Mobile Devices

January 16, 2013

Kyocera Torque Cranks Up FCC Approval

The Kyocera Torque is a device with some level of mystery to it, but the device rumored to make an appearance at Sprint stores is looking more like a reality every day, thanks to it recently clearing the FCC.

It didn't make it past as the Kyocera Torque, though, and that's where the mystery about this device begins.

The product, suggested to be known as the Kyocera Torque, passed the FCC, but as the Kyocera E6710. The specifics of the device aren't as yet fully known – especially key facts like release dates and pricing information – but what is known is going to be enough to raise a few eyebrows.

First, based on the FCC's documents that commonly come with an approval, the phone is set to run on the cellular bands most appropriate to Sprint's network, giving a bit of credence to the idea that this is a Sprint release. It's also set to run LTE, Wi-Fi in 802.11 b/g/n, and even NFC.

A fine start, but these are more standard fixtures than they are noteworthy features anymore, so what else does the Kyocera Torque / E6710 have on board?

The current word suggests that not only will it have front and rear cameras – one more geared toward taking pictures and the other for video chatting – but it will also run on Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich. It's likely to be a model geared toward the budget user, and at last report, it's got at least some level of dust and water resistance as it's a somewhat more rugged phone than is usually released.

Whether it goes into full dustproofing and waterproofing – or against even odder potential hazards like "salt fog" – is unclear, and unlikely.

Sprint bringing out phones for the budget-minded is a niche that's worth exploiting; not everyone wants to drop the kind of money required to get an iPhone or one of the top-end Android devices, so why not have a series of workable devices that may not have all the bells and whistles of top-end smartphones, but have most of the basics well in hand and at a significantly lower price?

While FCC approval doesn't always mean the device in question will hit store shelves, devices generally aren't sent through FCC testing unless someone, somewhere in the company with the kind of pull to do so has an eye toward putting them there.

Clearing the FCC gauntlet, meanwhile, suggests it's not going to be a long wait before the Kyocera Torque – if that is its final name – starts hitting shelves at Sprint stores everywhere.




Edited by Braden Becker


comments powered by Disqus

FOLLOW MobilityTechzone

Subscribe to MobilityTechzone eNews

MobilityTechzone eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the Wireless industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter