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

Comments

Source: Kyocera

Imo users, brush your hair and powder your nose, as you might be in for some face-to-face conversation — now that the IM aggregator has added video calls to its repertoire. It was initially released to a small group of beta testers, but the feature, which is the app’s biggest update since launching free voice calls, is available both on Google’s platform and on iOS starting today. After you’ve updated the app, you’ll see a camera icon next to a contact’s name that you can use to initiate a video chat. It’ll work over WiFi and cellular (3G / 4G) regardless of the messenger service, so long as the person you’re calling is also logged into Imo. If you’d like to give the new feature a shot despite being married to another video chat app (or two — as you likely are), hit the source links below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Comments

Source: Imo (Android), (iPhone), (iPad)

The number of times Hello Kitty’s popped up on Engadget over the years is quite astonishing, and thanks to HTC, the cat leaves yet another paw print here. Earlier today, our Taiwanese brethren received an invitation (embedded after the break) for next Monday’s launch of the Butterfly s Hello Kitty limited edition. Interestingly and perhaps unsurprisingly, the cartoon character is seen wearing a uniform similar to that of EVA Air, a local airline that now operates five Hello Kitty edition planes.

Later on, a Mobile01 forum user followed up with what appears to be a spy shot of said phone’s printed ad, as shown above. Here you can see the feline’s head — with her butterfly hair clip highlighted for obvious reasons — dominating the white back of the 5-inch phone. And with that cute wallpaper, we assume there will be other Hello Kitty features on the software side as well. All will be revealed next week, of course. Meanwhile, we’re secretly hoping HTC’s also planning on a One Max with a glowing arc reactor stuck on the back.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

Comments

Source: Mobile01 (Chinese)

Headphone parties, or silent discos, seldom translate well to mobile devices — the likelihood that every listener has the same songs is rather slim. If Apple implements a newly granted patent, however, it could be easy to start those private gigs. The technique shares the tempo of a master track with other devices invited to a party; those gadgets automatically pick similarly paced tunes and sync their playback. Participants could be part of an ad hoc local network, but the approach would also work when people are miles apart. Apple even proposes a social networking element that lets aspiring DJs share avatars and other identifiers. While there’s no guarantees that the patent will reach shipping products, we wouldn’t be surprised to see iPhone owners grooving in unison at some point in the future.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile, Apple

Comments

Source: USPTO

You want range? Amped Wireless has range. More than 10,000 square feet of it, in fact; last week the company announced the REA20, its latest and greatest range extender, and wants to give one away to a lucky reader. Of course, what’s a range extender without a router and adapter to go along with it? Amped’s got you covered with an RTA15, which comes with the same 802.11ac standard as well as four gigabit Ethernet ports and USB 2.0 slot, as well as an adapter to go along with it. Head to the widget below to enter, and good luck!

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt

Comments