MWC 2013: Five Coolest Gadgets

Mobile World Congress drew some 72,000 people to Barcelona, Spain, to see the latest and greatest mobile devices. Take a closer look at five gadgets that stood out.

3Comments | Eric Zeman | March 01, 2013 11:06 AM

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Kyocera Torque

The Kyocera Torque is a tough phone for workers in the field, backed up by the power of Android, that adds a new way to "hear" phone calls.

Kyocera is well-known for its rugged handsets and the Torque continues that trend. It is an extremely durable Android smartphone that can withstand shock, vibration and immersion in water. It may not be the most pleasing handset to look at, thanks to the rugged design, but it is the type of phone that will still be working long after normal smartphones go the way of the dodo. It has a 4-inch display and includes 800 x 480 pixels. This isn't the sharpest screen, but it more than suffices thanks to its brilliant backlighting.

Aside from its rugged form, the Torque is compatible with Sprint's push-to-talk services. It can act as a walkie-talkie, though it doesn't use Sprint's nearly defunct iDEN network. Instead, it uses Sprint's CDMA-EVDO network to pass walkie-talkie conversations back and forth. The really interesting feature is Kyocera's tissue-conduction technology. Kyocera knows a device like this is going to be used by people working in noisy environments, who are perhaps wearing helmets or ear protection. The Torque can send sound waves through helmets and ear protection so the user can hear phone calls while keeping protection in place. It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and will be available from Sprint in early March.

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