| Kyocera Hydro XTRM coming for T-Mobile business customers Nov 13th 2013, 15:36, by Robert Nelson Kyocera recently launched the Hydro XTRM with MetroPCS and as of today, there is word of the durable and waterproof handset coming to another US carrier. This latest is T-Mobile, though, this time around the Hydro XTRM will only be available for business customers. Pricing has yet to be announced, however Kyocera and T-Mobile have said the handset will be available beginning on November 20th. 
The Hydro XTRM feature set includes a 4-inch (800 x 480) impact-resistant display, dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 2000 mAh battery, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and 4G LTE connectivity. There will also be Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The key though is in the casing and the durability of the phone and to that point we look towards the IP57 and Military Standard 810G ratings. The first of those two means the Hydro XTRM will be protected against dust and water. On the water side, that means the handset can handle being submerged in up to 3.28 feet of water for up to 30 minutes time. The second of those two means the handset should be able to take a fall. Kyocera notes that due to the reinforced corners and slightly recessed, impact-resistant display, the handset will be able to take “drops and bumps in stride.” Similar to some of the other Kyocera handsets we have seen recently, this one also has the Smart Sonic Receiver. Part of this is noticeable from the outside as there is no earpiece sitting where you would expect. Basically, this not only means one less opening in terms of the water-resistance, but it should also bring an improved sound. Kyocera mentioned how this will allow “users hear conversations in the noisiest industrial environments, even when wearing helmets or bulky ear protection.” We did spend some brief hands-on time withe Hydro XTRM earlier in the year, and otherwise, we have reviewed several of the other rugged and waterproof Kyocera handsets. For those reviews, head into the Story Timeline sitting below. SOURCE: Kyocera |  | Moto X getting Android 4.4 Kit Kat within a "matter of weeks" Nov 13th 2013, 15:14, by Robert Nelson The Motorola event has ended for today, which means the Moto G has been officially announced. As we were expecting, the Moto G will be arriving as a low-cost alternative to the Moto X. And while we didn’t think Motorola was going to abandon the Moto X, we were a bit surprised to see them intro the event with a Moto X status update. 
Motorola did not offer any specific sales figures to battle against the recent reports suggesting poor sales, however they did say they have seen a boost in sales given the recent changes. Those changes of course, dealt with Moto Maker opening to all four major US carriers and the pricing cuts. Perhaps more important for current Moto X users though, Motorola did mention Kit Kat. To that point, they have said the handset would be updated to Android 4.4 Kit Kat within a “matter of weeks.” As we often see, this will likely be dependent on carrier timelines and approvals, but it is refreshing to see that Motorola will have it ready in weeks. That is assuming there are no issues that pop-up to cause a delay. 
Otherwise, Motorola also touched on some of the features of the handset. Here they spoke about touchless controls and the camera. Specifically, Motorola has said given these two features, they find that voice is being used 10 times more often (for things like searches) and the camera is being used 25 percent more often because of the flip gesture. | | Moto G gets official with 4.5″ 720p display and Snapdragon 400 Nov 13th 2013, 14:51, by Robert Nelson Motorola has wrapped the Moto G event and the handset is now official. This is another instance where the details were pretty much known given all the leaks and rumors, however the official confirmation is more than welcomed. To begin with, Motorola is touting the Moto G as being an “exceptional phone” with an “exceptional price.” To that point, the handset will be priced from $179. 
The event had Motorola talking quite a bit at the value consumers get based on what they are willing and/or able to pay for a smartphone. We aren’t sure the Moto G is going to be the smartphone of your dreams given the specs, but it should be a decent value given the price. That $179 price point will offer 8GB of internal storage and doubling up to 16GB will be just a few dollars more — $199. And keep in mind, these are unsubsidized and contract-free prices. Aside from the storage, the Moto G will be launching with a 4.5-inch display at 1280 x 720 and with a ppi of 329. Motorola touts this as being “the sharpest in its class.” The handset will then be powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor which is paired with 1GB of RAM. Motorola is also using some of the same design principles we saw with the Moto X. 
In this case that means an edge-to-edge display, curved back, Corning Gorilla Glass and a waterproof nanocoating on both the interior and exterior of the handset. Another aspect pushed here is the battery life. Motorola has this as being “all day” and that will come courtesy of a 2070 mAh battery. The handset will launch with Android 4.3 and have 4.4 Kit Kat by January 2014. Similar to what we saw with the Moto X, the overall experience will be clean and almost stock. Motorola choose to optimize and build-up Google services as opposed to cluttering up the handset with additional and competing apps and user interfaces. The Moto G will also have Motorola Assist, Motorola Migrate, an FM Radio and 50GB of free Google Drive storage. 
Motorola will have the handset selling along with some accessories. These includes headphones and earbuds as well as external battery packs, a bumper, flip cover and as we were expecting — colored backs that are able to be swapped. Motorola referred to the colored back covers as “Motorola Shells.” That all having been said, Motorola will have the Moto G available beginning today. The initial availability will be in Brazil and parts of Europe. The handset will later come to a total of 30 countries around the world. And for those wondering, the Moto G will be available in the US beginning in January. | |
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