SAN DIEGO - April 17, 2013 - 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. Kona will be available at Cricket company-owned stores and dealers nationwide and on www.mycricket.com beginning April 21 for only $59.99.
"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."
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."
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.
For more information about Cricket's dynamic service and device lineup, visit www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket's recent news and updates online, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at www.twitter.com/cricketnation.
About Cricket
Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts. Cricket offers nationwide wireless voice and mobile data services over high-quality, all-digital 4G LTE and 3G CDMA wireless networks. Cricket's innovative products and services, including the award-winning Muve Music® - the first music service designed for a wireless phone, are available nationwide at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.com. For more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com.
About Kyocera Communications Inc.
Kyocera Communications Inc. is the headquarters for Kyocera wireless devices in the Americas. Designed with durability, dependability, and long-term value as priorities, Kyocera mobile phones help people feel comfortable with new technology and use it to connect, perform and outsmart life's challenges. At the heart of Kyocera's products is a belief that one size doesn't fit all and that people should do more with phones instead of being confused by them or having to alter their lifestyles to accommodate them. For more information, follow the company at www.facebook.com/KyoceraMobile or www.twitter.com/kyoceramobile.
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2012, the company's net sales totaled 1.19 trillion yen (approx. USD14.5 billion). The company is ranked #426 on Forbes magazine's 2012 "Global 2000" listing of the world's largest publicly traded companies.
†IDC Research - http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23982813#.UUM-zxyG2Sp
© 2013 Kyocera. All rights reserved. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. Bluetooth mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG Inc. and any use of such mark is under license. All other marks are properties of their respective owners.
Cricket Communications
Greg Lund
phone: 858.882.9238
e-mail: glund@cricketcommunications.com
Kyocera Communications, Inc.
John Chier
phone: 858.882.3543
e-mail: john.chier@kyocera.com