Ice Cream Sandwich-Powered Kyocera Rise Launches on Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile has added a new device running Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich to its lineup with the Kyocera Rise.
The smartphone is now available on the carrier for $99 without a contract.
The device comes with Google Play access and features a touch slider design with a full QWERTY keyboard.
Other specifications on the Rise include a 3.5-inch HVGA LCD touchscreen, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 500 mAh Li-lon battery, 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash and video capture, 2GB SD card, and a microSD card slot with up to 32GB support. It also comes with Wi-Fi and Stereo Bluetooth connectivity.
What make the Rise even more enticing is that it is available with Virgin's prepaid unlimited data and messaging Beyond Talk plans that start at $35 per month. It can be purchased at select retailers, online, and at Virgin Mobile stores and will be rolling out across national retail outlets in late September.
Virgin Mobile also launched a pre-paid iPhone 4S back in June of this year.
The Sprint subsidiary was the second carrier in the U.S. to offer the wildly popular device on a pay-as-you-go, basis with Leap Wireless being the first.
Virgin Mobile even planned on opening 10 new Chicago stores to help it market and capitalize on the release of the device. The carrier had previously relied on other outlets such as Best Buy and RadioShack to market and sell its products.
Virgin Mobile offers the iPhone 4S for $649, and the iPhone 4 for $549. Monthly plans on the Apple smartphones will start a $30 per month with a $5 discount for customers who choose to enroll in automatic monthly payments.
Customers looking to ditch their contract and purchase an iPhone commitment-free can take advantage of this new Apple-Virgin Mobile partnership.