Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of days ago we reported that thanks to a leaked document, it seems that Sprint could be announcing the Kyocera Rise for a release on the 19^th of August. Well the good news is that if the Kyocera Rise was a handset you had your eye on, you will be pleased to learn that it has been confirmed for the 19^th of August and will be priced at $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. For those wondering what they will be getting for their money, expect to find a 3.5” HVGA 480×320 IPS LCD display, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.2MP rear-facing camera, a microSD card slot and will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preinstalled. As pictured above, the Kyocera Rise will also come with a slideout QWERTY keyboard which some of you guys might still prefer over an on-screen keyboard. It is also expected to come with other features, like Kyocera’s Eco Mode, Swype, Sprint ID and your usual carrier bloatware. For those not on Sprint, the Kyocera Rise will also be making its way onto Virgin Mobile on the 31^st of August and will be priced at $99.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Kyocera Rise to launch on Sprint August 19 according to leaked image, Kyocera Rise could be headed Sprint and Virgin Mobile’s way,

Kyocera announced the QWERTY-packing Rise at this year’s CTIA without mention of any carrier support. Regardless, we had a feeling it would eventually end up on Sprint, given the lengthy partnership the two companies have enjoyed — not to mention a few leaks. Indeed, we got official word this morning that the Kyocera Rise will be available on Sprint August 19th for $20 (after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year commitment), with Virgin Mobile following up with a prepaid version on August 31st. The non-contract price? $100. That thirty-dollar difference makes for an incredibly tough sell when a contract is attached. For the forgetful Freds out there, the Rise features Android 4.0, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon S2 processor, a 3.2MP camera and a 1,500mAh battery that claims 8.5 hours of talk time. Check out more details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Kyocera Rise coming to Sprint August 19th for $20, Virgin Mobile to follow on August 31st for $100

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Kyocera Rise coming to Sprint August 19th for $20, Virgin Mobile to follow on August 31st for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what Sprint’s LTE handset line-up has been missing (aside from more network coverage outside of Texas)? Some variety! Nearly all of Sprint’s LTE devices are monolithic, all-touch slabs of plastic and glass — it wouldn’t hurt to mix things up a bit, and that’s exactly what the carrier did.

On the off chance that your thumbs still yearn to pound out text messages on a physical QWERTY keyboard, Sprint has just announced that the recently-revealed Photon Q will hit store shelves on August 19. The Droid 4 lookalike will set interested customers back $199 with two-year commitment, and the truly devoted can pre-order their units today.

Looking past the laser-cut keyboard, the Photon Q also features a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor (Sprint hasn’t specified which one), a 4.3-inch qHD ColorBoost LCD display, NFC support, plus an 8-megapixel camera on its rear end. To top it all off, the Photon Q appears to sport the same lightly-modified take on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich that pleasantly surprised me when it appeared on the Atrix HD.

Really, if it’s anything at all like the Atrix HD, then the Photon Q should be a real treat. I have to wonder how well the thing is going to sell though — the QWERTY keyboard is a distinct plus for certain users, but its price tag puts the Photon Q right alongside flagship devices like the Galaxy S III.

If you’re a fan of Kyocera’s products, then the recently announced Kyocera Rise (alongside the Kyocera Hydro) might have gotten your attention. The good news is that according to the folks at TechnoBuffalo, they have managed to get their hands on what appears to be a Sprint document that revealed that the Kyocera Rise will be released on the carrier’s network come 19^th August. This is coincidentally the same day that Sprint is rumored to launch the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE as well, so we guess you will now have more phones to choose from. As far as its specs are concerned, the Kyocera Rise will sport a QWERTY keyboard, a 1GHz single-core processor with 512MB of RAM, a 3.2MP rear-facing camera, a 3.5 HVGA display, WiFi, GPS and will run on Android 4.0 ICS. Not the most powerful of phones compared to the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE’s rumored specs, but given that it’s only $19.99 on a two-year contract, it will probably be an attractive buy for those shopping on a budget.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sprint reportedly to offer free ZTE Optik tablet with any smartphone purchase, Sprint commences Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE training, release date announcement imminent?,

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and by the looks of this latest FCC filing, LG’s LS970 is all but a lock for Sprint’s LTE lineup. Rumored to bow on that carrier as the Eclipse, the heavyweight handset, allegedly outfitted with a quad-core Krait processor, companion Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM, has already been the subject of several leaks, leaving little of its spec load to the imagination. And now with the outing of these Commission docs, we can confirm that this uberphone does indeed pack 3G/4G radios tailored for the Hesse-led operator (CDMA 820 / 850 / 1900; LTE Band 25), as well as support for NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, GPS and SVLTE (simultaneous voice and data). While we can’t be exactly sure as to its actual screen size, that reported 4.67-inch figure does appear likely given its 5.2 x 2.8 inch (130.9 x 71.6mm) dimensions. That’s about all we were able to glean from the spate of included tests, but if you call Big Yellow your wireless home and are itching for a GS III alternative, this could be your next.

Filed under: Cellphones

LG Eclipse (LS970) pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint’s LTE network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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