From left, the Incognito, Torino, and Domino.
(Credit: Kyocera)Just as the holiday shopping season is reaching its peak, Kyocera on Friday dished out three new cell phones that offer midrange features in varying designs.
The Kyocera Torino S2300 is a squat candy bar phone with a touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard. The feature set offers 3G, Bluetooth 2.0, a 2 megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, Sprint's OneClick user interface, and threaded text messaging.
The Kyocera Domino S1310 has a simple candy bar design in bright orange. Inside are Bluetooth 2.0, a WAP 2.0 browser, support for BREW, text and instant messaging, a personal organizer, and a speakerphone.
Kyocera also introduced a new handset under the Sanyo brand. The SCP-6760 Incognito is a candy bar phone that opens to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The style is similar to Kyocera's Wild Card, except it appears to be a bit more refined. Features include a 2.2 display, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, threaded text messaging, instant messaging and e-mail, a speakerphone, voice dialing, USB mass storage, a 2.5 mm headset jack, and BREW support.
The Incognito will be first out of the gate with a November 30 launch date for Sprint. The Domino will follow in December and the Torino will go on sale next February. Kyocera did not reveal the carrier for the Torino or Domino.
Kyocera is no stranger to the U.S. market, but the company has long kept a low profile by producing low to midtier handsets for minor carriers. But at the fall CTIA show, Kyocera announced several new initiatives that could change its stateside image.
- The company will launch a Google Android phone next year. Details on the device are unknown, but like other Android devices it should offer a touch screen and multimedia features.
- The Google handset will be part of the company's shift to high-end devices.
- Kyocera also will launch LTE devices by 2011. The company didn't discuss specs or carriers for the handsets, but we know that they will will support Android and other operating systems.
The G2GO is a 3G messaging phone.
(Credit: Kyocera)
The Laylo offers simpler features.
(Credit: Kyocera)Kyocera introduced two new cell phones Wednesday, as CTIA opened. Both offer slider designs but will appeal to different user groups. Check out our Kyocera CTIA photo gallery to see them in all their glory.
In keeping with the rush of messaging phones we've seen thus far in Las Vegas, the Kyocera G2GO M2000 hides a full alphabetic keyboard behind the 2.4-inch display. The overall design is a bit angular, and we're worried that the combined keypad and keyboard will be cramped, but the phone offers a fair number of features to compensate.
Inside, you'll find messaging and e-mail, a speakerphone, a 500-contact phone book, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a personal organizer, Bluetooth with stereo and object exchange profiles, a microSD card slot, 3G support, a music player, voice dialing, and a WAP browser. The G2GO will soon be coming to Virgin Mobile as the Kyocera X-tc. Our Kyocera G2GO hands-on video gives you a closer look.
The Kyocera Laylo M1400 is more geared toward making calls. It sports a 2.2-inch display and a standard numeric keypad behind the sliding face. Features include a VGA camera, text and multimedia messaging, Bluetooth, a 500-contact phone book, a speakerphone, a personal organizer, a voice memo recorder, speaker-independent voice recognition, instant messaging, and a WAP browser. Our Laylo video hands-on gives you a closer look.
The Kyocera Jax comes to Virgin Mobile.
(Credit: Virgin Mobile)Just a month after a new Kyocera messaging phone appeared on Virgin Mobile's Web site, another Kyocera handset greeted the world on Thursday.
The Kyocera Jax doesn't appear to be quite as exciting as the X-tc, but it should appeal to basic-phone users. The candy bar handset offers a color display, messaging, a speakerphone, voice dialing, and a wireless Web browser. The Jax isn't officially available yet so we don't have pricing, but we'll fill you in when we get more information.
Thanks Phonescoop.
Kyocera X-tc from Virgin Mobile
(Credit: Virgin Mobile)Virgin Mobile is on a roll lately, with the Virgin Mobile Shuttle released late last year and most recently the Helio Ocean 2. Now it appears it will also be offering this Kyocera X-tc, a slider handset with a full QWERTY keyboard for messaging. Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, a speakerphone, a Web browser, and a media player with external control keys. It also has access to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The X-tc costs about $100.
(Via Phone Scoop)
Virgin Mobile releases new colors for some of its phones.
(Credit: Virgin Mobile)Aside from the new Shuttle, Virgin Mobile is also churning out new colors of some of its existing phone offerings for the fall season. The LG Flare will now be available in silver, the Kyocera TNT will be available in lavender and espresso (with matching earbuds as an option), and the Arc will be released in a rather audacious gold. The silver Flare will be offered via Best Buy Mobile with a dollar of each purchase going to benefit a nonprofit. The lavender and espresso TNTs are exclusive from Wal-Mart, and you can get a gold Arc at Target stores.
(Credit:
Kyocera)
If you see people sporting a fancy gold Kyocera watch or mobile phone in the near future, don't assume they necessarily laid down a bundle on it. The Japanese company has come up with a new ceramic that closely resembles the texture and color of 18-karat gold. Kinda cheapens the Dolce and Gabbana Razr, now, doesn't it?
In developing the new gold ceramic material, Kyocera says it raised the brightness level approximately 5 percent over previous gold ceramic products while retaining the material's hardness.
The company says the new material is 5 to 10 times sturdier than gold, resulting in superior scratch resistance. At the same time, it's lighter. The new ceramic is about a twentieth to a twenty-fifth cheaper than available 18-karat gold, Kyocera adds.
The lesson here? The technology of fake gold seems to be making progress--good news for all of us who prefer to go the faux route.
Virgin Mobile TNT!
(Credit: Virgin Mobile)Barely a week after launched its new Arc, the prepaid carrier is now showing the new TNT! handset on a Beta page on its Web site. Though it is billed as a "dynamite flip phone," the TNT! hardly packs an explosion. In fact, it is as basic a cell phone comes. Inside the simple design you'll find a color display, text messaging, a Web browser, and a speakerphone. The TNT! (is the exclamation point really necessary?) is made by Kyocera and is a variant of the company's Adreno S2400, though with a stripped-down feature set. It will be just $19.99 when it goes on sale in August.
The Kyocera KR2 Mobile router is the successor of the KR1 router.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)
I recently reviewed the Windy31, a USB wireless router that allows for sharing your computer's existing internet connection with others, and found it a very cool device. Today I got my hands on the Kyocera KR2 Mobile router and its companion, the Kyocera KPC680 CDMA ExpressCard, and I have to admit, I never thought mobile internet access could be that good. Still, of course, it's far from perfect.
The KR2 equipped with the Kyocera KPC680 ExpressCard. It also supports CDMA cellular PC Cards and USB modems as well as regular DSL/cable modems.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)
Let's talk the good first. The KR2 is actually the upgrade to the Kyocera KR1. Significant improvements include: a better design (though still I found it a little bulky and I never like the fact that its antenna crowd the network ports on the back), Draft N 2.0 compliance, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, ExpressCard support and a few other features. The KR2 can also be used as a regular router by having a WAN port for a cable or DSL modem. By supporting ExpressCard, the router now can offer mobile Internet access to multiple users with speed up to 3.1Mbps download and 1.8Mbps upload for each user. This is the fastest speed that the CP680 ExpressCard offers over a Verizon Wireless data plan and about as fast as most regular DSL connections. I tried it out and it was indeed very fast, enough to stream CNET TV video to multiple computers at a time without much delay.
The KR2, on the other hand, has its own shortcomings. For one, it supports only 32 wireless clients at a time (as opposed to 254 by other regular nonmobile routers). Considering its size and specs, I don't see why it can't support more. Secondly, it's expensive: at $250 (though you might get a 15% off for the first purchase), it's about twice the price of most high-end non-mobile Draft N 2.0 routers. Last but not least, the support only CDMA cellular technology, this means two things: First, those with GSM services (like ATT or T-Mobile) won't be able to use it and, second: if you're in an area not covered by one of the CDMA providers, you're out of luck when being mobile.
Obviously, the KR2 isn't for everyone. I found it best suit those who travel in a group like a construction team, people who live or travel in RVs or remote area, where regular broadband services aren't an available. And if you don't need the high Wi-Fi speed of the Draft N 2.0, you can ignore the bulky KR2 and couple the Kyocera CP680 ExpressCard with the tiny Windy31. Those two will do you well, too, in making your mobile cellular Internet connection available to your group.
Recently, I contacted U.S. Cellular and asked to review their Kyocera E1000. Since late spring is always a slow period for new cell releases, I can take the extra time to review handsets from smaller carriers. In the four and a half years I've been at CNET, I've examined a U.S. Cellular phone only a couple of times.
So while browsing through U.S. Cellular's lineup, the E1000 caught my eye. I fooled with this intriguing model at its unveiling at CTIA 2007, but my playtime lasted only a few minutes. And since I haven't reviewed a Kyocera handset in six months, I thought this would a great opportunity. But last Friday to my surprise, U.S. Cellular turned down my request because the San Francisco Bay Area is outside of U.S. Cellular's native coverage area. Shucks.
San Francisco is also outside Alltel's home area, but Alltel sends me phones all the time. After I pointed that out to my U.S. Cellular contact, the carrier agreed to reconsider and now I expect we'll come to agreement.
But just today, it occurred to me that I might be getting ahead of myself. I ask you Crave readers, are you looking for more CNET.com coverage of U.S. Cellular? Quite a few of you have sent e-mails requesting just that. And while I'm more than happy to do so, I need U.S. Cellular to activate a device and send it to me. Please tell me what you think below.
