Kyocera Duramax ready to kickoff Sprint's Direct Connect service on October 2nd

All of the hullabaloo about Sprint's new CDMA-based Direct Connect service was not for naught, as the Now Network has finally confirmed that it will indeed be launching in a limited number of markets this upcoming Sunday, with broader expansion coming in early 2012. To get things started, however, the network ought to have a phone or two that have the tech built in, right? The Kyocera Duramax will receive the honor of being the very first phone to work with the new plans and will be a certified 810G military-standard clamshell handset with a 3.2MP camera, stereo Bluetooth, a 2.5mm headphone jack (not a typo) and a Dura-Grip rubber casing. What about the Kyocera Duracore and the Motorola Admiral? They're still forthcoming, but Sprint only mentions that both devices are coming out before the end of the year. The sooner the better here, because the lack of options can't possibly be a selling point for the brand new service. The nitty-gritty details are in the presser after the break.