On top of showing a fancy foldable UMPC concept, Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) has some design photos of a phone called the NXT with a context-sensitive display. Controls change depending on whether you’re playing a video game or watching a movie. The real usefulness would rely on how seamlessly the phone transitioned between modes - after all, there are plenty of third party apps that can do this sort of stuff already, but the biggest hurdle is readily accessing them. To be fair, the UMPC is a little more, shall we say, avant garde, but the phone looks like something that is actually feasible with current technology. Kyocera isn’t exactly renown for their high-end handsets, however, so this might be little more than a creative pipe dream.

[via Core77]

At the CTIA, Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) Corporation announced the formation of Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI), as a “next step in the global integration of Kyocera’s wireless device business.” The new company will be headquartered in San Diego, and will comprise the combined sales, marketing and service functions from Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC) and Kyocera Sanyo (OTCPK: SANYY) Telecom Inc. (KSTI), to better manage those functions for all Kyocera- and Sanyo-branded wireless devices in the Americas.

From the official release:

KCI’s formation is the latest step in the global integration of Kyocera’s communication equipment product segment, a segment that began in 1979 in Japan. Looking to expand globally, Kyocera purchased the wireless handset business of Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) Inc. in 2000 and created KWC from its assets. Then, in April 2008, Kyocera acquired the wireless handset business of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Sanyo) and created KSTI from Sanyo’s North American team, which was headquartered in Chatsworth, Calif. On January 29, Kyocera announced that the global coordination of Kyocera’s communication equipment product segment will take place at the company’s product-line headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Within the new structure, KCI will be Kyocera’s wireless sales, marketing, customer engineering and service operation for the Americas, representing virtually all products from the communication equipment product segment. Meanwhile, the remaining portion of KWC will focus on engineering, working closely with its counterparts in Yokohama.

Eiichi Toriyama, who joined Kyocera in 1972 and has spent 37 years in sales and marketing, has been appointed as president of KCI. Commenting on his appointment and on the company’s restructuring move, Toriyama said: “There is great strength in the combined global forces of Kyocera and Sanyo’s mobile device groups and KCI represents the new face of this unified business for the Americas. Not only are we streamlining duplicated functions within the organization, but also we are creating synergies with unified, complementary product and technology roadmaps that will ultimately benefit our customers.”

Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) has unveiled two new CDMA phones at the CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas: the full QWERTY keyboard equipped G2GO M2000, aka Virgin Mobile Kyocera X-tc; and Laylo M1400 slider.

The first of the two looks more interesting, thanks to the mentioned keyboard, which makes the device a texter’s dream phone. Other specs include 2.4-inch QVGA screen, media player with dedicated music keys, 1.3 megapixel camera, built-in accelerometer (for auto-rotation, I guess), Bluetooth support, and of course a microSD memory card slot. Size wise, the G2GO M2000 measures 113×52x17 mm, and has a weight of 120 grams.

As for the slider device, there’s a 2.2-inch QVGA screen on board, Bluetooth, VGA camera, and the speaker-independent voice recognition. In terms of size, the Laylo M1400 has dimensions of 94.7×46.7×17.0 mm and weight of 90 grams.

While we know Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) will launch the Kyocera X-tc later this month, we’ve no idea whether some carrier will pick up the Laylo. We’ll certainly have more to share in the coming weeks…

The Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) X-tc on Virgin Mobile spotted last month is now available to order for $99 off contract, and butting heads with the recently-launched Alltel Banter/Sprint Rumor 2 for discount texting supremacy. Spec-wise, the sliders are in the same ballpark, so plans will really be the dealbreaker on those considering both devices.

• QVGA display with 262K colors
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Dedicated music keys
• Mobile Web
• Email, IM
• Facebook Mobile
• Voice dialing
• 1.3MP camera
• MicroSD card support
• Talk time: up to 250 minutes
• Standby time:  up to 200 hours
• 4.37 x 2.05 x 0.68 inches
• 3.89 ounces

Not a bad little package on the whole, and certainly better-looking than the candybar Kyocera S1300 JAX launched at the same time.

[via Unwired View]

Virgin Mobile USA really looks to be going on a US wireless industry blitz. With MVNO takeovers, new calling plans, and fresh new handsets being announced left and right, Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) is on a mission to snatch-up more and more US wireless subscribers. The latest move to convince Americans to jump on Virgin Mobile’s US-bandwagon is the new Kyocera (NYSE: KYO)-sourced Virgin Mobile TNT!.

The new Virgin Mobile Kyocera TNT! is aimed at the entry-level consumer looking for basic features in a fairly attractive package. Following on the launch of the Virgin Mobile Arc the other day, the Virgin Mobile TNT! offers customers an even cheaper clamshell alternative - while misleading the rest of us in to thinking the TNT! packs a techy-punch. With a single-line, monochrome external display, speakerphone, and basic web access as its main selling-points, the Virgin Mobile TNT! is even more basic than the already barren Arc.

But, if the Virgin Mobile Arc’s $50 asking price is just a little more than you’d like to pay for a wireless handset, you’ll be glad to hear that the Virgin Mobile TNT! will cost a penny shy of $20. And, don’t forget, you’ll also have access to Virgin Mobile USA’s new unlimited calling plans.

Virgin Mobile USA

Just in time for the Virgin Mobile Festival, the MVNO has announced a special edition of its Wild Card phone. The so called Virgin Mobile Festival Special Edition Wild Card is pretty much the same as the original Wild Card, except that it comes with 50 music downloads from eMusic and a one-year subscription to SPIN Magazine. In addition, lucky 15,000 customers who buy the device will all have special access to the Virgin Mobile Guest Lounge at the festival, where they’ll be able to chat with the man himself, Sir Richard Branson.

Finally, even though this is the special edition device, the price remains the same. It’s available through July 31 exclusively at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores for $99.99.

More information about Virgin Mobile Festival is available on the official website.

Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) announced its entry into the GSM handset market with four new GSM phones. The new devices will launch initially in Latin America, where a number of CDMA service providers recently switched to GSM networks.

Four handsets are:

• E4600 - slider-shaped quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) device; features MP3 player, 2-megapixel camera with video record/playback, Bluetooth, expandable memory and a 2.2-inch display.
• E3500 - Also supporting MP3 and video record/playback, the quad-band E3500 has a clamshell form factor with external music controls, dual color displays, a 1.3-megapixel camera, expandable memory and Bluetooth.
• E2500 - an ultra-slim candybar-style quad-band phone with an MP3 player, 1.3-megapixel camera with video record/playback, Bluetooth and expandable memory.
• S1600 - low-end dual-band candybar with a VGA camera.

Kyocera has already begun shipping to customers in Latin America and retail launches will be announced on a carrier-by-carrier basis in the weeks and months ahead… Full release is available from here.

We always envisioned Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) as a low-end handset maker and they seem to like just the way it is. That being said their latest CDMA line-up doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Few lines are tweaked, but basically all their new phones are considered low-end. Let’s roll:

• Neo E1100: 2.2 inch QVGA display, Bluetooth 2.0, BREW, 1.3 MP camera and a hidden OLED out display
• Mako S4000: two screens (inner is 1.8-inch), VGA camera, BREW, Bluetooth
• Adreno S2400: 1.8 inch screen, external caller ID display, BREW, no camera at all

Next, we expect Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) or perhaps Alltel to pick one of these and offer it for free or next to nothing.

[Via: PhoneScoop]

It’s been a long time in the making and we’re glad to hear that long-rumored Sanyo buy-out candidate Kyocera has finally sealed the deal with Sanyo (OTCPK: SANYY). As you may recall, Sanyo’s mobile phone unit has struggled to turn a profit, and so put their cellphone-manufacturing arm on the auction block. Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) is said to be putting up $378 - $472 million to take Sanyo’s mobile phone manufacturing unit of its hands - making the the world’s 6th largest mobile phone maker.

Now, the deal is expected by some to help boost Kyocera’s market share and presence on the global market. Still, there are analysts that don’t see any benefit in a deal between two low-key market players. Japan’s mobile phone industry is incredibly fragmented (there are no fewer than 10 cellphone manufacturers in the island-nation), and has failed to gain a foothold in the face of larger global players like Nokia, Motorola (NYSE: MOT), and Samsung.

Kyocera is liking blowing their $378 - $472 million wad to gain that 6th place ranking, and not much more. Good luck with that whole market-share nonsense.

[Via: Financial Times]

Verizon just launched the new Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) KPC680 ExpressCard allowing interested parties to access the carrier’s fast EV-DO Rev. A network and take their Internet work/play with them, wherever they are. According to the official release — which follows after the jump — BroadbandAccess users can expect average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500kbps to 800kbp.

Kyocera is especially proud of KPC680’s uniquely designed antenna that apparently provides greater sensitivity, while keeping a compact form factor. Hmmm… it does look interested, but “breakthrough” is not the word I would use…

Anyway, the Kyocera KPC680 ExpressCard could be yours for $49.99 after a mail-in rebate and of course an appropriate ($59.99 per month) two-year agreement. Promised press release starts now…

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