Kyocera Torque Phone Approved By Bear Grylls

When Bear Grylls puts his stamp of approval on a rugged piece of machinery you know it has been built to stand up to extremely harsh conditions. The Kyocera Torque is that device and as the first ultra-rugged 4G LTE smartphone it will be selling for a rather cheap $99.

The Google Android-based smartphone is arriving with Sprint Direct connect and Smart Sonic Receiver Audio Technology. The device according to Kyocera’s claims can stand up to drops, dunks, and spills.

According to David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint:

The durability and sound quality of Torque are amazing for a 4G LTE smartphone. Whether you’re on a construction site, an outdoor adventurer or a mom that worries about their kids breaking their phone, Torque can hold up to those drops, spills or dunks. With Sprint’s 4G LTE network and truly unlimited 4G data, text and calling plans, it’s a tremendous offer for business customers, busy kids and adventurers alike.”

The Torque features Google Android 4.1 Ice Cream Sandwich, offers 4G LTE and provides up to 18.9 hours of talk time. Thanks to its partnership with Sprint the phone can also take advantage of an unlimited talk, text and data plan.

The Kyocera’s rugged design is built to Military Standard 810G (MilSpec) approval so it can withstand dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, humidity, blowing rain, low pressure, salt fog and extreme temperatures, along with IP67 standards for dust, sprayed water and full immersion of up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes.

The device is also Sprint Professional Grade certified which means it offers advanced security features, device management and Exchange Active Sync.

Not convinced the Kyocera Torque can live up to its military grading? Check out a video in which Bear Grylls puts the device through a battery of crazy tests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtHVTQssXNQ

Grylls also takes the Kyocera Torque to a water park:

http://youtu.be/X2t6rC9nSMo

The Kyocera Torque is set to debut on March 8.

[Image via MobileMag]