Kyocera Rise coming to Sprint August 19th for $20, Virgin Mobile to follow on August 31st for $100

Kyocera announced the QWERTY-packing Rise at this year's CTIA without mention of any carrier support. Regardless, we had a feeling it would eventually end up on Sprint, given the lengthy partnership the two companies have enjoyed -- not to mention a few leaks. Indeed, we got official word this morning that the Kyocera Rise will be available on Sprint August 19th for $20 (after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year commitment), with Virgin Mobile following up with a prepaid version on August 31st. The non-contract price? $100. That thirty-dollar difference makes for an incredibly tough sell when a contract is attached. For the forgetful Freds out there, the Rise features Android 4.0, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon S2 processor, a 3.2MP camera and a 1,500mAh battery that claims 8.5 hours of talk time. Check out more details in the press release after the break.

Show full PR text

Kyocera Rise Brings Affordable QWERTY with Android 4.0, Ice
Cream Sandwich, to Sprint and Virgin Mobile USA

Overland Park, Kan., and San Diego – Aug. 15, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and
Kyocera Communications, Inc. today announced the launch of Kyocera Rise, an
Android™ smartphone with a full QWERTY slide-out keypad and high-resolution
touchscreen display. Kyocera Rise offers feature-phone loyalists the ability to easily
move up to a smartphone without losing their tactile keyboard or spending a lot of
money.

Equipped with Android 4.0 operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, Kyocera Rise
will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including Web Sales (www.sprint.com)
and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) beginning Sunday, Aug. 19, for $19.99 after a $50
mail-in-rebate with a new line of service or eligible upgrade and two-year service
agreement. It will be available without a contract at www.virginmobileusa.com
beginning Friday, Aug. 31, for $99.99. (Pricing excludes taxes.)

"Kyocera Rise brings customers the comfort of an easy-to-use Android smartphone
with a QWERTY keyboard," said David Owens, vice president-Product Development,
Sprint. "It is a great option for customers who are new to smartphones, parents
looking for the perfect first device for their teens and tweens or anyone looking for a
device with an impressive set of features at a great price. This is a perfect addition to
round out our Android portfolio."

A survey by industry analyst firm Yankee Group earlier this year revealed that 69
percent of consumers called a QWERTY keypad a "must have" or "nice to have"
feature on their mobile devices. Kyocera Rise combines that feature with a 3.5-
inch IPS LCD touchscreen display for easy navigation, Web browsing and stunning
displays of pictures and video.

"There's a significant population of underserved consumers out there for whom a
touchscreen simply isn't enough," said Eric Anderson, senior vice president and
general manager-Global Sales and Marketing, Kyocera Communications Inc. "For
these people, keys are a vital feature. Along with smartphone users who love their
keys, approximately half of mobile users still have feature phones with keypads,
so they're comfortable using keys. Kyocera Rise has all the features you'd want in
a smartphone in an attractive and affordable 3G device that will appeal to those
underserved consumers."

Kyocera Rise features a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive 480x320 IPS LCD touchscreen
display and Swype for rapid text entry. Its 1,500mAh Lithium-ion battery ensures
long periods of use between charges and provides more than 8.5 hours of talk time.
Additional features include:
• Google Play™ with access to hundreds of thousands of apps
• 1GHz MSM8655 Qualcomm Snapdragon® processor for fast access to apps and
Web surfing
• 3.2-megapixel camera with an LED flash and 30 frame-per-second camcorder
• Kyocera's "Eco Mode" software to better monitor and conserve battery power
• microSD™ memory card support up to 32GB
• Dedicated capacitive menu button for easy access to application-specific features
• Sprint ID, offering an innovative way to personalize Android smartphones with
apps, widgets, wallpapers, ringtones and more
• In addition to Sprint's nationwide 3G network, Kyocera Rise connects over Wi-Fi
(b/g/n) networks, supports Stereo Bluetooth® (2.1 + EDR) wireless technology
and includes a high-speed USB 2.0 port

Kyocera Rise customers can enjoy an unlimited data experience with Sprint
Everything Data plans. Sprint's Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, Anytime SM
includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America
while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $79.99 per month for smartphones – a
savings of $20 per month versus Verizon's comparable plan with unlimited talk, text
and 2GB Web (excludes taxes and surcharges).

Consumers looking for a commitment-free option can pair the Kyocera Rise with
Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans that start at $35 per
month for 300 minutes of voice and include unlimited messaging and data. For those
looking for a bit more talk time, the $45 plan offers 1,200 minutes of voice and the
$55 plan offers unlimited voice each month. All plans include unlimited messaging
and data (plans include 2.5GB of full-speed data).1

In addition, Sprint is deploying Network Vision – an all-new network from Sprint
that offers enhanced 3G service – with a stronger wireless signal, faster download
speeds, expanded coverage and better in-building performance – and 4G LTE, with
faster data applications. Sprint rolled out 4G LTE to millions of people in 15 cities on
July 15 and plans to introduce more markets to the network in 2012. By the end of
2013, Sprint expects to have largely completed the build out of its all-new 4G LTE
nationwide network – with an enhanced 3G network – covering 250 million people
across the United States. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint's 4G LTE portfolio
and rollout, please visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE.