14 DAY TRIAL // Recently announced at CTIA 2010 trade show in San Francisco, Sanyo Zio is an affordable Android smartphone manufactured by Kyocera. Launched together with Samsung Transform and Sprint ID service, Sanyo Zio will hit the shelves on October 10.
Sanyo Zio comes with a 3.5-inch TFT WVGA (480 x 800 pixels resolution) touch-screen and runs Android 2.1 operating system. Apparently, the carrier doesn't plan to release a software update in the future.
“We are confident that Zio’s blend of style, functionality and affordability will make the virtually unlimited customization and personalization of Android available to entirely new groups of consumers who were intimidated by the technology or price of previous smartphones,” said Yasuhiro Oishi, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc.
“Zio humanizes the technology and puts the power of Android in a sleek, attractive device,” continued Oishi.
Zio includes multiple virtual keyboard options, all with haptic feedback, an accelerometer to rotate between landscape and portrait orientations and an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness to optimize viewing.
Other key features of the affordable smartphone include: CDMA2000 1xEV-DO rev. A, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g connectivity, GPS with AGPS support, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR (including Stereo Bluetooth), 512 RM, microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 2GB card included), 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities (30fps).
Obviously, the Zio comes with the Sprint ID service, which users to quickly download ID packs that deliver a predefined experience, including applications, widgets, ringtones and wallpapers, all at once.
Packs are designed to meet users’ interests, whether they are sports fans, fitness fanatics, auto enthusiasts or more.
Users will be able to purchase the Zio starting October 10. The smartphone will cost just $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $100 mail-in rebate (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).
