Kyocera Hydro Promises Cheap Water Protection

Kyocera might not be the most recognizable brand, but it is intent on bringing some cheap Android handsets to the market. Today they've announced the Kyocera Hydro, a waterproof Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich and some basic specs. The Hydro is a CDMA phone, and can be submerged in shallow water (one meter deep) for up to half an hour. You'll also be protected against rainfall and other moisture.

Otherwise specs are modest: a 1Ghz single-core Snapdragon processor, 3.5-inch IPS screen with a 480x320 resolution, 512MB of RAM, and 2GB of storage with a microSD card slot for support up to 32GB. The 3.2 megapixel camera on the back comes with an LED flash, and video recording is capable of 30fps although the resolution wasn't mentioned.

Standard radios include WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, and support for USB 2.0. You'll find all the usual array of smartphone sensors too, such as a 3-axis accelerometer, compass, proximity sensors, and ambient light sensor. The software looks to be stock Ice Cream Sandwich for the most part, with only minor modifications made by Kyocera.

No word on pricing for the handset, or which carriers will be offering it, but we imagine it will be extremely cheap given the specs on offer. Kyocera say the phone will go on sale during the "second half" of 2012.