[The Kyocera Hydro is a waterproof Android 4.0 smartphone and will be available at Cricket stores and online beginning January 25.]

San Diego -- Cricket Communications and Kyocera Communications Inc. announce Cricket's launch of the Kyocera Hydro, a waterproof Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphone. Priced at $139.99 (MSRP), Hydro is Cricket's first waterproof device designed to meet the everyday needs of real life, providing additional protection and peace of mind for Cricket's contract-free customers. Hydro will be available at select Cricket company-owned stores and dealers and on www.mycricket.com beginning Jan. 25, 2013.

"With mobile devices integrated into all aspects of our customers' lives, it's crucial their phones can hold up to the rigors of busy lifestyles," said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket. "Hydro features easy access to Cricket's popular Muve Music service in a sleek, waterproof Ice Cream Sandwich device, and combined with our all-inclusive smartphone plans ensures our no-contract customers enjoy the most desirable features in durable technology."

Leveraging Kyocera's global experience in creating more than 20 waterproof mobile devices to date, the Kyocera Hydro carries IPx5- and IPx7-level protection against water. According to a 2012 study by TNS Global Research, more than 82.5 million handsets in the U.S. had been destroyed by liquid.† Whether caught in a rainstorm or dropped in a sink, Hydro is certified as waterproof against sprayed water (e.g., rain) and immersion in water up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes.

"Research shows that 70 percent of consumers consider water resistance an important feature in their mobile devices,* and that many have experienced a liquid-related accident first hand," said Eric Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of global sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications. "Device durability is particularly critical for value-conscious customers and Hydro helps to ensure that every-day drops and spills don't turn into mobile disasters."

The Kyocera Hydro can be activated on any one of Cricket's three monthly smartphone service-plan options starting at $50 per month. All Cricket plans, including smartphone service plans, feature all-inclusive pricing with no service fees and no overage charges. For customers, that means a predictable monthly bill, regardless of increasing usage, offered at a price point that fits into a value-conscious budget.

With Muve Music from Cricket, customers have millions of songs at their fingertips, will never pay per song and the music service is built in to Cricket's no contract rate plans- so the music is free. Muve Music customers have the added benefit of discovering new music through its monthly artist programs such as Muve First and Muve Headliner, featuring exclusive commentary, music and videos every month from up and coming and top producing artists only available to Muve Music.

Kyocera Hydro features a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive 480x320 IPS LCD touchscreen display and Swype for rapid text entry. It has a MSM8655 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon® processor, 2GB ROM, 512MB RAM memory and supports microSD™ memory cards up to 32GB. Taking pictures and video is a breeze with Hydro's 3.2 megapixel camera with an LED flash and a 30 frame-per-second camcorder, and fast uploading and transferring is enabled via Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Stereo Bluetooth® (2.1 + EDR) wireless technology support and high-speed USB 2.0. Hydro also includes a 3-axis accelerometer, a digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and Kyocera's "Eco Mode" software to monitor and conserve battery power. Despite its water resistance, Hydro is a trim 4.53 x 2.44 x 0.50 in. and weighs only 4.16 ounces.

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