Kyocera Zio Android-Powered Smartphone Announced

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For the first time in recent memory, Kyocera has news about a new smartphone product.  The mobile device manufacturer has re-entered the smartphone market thanks to the popularity (and price) of the Android mobile OS, officially announcing the Kyocera Zio Android Smartphone earlier today.

The best part about the new Kyocera Zio isn’t that lovely 800×480 display featured front and center, but its unsubsidized price rumored to start around $169.  With that, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper Android smartphone without a contract.  In the Kyocera Zio, you’re getting the aforementioned 3.5-inch 800×480 display, a 600 Mhz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 512MB RAM, a 3.2-megapixel camera, Android 1.6 and a range of connectivity including 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth.

While Kyocera may have splurged on the screen and gone a bit too light on the other hardware, it’s tough to argue with the primary focus of this product– cheap.  It is rumored to be priced between $169 and $216 without a contract, and should be arriving some time in the 2nd quarter 2010.  Those waiting for the right time to jump into Android, especially when contracted to a carrier without Android products, this will be an easy entry.