Apr 17, 2013

Kyocera Kona Flip Phone To Be Available From Cricket

Cricket Communications and Kyocera Communications, Inc. today announced the launch of the Kyocera Kona, a compact and stylish flip phone that delivers a solid, basic feature set at an extremely attractive price. Kona has a spacious keypad with large, separated keys and large font options for easy viewing.

"With our media-driven society, it's easy to lose perspective on just how many people out there still want to use their mobile phones to simply make calls, send text messages and have basic data connectivity," said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket. "With simplified rate plans and a variety of devices, Cricket and Kyocera continue to provide strong options for the many consumers out there who view a mobile phone as a means of staying in touch."

Kyocera Kona

According to IDC Research, 2013 is the first year that smartphone sales will outpace feature phone sales globally. Still, nearly half of the phones purchased this year will be flip phones and other non-smartphone devices for people who crave simplicity and affordability.

"While smartphones tend to get the lion's share of notoriety, there are still millions of people looking for affordable, reliable feature phones paired with simple, flat-rate service," said Eric Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of global sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications. "Whether it's waterproofing, QWERTY keypads, rugged devices or feature phones, Kyocera's success is built largely on meeting the needs of these market segments that don't get the attention or the options they want or deserve."

While smartphones tend to get the lion's share of notoriety, there are still millions of people looking for affordable, reliable feature phones paired with simple, flat-rate service.

The Kyocera Kona can be activated on any one of Cricket's monthly feature-phone service-plan options starting at only $35 per month for unlimited talk and text within the United States. Cricket service plans feature all-inclusive pricing with no service fees and no overage charges. For customers, that means a predictable monthly bill, regardless of increasing usage, offered at a price point that fits into a value-conscious budget.

Kyocera Kona is a CDMA2000 1X-Advanced flip phone featuring a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT LCD internal color display as well as a 1.44" TFT LCD color external display. Capturing life's candid moments is a snap with Kona's 2-megapixel camera with zoom, and photos are transferable to PC via high-speed USB 2.0. Calls can safely be taken over Bluetooth (2.1 + EDR) wireless technology or via the 3.5mm headset jack. With an 870mAh Li-Ion battery, Kona is a compact 3.94 x 2.05 x 0.68 in. and weighs only 3.7 ounces.