Sprint and Kyocera announced the Sanyo Zio at CTIA with Sprint ID, personalization apps and widgets for Android. Loaded with Android 2.1, the Sanyo Zio has a 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen, 3.2 MP camera, Wi-Fi, MP3 player and Stereo Bluetooth.
They claim that the handset's high-resolution touchscreen is like carrying a flatscreen TV that fits in a pocket.
The Sanyo Zio features multiple 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. The easy-to-use trackball also helps users navigate between the features found on the Sanyo Zio, including address book integration with such social apps as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace; GPS functionality and digital compass plus preloaded Google Maps; media player for streaming videos; full HTML web browser; and a full library of apps from Android Market.
The Sanyo Zio also features a pre-loaded Exchange Email application that supports corporate Outlook email, calendar, contacts and tasks, while also supporting ActiveSync and enhanced security features.
The Sanyo Zio is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 3.7 ounces. The jet-black exterior is trimmed in silver with a soft-touch back that helps ensure that it won't slip out of your hands. With 512MB of internal memory, a 2GB microSD memory card (provided in box) and support for up to 32GB microSDHC cards, they claim that the Sanyo Zio can handle many apps.
Available on October 10, the Sanyo Zio will cost $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $100 mail-in rebate (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes). Sprint ID brings together content into themed packs that can be deployed on Sanyo Zio at the touch of a button. Zio users can load up to five Sprint ID packs on their phones and change themes on a whim as the mood strikes. Specific packs can even be further customized - adding or removing elements to match preferences - while the MyID function allows users to define and create their own application packs.
- Available in Black with Silver trim.
- Dimensions: 4.6" x 2.3" x 0.5".
- Weight: 3.7 oz.
- Display: 3.5" TFT" WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) touchscreen.
- Removable 1130 mAH lithium ion (Li-ion) battery provides up to 4.6 hours of continuous talk time.
Sprint also announced two other Android smartphones: the Samsung Transform and LG Optimus S.