CTIA is officially here gang and handset maker Kyocera has wasted no time in introducing two interesting new budget-level handsets. The first is the Hydro smartphone which features a Snapdragon MSM8655 clocked at a reasonable 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, a 3.5-inch screen, a 3.2MP rear camera and a full scoop of what looks to be untainted ICS. The specs are modest I know— but the Hydro has one thing most other devices don’t have: official waterproof certification. The device is capable of being submerged underwater at 1 meter (3 feet) for up to 30 minutes. Kyocera’s reasoning for creating a waterproof device? It’s simple really— research shows many of us clumsy folk tend to destroy our phones with moisture being the sole cause. More importantly, Kyocera believes its customers are interested in having waterproof features in their next smartphones by citing “70 percent of consumers indicated they consider water resistance an important feature in their next phones”.

The next smartphone is the Rise smartphone, which is identical to the Hydro— except it features a full QWERTY keyboard. So inside, you’ll still find the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.5-inch screen and Android 4.0. Kyocera believes that there is a niche and need for the Rise because the:

 “Kyocera Rise is the ideal device for those underserved consumers for whom a touchscreen isn’t enough and who demand the familiar tactile feedback of a keypad. With both Hydro and Rise, people have spoken loud and clear about what they want, and we’ve listened”.

Each device features an CDMA/EV-DO radio, it’s likely the device will operate on Sprint— especially considering Sprint and Kyocera seem to have a history of releasing budget-minded devices. Want more details about the device? Make sure you hit the break to see the full presser.

» Read the rest