standards for dust, shock, water, and other conditions. There is also a built-in LED flashlight.
Japan's KDDI Labs and Kyocera used a booth at the back of CES to demonstrate a surprisingly clever audio technology in the US for the first time. Badged as a speakerless smartphone, it vibrates the audio canal to transmit any audio through the entire body of the device it's playing from. We could listen from the top, bottom, or even the back of the prototype Android phone the group had on show, and it was reasonably loud and clear even in a noisy CES show floor environment.
Sprint will offer two new handsets in time for the holidays, with the launch dates and prices revealed by leaks sent in to SprintFeed. The first is the Android-powered Samsung Transform Ultra, which is also available at Sprint label Boost Mobile, where it costs $230 on a pre-paid, no-contract basis. It will arrive on November 13 and cost $80 after all rebates and discounts and with a two-year contract.
Japanese carrier KDDI has announced its winter lineup for the last quarter of 2012. The second largest wireless provider in Japan will be offering six Android phones, two feature phones and a new tablet. In a unique touch, most of these phones offer waterproof protection.
Sprint will launch an updated Direct Connect network on October, SprintFeed revealed on Friday. A leaked chart compares what the service will offer versus rivals like AT&T and Verizon (below). While cherry-picked by Sprint, it's clear the Sprint offering will have the most and best features. Pricing for the plan remains to be seen, however.
Largely unknown patent holder LVL Patent Group late last week quietly sued much of the US cellphone business and beyond for alleged patent violations (below). It claims that the iPhone, many Android devices, Symbian, and basic feature phones as well as their carriers violate one or more of a group of four generic patents, including data transaction servers and devices for entering transactions. Most of the patents were issued in or before 2000, but one of the device patents was only live on September 13, two days before the lawsuit was filed.
Apple has managed to keep its significant lead in smartphone satisfaction in spite of improving performance from its Android counterparts. JD Power in a new study saw end users give Apple a score of 838, over 40 points past its spring results and its sixth consecutive spot at the top of the ranks. HTC also improved, but at 801 had garnered at a slightly slower rate.
Last week's leak of two Kyocera handsets coming to Sprint this Friday have been confirmed by the carrier on Thursday. The Kyocera Milano and Brio will be entry-level devices with a focus on texting using hardware QWERTY keyboards. While the Milano's will be a sliding one, the Brio's is a fixed candybar. The Milano alone runs on Android 2.3 and is the more advanced of the two.
Sprint's latest Playbook issue has been released, highlighting its upcoming devices, policy changes, and its new rewards program. Nestled within the pages were revelation of some firm dates for when its new phones will be available. The carrier's latest Kyocera phones, the Brio and Milano, will begin shipping September 9, Android Central saw.
Kyocera, in an attempt to boost sales of its dual-screen, Android-powered Echo smartphone, announced on Monday it has began offering 12 free premium games. Part of the company's 'Summer of Free Apps' campaign, the games normally range in price from $1 to $5. The first 10,000 downloads are free.
Sprint has begun to release a second round ofGingerbread updates for Kyocera's Echo handset, after the first update, which arrived several weeks ago, had caused problems for many users. The company suspended the first rollout after a number of owners reported that the download had caused their phone to become inoperable.
Confirming earlier rumors, Sprint has released an Android 2.3 update for the Kyocera Echo. The release, which steps up from Android 2.2 Froyo, brings the standard set of Gingerbread UI tweaks, along with the updated Swype 3.0 keyboard and an 'Eco Mode' utility that is claimed to help users manage battery life.
The Kyocera Echo looks like it might be in line for an update to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on August 1. Update 2.002SP is expected to land next Monday and move device from 2.2 (Froyo) to the latest build of Android for mobile phones. The update will also bring some Kyocera Echo specific treats including Swype 3.0.
Sprint on Monday planned out the launch of the first CDMA phones to run on its equally new Sprint Direct Connect push-to-talk service. The new phones includes the Kyocera DuraCore and DuraMax, with a third device from Motorola to be announced later. Prices and actual release dates are also promised later.
A new Sprint roadmap uncovered Friday has shown the carrier planning to carry a slew of new higher end hardware. The Epic 2 would be an update to the Epic 4G but would be a less ambitious upgrade than the Evo 3D. It would still have a four-inch display but upgrade to the Infuse 4G's 1.2GHz, single-core processor rather than a dual-core chip. This is my next also heard it would have an eight-megapixel camera that would put it on par with both the Infuse 4G and the Droid Charge.
At the currently ongoing Wireless Japan show, major wireless provider KDDI showed off a prototype handset that uses multiple layers for haptic touch feedback. The so-called New Haptic Smartphone uses display technology from Kyocera, maker of smartphones such as the Echo. The prototype uses feedback for two haptic layers, but Kyocera assures the public its technology can support seven layers all over a screen's surface.
Android successfully pushed past the iPhone for the top smartphone platform in Japan last fiscal year, according to MM Research Institute. Google shot up from just 250,000 phones and 11 percent of the market at the end of March 2010 to 4.91 million phones at the end of March this year, or 57.4 percent. Apple moved 3.23 million iPhones over the same period and was 37.8 percent; BlackBerry and Windows Mobile were virtually non-existent.
Sprint is making its Kyocera Echo dual screen smartphone available immediately to Premier users, three days ahead of its scheduled availability on April 17. Sprint Premier customers can get their phone today by going to the Sprint Premier website for $200. Regular customers will have to wait until Tuesday.
Kyocera may be the next to jump into the tablet game based on a rumor emerging late Friday. Supposedly called the Katsura ("tree'), the slate would have a wider aspect ratio than most and bears a very basic similarity to the Huawei S7 Slim. Details of the innards were slim, but Android Community's claimed photos showed a very elaborate embossed back pattern likely calling on Kyocera's Japanese roots.
Previously unknown firm Imperium Holdings late Wednesday joined in the bevy of lawsuits targeting phone makers. The company sued Apple, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Nokia, RIM, and Sony Ericsson for allegedly infringing on five patents from between 2001 and 2006. All of the patents focused on mobile camera imaging technology, including low-light CMOS sensors, flicker reduction to compensate for fluorescent light, and pixel correction.
Sprint further outlined its plans to hasten the end of IDEN by detailing a roll-out for push-to-talk on CDMA. Devices on its new Direct Connect label will have both more bandwidth for data as well as better coverage and range, tripling to about three square miles. Kyocera and Motorola will have the first phones, including a rugged clamshell and an Android QWERTY device, though which would provide which wasn't mentioned.
Sprint today dated and priced the Kyocera Echo. Its one-off, dual-screen Android phone we tried ourselves should ship April 17, with pre-orders starting March 26. The device is still locked in for a $200 price on contract.
Sprint put out a teaser on Monday hinting at a mystery new phone. The company didn't give out clues but asked users to check back on Thursday, February 24. Devices like the Kyocera Echo aren't due to arrive until later.
Sprint saw two rare milestones today even as it braced for the possible impact of the Verizon iPhone launch. The carrier added 1.1 million cellphone users, its highest additions since early 2006. Of those, it also saw its first gain in contract subscribers for the first time since spring 2007, adding 58,000 for the first time.
Confirming several rumors, Kyocera and Sprint have collaborated to introduce the Echo, a dual-screen Android handset. Electronista took a closer look at the new smartphone at a special event in New York. The new offering combines smartphone functionality with a tablet-inspired interface that takes advantage of both LCDs.
Android managed to push past the iPhone in US smartphone market share in the fall, comScore found on Monday. Google's OS swung from 21.4 percent in September to 28.7 percent in December, moving it just ahead of Apple. The iPhone also gained at the same time, but its 25 percent share wasn't enough to keep Android at bay.
Sprint's special event tonight confirmed the launch of the Kyocera Echo. The device is the first true dual-screen Android phone and has multiple modes to make the most of its twin 3.5-inch, 800x480 displays. Apps can take up both screens in a tablet mode, run separately in each screen or even run in an optimized mode that can use both screens for one app.
Sprint is holding a special event in New York City tonight where it's expected to unveil the Kyocera Echo, a dual-screen Android smartphone. The carrier's CEO Dan Hesse and illusionist David Blaine are expected to show. Tune into our live coverage page for news from the event as it happens, starting from 6PM Eastern onwards.
(Update: dual screens) Sprint's event this evening could give unusual attention to a Kyocera phone, tipsters said in the morning. Badged as the Echo, few details were available, but it would run Android. Bloomberg didn't say if the phone would be the only device at the show, which is considered important enough for both Sprint CEO Dan Hesse and illusionist David Blaine to appear.
Two new previously unheard of handsets are coming to Sprint, according to a Monday Engadget report. Other than the logos and names for the two, the HTC Arrive and Kyocera Echo, not much else is currently known. The HTC model is said to be powered by Windows Phone 7, however, and a trademark registration at the USPTO confirms the upcoming availability of this phone; it may be the name for the 7 Pro slider.
Sprint may have seen its first absolute increase in contract subscribers for the past three years if more
The iPhone is now the fifth best-selling phone brand in the entire Japanese market, IDC Japan found on Wednesday. Owed mostly to the iPhone 4 launch and shipping 1.06 million phones, Apple climbed from seventh place in the first half of the year to 12.2 percent between July and September. It had never been above 10 percent in the past, the study said.
Sprint just announced it will bring the rugged Sanyo Taho handset to its stores. Built by Kyocera, the handset sports a two-megapixel camera with a flash and video recording function housed in a shell that's resistant to dust, shock and vibration. It can also withstand blowing rain and submersion in water thanks to a military standard 810G rating.
Cox today switched on its long promised cellular service with an aim to undercut its rivals on price. The service will hinge on a concept known as MoneyBack Minutes that rewards light users. Instead of rollover minutes or losing them entirely, users shed as much as $20 off of their monthly bills if they don't use talk time.
Sony Ericsson Android-based phones like the Xperia X10 have had a rare impact on Apple's share of smartphones in Japan, the country's MM Research Institute said today. The iPhone still had a comfortable lead at 60 percent of all smartphones in the first half of 2010, but it fell a point from a year ago where Sony Ericsson rose to 21 percent. Sharp was a distant third with 6.3 percent while Toshiba and Taiwan's HTC were tied at 4.5 percent.
Sprint has just unveiled three new Android 2.2 phones at its live event, the LG Optimus S, Samsung Transform and Sanyo Zio, in a battle to take the mid-range and entry level of smartphones. We at Electronista got to try each of them as well as the new Sprint ID feature that will come preloaded on each. Read on for launch details and our initial take.
A leaked image hints that two new Android smartphones are coming to Sprint relatively soon. The Kyocera Zio, badged as a Sanyo, is one of them, as is the Samsung Transform. Not much is known about the latter device, but it may be a Galaxy S-series Android device.
JD Power today published a second study of cellphone satisfaction in the US that showed Android having closed the gap in perceived quality with the iPhone. Apple still earned top marks from owners with an exact 800 score, but Motorola's Droid line has all but wiped out the earlier chasm, scoring 791. Its fellow Android competitor HTC has also pushed past the industry average for the first time to reach 781.
Sprint has begun offering a unique Sanyo-branded handset built by Kyocera. The Innuendo is a horizontal flip-phone that reveals a QWERTY hardware keyboard and a 2.8-inch, 400x240 display. The exterior has a keypad that is hidden from view when not lit up and in use, along with a matching 1.3-inch OLED external display.
Cricket on Tuesday revamped pricing for its data plans, introducing three tiered plans rather than one all-encompassing option. All plans are now capped but are tiered with more bandwidth than other carriers. An entry 2.5GB plan costs $40 per month; 5GB is available for $50 per month, and 7.5GB is on offer for $60 per month. Rather than charge overage fees, Cricket will throttle down the download speed for those that surpass their caps.
Cricket Wireless has begun accepting reservations for Kyocera's Zio smartphone, which was first unveiled early this year at CTIA. The handset represents Kyocera's first Android offering and a return to the smartphone arena after several years.
Sprint's prepaid wing, Virgin Mobile, promised a major change to the smartphone arena today by launching new plans and a new phone to match. The carrier's new Beyond Talk plans trade voice for data and start at $25 per month with just 300 minutes of calls but unlimited regular phone data and text messaging. Subscribers can add on $10 extra to get BlackBerry data through BIS, making a true smartphone plan about $35; the price is half that at most other US carriers.
Apple virtually dominates the Japanese smartphone market, MM Research Institute found in a new study. By the end of the fiscal year ended in March, the iPhone had 72.2 percent of the field with 2.34 million units on Japanese. Its next-closest rival, HTC, had just 11.1 percent, while local phones didn't register until third place Toshiba's 6.8 percent.
A leaked set of slides from pay-as-you-go carrier Cricket reveal prices and approximate release dates for upcoming hardware from the carrier. The highlight is Cricket's first Android-powered smartphone, Kyocera's Zio M6000 introduced at CTIA. The slides reveal the 3.5-inch device will arrive at Cricket sometime in July and be priced at $300. It is otherwise expected to be preloaded with Android 1.6.
Kyocera held the unexpected in store today with word that it's launching its first Android phone. The Zio M6000 is not only its first phone using the Google OS but its first smartphone in several years, and promises to catch the company up in features. It centers on a 3.5-inch, 800x480 touchscreen with trackball and should run at least Android 2.0.
Handset maker Kyocera on Wednesday added two of its midrange phones, the Laylo and Domino, to the offerings at provider MetroPCS. The Laylo is a slider phone that opens to revel a vanity mirror and features a soft-touch exterior. It has a 2.2-inch display, a 1.3-megapixel camera and supports Bluetooth 2.0. Users can surf the web thanks to a WAP 2.0 browser, and the device runs on BREW 3.1.5.
The iPhone today claimed an even larger edge in satisfaction versus its rivals in JD Power's second phone satisfaction study of 2009. Apple's smartphone climbed ten points from an earlier score to 811 out of 1,000 while its closest rival, LG, managed just a four-point increase to 776. The two were the only smartphone designers to score above the industry average.
Apple's latest iPhone, the 3GS, ranks almost squarely in the middle of smartphones in terms of radiation output, a non-profit activist organization says. The Environmental Working Group notes that according to compiled data, the 3GS produces approximately 1.19W/kg of radiation. The figure is substantially lower than the worst-case examples, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the Kyocera Jax S1300, which each produce 1.55W/kg.
Fractus has revealed that it has sued 10 cellphone manufacturers this week over their allegedly violating nine different patents relating to internal cellphone antenna technology. The Spanish company's targets are most important world firms and involve HTC, Kyocera, LG, Palm, Pantech, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sharp, Sanyo and UTStarcom. These companies were aware of the patents but violated their use all the same, Fractus claims.
JD Power on Thursday gave Apple's iPhone the highest score on its consumer satisfaction study for cellphones in early 2009. The touchscreen device earned a score of 791 out of 1,000 and beat out both those in its own smartphone category as well as traditional phones. The owners commenting on the phone gave it especially high marks for ease of use, the quality of the operating system, the feature set and the hardware design.
