Yesterday morning saw Kyocera announcing the Android based Zio M6000 smartphone. Unfortunately at that time all we were given was the general information which did not include any carrier, release date or pricing. But things change in a day, and now it looks like the carrier will end up being Cricket.
If you haven’t heard of Cricket before, they’re considered more of a regional carrier, although they do have coverage available in all 50 US states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico). They also operate contract free and have a few simple yet affordable calling plans. Think Budget plans.
With that in mind, don’t expect anywhere near the specs of say, HTC Evo. It’s a basic phone, and you get what you pay for:
- Android 1.6
- 3.5-inch, 800×480 pixel screen
- 3.2 megapixel camera with 30 fps video playback
- Review units are being reported to have 256MB of memory, Zio’s official spec sheet lists 512MB
- MicroSD memory slot supports up to 32GB
- Stereo Bluetooth® – 2.0 + EDR
- EVDO Rev. A, Wi-Fi, and A-GPS/ E-911 capable
- A lightweight at 105 grams. For comparison, a G1 is 158 grams.
Overall, Zio is comfortable in the average arena. As far as price, that is still up in the air. However, talk is hovering around sub-$200 unsubsidized, with possibility of it being given away free. Full specs at Kyocer
[Source Androinica, MobileBurn]
