Kyocera enters Android field with the Zio
updated 07:20 am EDT, Tue March 23, 2010
Kyocera returns to smartphones with Android
Kyocera held the unexpected in store today with word that it's launching its first Android phone. The Zio M6000 is not only its first phone using the Google OS but its first smartphone in several years, and promises to catch the company up in features. It centers on a 3.5-inch, 800x480 touchscreen with trackball and should run at least Android 2.0.
As a budget lable, Kyocera's only obvious concessions to price are a 3.2-megapixel camera and just 256MB of internal storage, although a microSDHC slot gives it room for more. Calling time is somewhat short at six hours.
The Zio is due to launch sometime in the spring and will at least initially be targeted at CDMA carriers that support EVDO Revision A for their 3G, making Kyocera's phone a likely candidate for Sprint, Verizon or smaller outlets like Cricket and Cellular South.
