Kyocera and Sprint Announce Ruggedized Handset, Torque, Available in Spring

Kyocera has a new ruggedized handset, the Torque, coming to the Sprint network sometime this spring, offering users Military Standard 810G protection.

The Torque can handle all types of rough-and-tumble treatment, including water, dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, humidity, and extreme temperatures thanks to its tough build. It's also equipped with a unique type of audio technology that Kyocera dubs the "Smart Sonic Receiver," which uses vibrations to transmit sounds directly to the eardrum. This offers clearer sound than a traditional speaker, ideal for users in noisy environments like construction sites.

The Torque will be available on Sprint's 4G LTE network and will be powered by a dual-core, 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The phone will also be equipped with a WVGA (800 x 480) 4-inch touchscreen and will run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box. Other features include Sprint Direct Connect (push-to-talk), 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage (expandable via microSD) NFC, and Wi-Fi hotspot capability.

Kyocera and Sprint have not provided an exact release date or price for the Torque, stating only that it will be available in the spring and that pricing will be announced "this quarter."