Hasta La Gadget!

Kyocera handsets in the US typically debut on Sprint or smaller carriers like Boost or Cricket, but that doesn’t mean Verizon can’t have a go at devices from the Japanese company. First spied a few months ago, the Kyocera Hydro Elite is one such handheld headed for Big Red, and looks to be a waterproof model much like its Hydro predecessor. Indeed, the Hydro Elite can supposedly be immersed in up to 3.28 feet (1 meter) of water for almost half an hour before calling it quits. Like the Torque, the Hydro Elite also boasts a Smart Sonic Receiver technology that promises outstanding audio quality even in the noisiest environments.

The Hydro Elite is not exactly tiny, measuring 4.82 x 2.38 x 0.43 inches and weighing in at 4.51 ounces. Other notable features include — let’s take a deep breath here — a 4.3-inch HD display, 4G LTE, an 8-megapixel HD cam, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel shooter, Qi wireless charging, NFC, MHL support, DLNA support, a microSD card slot and a 2,100 mAH battery. Phew. If that list of specs sounds scintillating enough to you, you may pick one up at your local Verizon store this Thursday for only $100 after a rebate and a two-year service agreement. For those who need a little more convincing, you can check out a Kyocera-commissioned video after the break starring none other than Man vs. Wild survivalist Bear Grylls.

Filed under: Mobile, Verizon

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Source: Kyocera

The PS4 launches this November — are you ready? Aside from recapping Gamescom, Brian, Dana and Peter mull over the week’s biggest tech stories and rumors of a champagne iPhone. All that and more in this episode of the Engadget Podcast. Stream it below.

Hosts: Brian Heater, Dana Wollman, Peter Rojas

Producer: Joe Pollicino

Hear the podcast:

Filed under: Podcasts

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Did you think Huawei’s Ascend P6 was a slim smartphone? It has nothing on BBK’s just-unveiled Vivo X3. Despite a 5-inch (if 720p) screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front 5-megapixel shooter and a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, the X3 measures a wafer-like 5.75mm thick in its blue variant. There’s plenty of party tricks under the hood, too — the Android 4.2 device has both an infrared sensor for touch-free gestures and a dedicated audio chip from ESS. It also preserves much of the better hardware from its slower and thicker X1S cousin, including the 16GB of non-expandable storage and the 2,000mAh battery. The Vivo X3 ships to China on September 1st for the same ¥2,498 ($408) as the X1S. If the device proves tempting, you can check out the Engadget Chinese hands-on; their English-language video is available after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Source: Vivo

Oppo may have already confirmed the existence of its N-Lens series devices, but it’s offering us a few more details through official teasers for the line’s inaugural smartphone, the N1. While the posts show little of the handset in question, they point to both a September launch and backside touch input. It’s also clear that the N1 is important to Oppo — a timeline (pictured after the break) positions the phone as a spiritual successor to last year’s Find 5 flagship. With the unveiling just weeks away, we won’t have to wait long to get the full story.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Unwired View, G 4 Games

Source: Oppo (Sina Weibo), Engadget Chinese (translated)

Many soundbars are designed for small or mid-sized TV sets, where price and space are top priorities. Samsung is bucking that trend with its newly unveiled AirTrack HW-F850: its follow-up to the vacuum tube-based F750 is built expressly for 60-inch and larger screens. As Samsung can afford a considerably larger bar, the F850 boosts the total power to 350W, up 40W from the F750. The company promises deeper bass from the subwoofer, too. As you’d expect, both Bluetooth audio and NFC pairing carry over from the F850’s tinier counterparts. Samsung expects to ship the extra-large soundbar to Europe in September; the company hasn’t mentioned pricing, although the F850 will likely command a premium over smaller AirTrack models.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Korea Newswire (translated)