Self-proclaimed “technology innovation and licensing company” WiLAN, billed as a notorious patent troll by most anyone else (and often, much worse), this morning announced that it has initiated litigation against Apple, Dell, HP, HTC, Kyocera, Alcatel-Lucent, Novatel and Sierra Wireless America.
In its filing, WiLAN claims that these companies are infringing two U.S. patents, namely No. RE37,802 (related to CDMA and HSPA technology) and No. 5,282,222 (related to Wi-Fi and LTE). → Read More
For Sprint, maintaining their aging iDEN network is proving to be more of a headache than it’s worth. Even though their Nextel Direct Connect service still has footholds in certain markets (construction immediately comes to mind), their financial statements report a loss of 367,000 iDEN subscribers this past quarter. In spite of otherwise strong figures, it seems clear that iDEN is becoming more and more of a liability. That would certainly explain their move to a new Sprint Direct Connect service running on CDMA that is poised to launch in Q4 of this year. → Read More
Kyocera did what a clever cell phone manufacturer whose home market has the oldest society in the world (over 20% of the Japanese people are 65 or older) has to do: it manufactured a cell phone specifically designed for the elderly. While the basic concept isn’t new, the way the so-called Mi-Look [JP] works certainly is. → Read More
First it was the Kyocera Echo. Now this? Just when you thought someone couldn’t make a bad idea any worse, Fujitsu shows this off. Fujitsu is working on getting this device to the market in the next few months, though no specific time frame was given.
Video after the break. → Read More
Sure, in many cases electric bikes are much more eco-friendly than cars, but even e-bikes need to be charged in some way or the other – most of the time, the power doesn’t come from eco-friendly sources. Kyocera, however, yesterday announced [JP] an alternative: the so-called “Solar Cycle Station”, which is essentially some kind of a bike stand that allows owners to charge their e-bikes through solar power. → Read More
Japanese telecommunications giants SoftBank and Docomo unveiled their summer 2009 line-ups last week and were followed by the country’s No. 2 carrier, KDDI au, today. While SoftBank is to roll out 15 new cell phones this summer and Docomo even presented 17 models, KDDI au showed only 8 new candy bars [JP] in the morning. But some of these are amazing. → Read More
Not quite 4G, but better than 3G, Kyocera’s 3.9G iBurst Mobile Broadband Wireless Access System (MBWA) has received a Grant of Equipment Authorization from the FCC’s certification arm – the American Telecommunications Certification Body. → Read More
Love it or hate it, it’s pretty safe to assume that just about all of the big boys in the handset world are tinkering with the idea of bringing an Android device to the market (Well, except for Sony Ericsson. Or Apple.) Joining the confirmed list today is Kyocera, with an announcement that they are working with software optimization house Wind River to adapt Android to their needs. According to today’s announcement, Wind River’s job is “to provide software systems integration services, including middleware and user interface integration, optimization of Android, and custom integration for technologies from other Open Handset Alliance members and third-party developers.” Based off of Kyocera’s lineup history, I’d wager that this means much of Wind River’s job is to prep Android for use on the smaller screen of a flip phone, or one of Kyocera’s QWERTY folders (a la Wild Card). Kyocera’s not exactly known for wallet-destroying handsets, so it’d be surprising to see any devices come out of their labs with specs rivaling that of the G1 – we probably won’t see a touchscreen, at least. If nothing else, this solidifies the idea that we’ll be seeing CDMA Android handsets in the low-mid range market before too long. → Read More
W62H from Hitachi (equipped with a 2.8 inch OLED display featuring 480×240 resolution) → Read More
Here’s an interesting development: Kyocera is building a new KJ4 series print head that can print at 150 meters per minute at 600×600 dpi, which equates to about 1,000 sheets per minute. Check your box for your current printer’s speed and be amazed. The head should go into printers next month. Kyocera uses ceramic piezoelectronics to make this 4-inch head squirt out ink faster than a squid at a calamari festival. Sorry for that last joke. It’s early. → Read More
I had the KR1 router from Kyocera for a number of months when I was issued a PCMCIA card at my old job. It was a decent router and basically the only one that would work so I didn’t have much of a choice at the time. I wasn’t even aware of the KR2 until now. Now that I upgraded to a MBP I needn’t worry about getting a router, but I know many of you road warriors could use one. The KR2 retails for $250 and adds support for USB and ExpressCards. To entice new customers they’re knocking off 15%. Product Page [via Zatz] → Read More
Yo, check it Virgin Mobile users. I bet you guys get excited whenever a new phone comes out, so get ready to pee your pants in joy. If you take a stroll to your local Target, you’ll find the lovely new Wildcard from Kyocera. Equipped with EV-DO, this flip-phone has a full-QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. All for $99.99 with no contract required. Looks like it has an AIM client too. Not a bad deal for $100. Not bad at all. Virgin Mobile Wildcard Arrives in Stores [Phone News] → Read More
Nothing too exciting here, but certainly worth mentioning. Today Virgin Mobile released yet another inexpensive phone for the pre-paid fanboys. The Kyocera MARBL is just a basic flip-phone with literally no exciting features. Camera? Nope. Bluetooth? Sorry. MP3 Player? Not a chance. Seems as if the best feature on this phone is either the design or polyphonic ringtones, the latter of which was included so you could pretend it’s 1999 all over again. Should you be in a pinch and need a phone on the cheap, you can pick up a MARBL for a paltry $30 in stores and online. Kyocera’s MARBL lands at Virgin Mobile [Electronista] → Read More
One stand-out device I saw this evening was the Kyocera E5000, an oddly shaped cellie with a fluid, sexy aesthetic. No real info yet, but really the draw is the design. Look at that odd hinge. Look at the chrome. Sex in a clamshell, correct? Best of all, we got the hot scoop on a new U.S. carrier, Carrier Logo. It seems Kyocera is making this phone just for them and we’ll hound them all day and all night until they tell us who is investing in this new MVNO. CG = tireless reportage. → Read More
Kyocera today unleashed upon Japan the W51K, a device that I’m extremely jealous of. This svelte wonder comes with 65MB of on-board storage, TV tuner, FM tuner, MP3/video playback and a 2-megapixel camera. It also comes in three shades of cool: mirror orange, cyano blue and metallic silver. → Read More
