Hands on: Kyocera Hydro C5170 review

Toilets of the world beware. The Kyocera Hydro C5170 isn't afraid of you

What is a hands on review?
Hands on review of the Kyocera Hydro C5170
Kyocera Hydro C5170

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In a world full of obscure product names, the Kyocera Hydro C5170 is actually, aptly named.

We got a hands on look at the Kyocera Hydro on the show floor at CTIA 2012 and according to a Kyocera spokesperson, the handset is "Certified waterproof for IPX5, protection against water jets and IPX7, protection against water immersion for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 meter."

What this means to the average user is that gone are the days of dropping your cell phone in the toilet and having your trusted sidekick literally go belly-up.

Hands on: Kyocera Hydro C5170

Expected to come out in the second half of 2012, aside from being waterproof for up 30 minutes in 1 meter of water, the Kyocera Hydro is a rather standard model.

Boasting Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich, it also sports a 3.2 MP camera and video camcorder.

The handset feels nice in the hand, and navigation, thanks to Android 4.0 is simple and clean. That said, with flashier models like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Nokia Lumia 900 either currently on the market or expected to come, we don't expect the Kyocera Hydro C5170 to win any design awards.

Hands on: Kyocera Hydro C5170

Of course, if you're prone to dropping phones in toilets and hoping and praying that it'll work once you fish it out, you may want to give the Kyocera Hydro C5170 a good look.

Editor-in-chief (US)

Wil (Twitter, Google+) is a technology editor and journalist who has written for a variety of outlets over the last 16 years, including CNET, Computer Gaming World and Incite. Wil also spent two years as the on-air gadget correspondent on G4TV's live daily show, Attack of the Show. Before joining TechRadar, Wil was the editor-in-chief of @GAMER, The Official Games Magazine of Best Buy.

What is a hands on review?

Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. For more information, see TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee.