10
Apr
64594_31_1

Wirefly Tortures A Kyocera Torque For Your Amusement: Washing Machine Cycle, Frozen In Ice, And Dropped 2 Stories

Posted by in Kyocera, News, Torque

The ruggedized smartphone market is small, but not so small that it's ignored. Admirable entries like the Samsung Rugby Smart and the Casio Commando might not have all the bells and whistles of their flagship contemporaries, but they take a licking and keep on ticking. Phone retailer Wirefly decided to put Sprint's Kyocera Torque (Bear Grylls approved!) through its paces via some decidedly extreme tests: a drop from two stories, hibernation in a block of ice, and most dramatically, a trip through a 30-minute washing machine cycle.

The Kyocera Torque made it through all three, proving its worth for those who value durability over all else.

30
Mar
1[9]

Small OTA Updates Rolling Out To The Kyocera Rise On Sprint, Wi-Fi Archos Cobalt 80

Posted by in ARCHOS, News, Rise, Sprint

While these two devices are essentially unrelated in general, today they have one thing in common: they're both getting small OTA updates.

1 1[5]

Sprint's Kyocera Rise is getting bumped up to build 1.011sp, which brings a few enhancements and general bug fixes:

Kyocera Rise Software Update - 1.011sp

Enhancements/Fixes

  • Qchat enhancements
  • Camera Gallery App crashes when attempted to edit picture
  • User can not pull down status bar during a call
  • Overlap when signing into Gmail™
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues

On the other side of the fence is the Archos Cobalt 80, which appears to be getting its first update. This one's just a very small bugfixer, which resolves a couple of issues:

Version 20130202 - March 29th, 2013

  • Fix an issue with Google talk no sound on loudspeaker on video chat.

21
Jul
kyorise

Kyocera Rise Is Rumored To Be Heading To Sprint And Virgin Mobile, Has Nothing To Do With Batman

Posted by in Kyocera, News, Sprint

If you're not in the market for an über cheap, probably contract free phone, feel free to move along. Assuming you didn't already when you saw the name 'Kyocera'. Still here? Good. Because I've got great news for you! The Kyocera Rise (no relation to the Dark Knight of the same name) is rumored to be coming to Sprint and Virgin Mobile very soon.

kyocerarise

Twitter tipsters @evleaks, who has thus far tweeted nothing but leaked photos of devices with brief information on the devices depicted, has shared that Kyocera's contribution to the Justice League budget smartphone world will be headed to Virgin Mobile, one of the nation's leading prepaid carriers, as well as Sprint.

17
Jul
kyocera hydro

Kyocera Hydro Lands On Boost Mobile, "Where You At?" Can Now Be Answered With "Under The Sea"

Posted by in Boost Mobile, Kyocera, News

Okay, so Kyocera's not really known for producing the best smartphones. And Boost Mobile is perhaps best known for mildly entertaining ads and cheap plans, compared to the big dogs. If you're not interested in having the latest and greatest, if your primary concern for network carrier is price, and if you spend a lot of time making phone calls under water, then I've got some great news for you: the Kyocera Hail Hydro is coming to Boost Mobile for $129 (no contract) on August 3rd.

kyocera hydro

The phone, which we covered back at CTIA, boasts some pretty meager specs. A single-core Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and a 3.5" 480x320 IPS display.

08
May
image

CTIA 2012: Hands-On With Kyocera Hydro And Rise [Video, Photos]

Posted by in Hydro, Kyocera, News, Rise, Videos

Since Kyocera was one of the only companies actually announcing something new at CTIA this year (this conference seems to get less and less relevant each year), I stopped by their booth to play around with the newborns - the waterpoof Hydro and the QWERTY Rise.

Both of these devices are definitely low- to mid-range, if you can really call a 2nd gen single-core Snapdragon mid-range anymore (no, you can't). They share all the same specs and features - the only differences are slightly modified looks, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard on the Rise. Because of the addition of this keyboard, it also loses its waterproof features.

08
May
kyorise

Kyocera's Two New Phones, Hydro And Rise, "Meet The Demands Of Real Life"... From About Two Years Ago

Posted by in Hydro, Kyocera, News, Rise

When we last left Kyocera, the company was still trying to convince us that more screens are more better. Today at CTIA, the company best known for creating the company printer you kick at least once a week in the office announced two new phones that are decidedly less gimmicky: the Kyocera Hydro and the Kyocera Rise of the Machines.

kyohydro

First off, the Kyocera Hydro, which is designed to be water resistant, and billed as a device that can "withstand the spills and drops of everyday life." Which is handy because, as a device with a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM, there is a very real chance you'll want to throw this device in a lake on more than one occasion.

28
Mar
Sprint

Sprint Pushing Minor Bug-Fix OTAs To The Kyocera Echo And LG Marquee

Posted by in Echo, Marquee, News, Sprint

Looks like Sprint is pushing some OTA updates to a couple of all-but-forgotten devices: the LG Marquee and the Kyocera Echo. We haven't really heard much about the Marquee since it was announced back in September, but it appears that Sprint hasn't forgotten about it. A minor OTA update should be rolling out to the Marquee right now that brings a couple of bug fixes:

  • Device may lockup while on call
  • Security Update

Similarly, that quirky little dual-screened oddity known as the Kyocera Echo is also on the receiving end of a minor update that fixes some issues:

  • MMS audio cuts off after 8 seconds
  • Changes to roaming guard display
  • Activation of Commercial Mobile Alert System
  • Security Update

It's probably safe to assume that the security update portion of both OTAs is the removal of Carrier IQ, which Sprint has been removing from all of its devices over the last several weeks.

14
Mar
kyocera-milano

Kyocera Milano Receiving OTA Update To Build 1.006sp – Security, Bug Fixes In Tow

Posted by in Kyocera, News, Sprint

The Kyocera Milano - a mid-range phone released on Sprint last September - is receiving an OTA update, bringing the device's software up to version 1.006sp. The update includes several bug fixes, as well as a security patch, "changes" to the phone's roaming guard display, and Mobile Alert System capability. If the update hasn't pushed to your Milano just yet, you can manually check by hitting Settings > About Phone > System Update > Update Firmware.

There's no word on how big the update package is, but depending on your network connection, you may want to allow several minutes for download and installation.

22
Sep
Sprint

All Good (And Not So Good) Things Must Come To An End: HTC EVO 4G And Kyocera Echo Make Sprint's EOL List

Posted by in Echo, EVO 4G (Supersonic), News, Sprint

It's a bittersweet feeling when one of the most revolutionary devices to hit the market ends up on a carrier's EOL (End of Life) list. While it's generally realized that the device itself is old hat, its retirement indicates that newer, better, and more powerful devices are upon us.

This is the case for one of Android's most celebrated success stories: the HTC EVO 4G. According an internal Sprint document obtained by SprintFeed, the white variant of the EVO 4G will meet its demise at the end of this week, while the black one will hang on for just a while longer -- at least until the first part of October.

08
Sep
kyocera milano

Sprint Officially Announces Mid-Range Kyocera Milano, Priced At Just $50 On-Contract

Posted by in Kyocera, News, Sprint

Just in time for its September 9 release, Sprint has officially announced the mid-range Kyocera Milano. The specs can't match up to some of Sprint's heavy hitters like the EVO 3D and Epic 4G Touch, but it's certainly a step up from some cheap feature phones:

  • 3" display
  • 3.2 megapixel camera
  • 800 MHz processor
  • 512 MB RAM
  • Android 2.3
  • Sprint ID
  • 1490 mAH battery

It also includes an "Eco Mode," which appears to be custom software by Kyocera designed to help manage battery life - probably not much different from many apps in the Market that already do the same.

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