- Flip open to reveal full QWERTY keyboard, dual LCD screens; includes 1.3-megapixel camera for still photos
- Pay for only the calling time you use with Virgin Mobile’s minutes or monthly plans–no annual contract required
- Send text/picture messages and chat using AOL/Yahoo! services with optional service; download games and ringtones
- Up to 195 minutes of talk time, up to 150 hours of standby time
- Includes: Battery and Charger
Amazon.com Product Description
Get ready for high-powered messaging, email, chat, and a whole lot more with the ingeniously designed Kyocera Wild Card. An update to the popular SwitchBack, the phone looks like just another candybar style handset. Flip it open, though, and you’ve got a QWERTY keyboard and a large internal display. It’s also one of the first handsets available from Virgin Mobile with Bluetooth wireless connectivity for communication headsets. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, mobile web browsing, and mobile IM and email capabilities (via AOL and Yahoo!). It runs on the 1900 MHz CDMA network with Virgin Mobile’s prepaid service, which requires no annual contract.
The Kyocera Wild Card opens up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard for easy emails, IM chats, and text messaging. See an overview of the phone’s interior. |
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Virgin Mobile Service
With Virgin Mobile, you pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a plan that’s based just on minutes (with rates between 10¢ and 20¢ per minute) or a monthly plan with no annual contract (with select plans offering unlimited calling on weekends and after 7pm on weekdays). You can also choose from a variety of mobile messaging plans, which includes text and picture messaging, email, and IM (via AOL and Yahoo!). Virgin Mobile USA’s national coverage is powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network.
Virgin Mobile contributes 5 percent of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless teens, as well as provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.
Phone Features
The Wild Card’s face features a large, 1.5-inch 65K-color screen with a 128 x 128-pixel resolution. You’ll also find a dialpad here and a five-way center button that controls most of the phone’s on-screen menus. Flip the phone open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, another five-way center button, and call control buttons. The design allows for calling functions to be performed with the phone open or closed. A horizontally oriented 1.8-inch screen (with a 160 x 128-pixel resolution and 65K colors) is placed above the keyboard between the phone’s dual speakers. It can hold up to 500 personal contacts, with six numbers as well as fields for email, street addresses, URL, and notes.
Because the Wild Card is Bluetooth enabled, wireless communication headsets can be configured with the phone. It also incorporates a jack for an earphone as well as a speakerphone for total hands-free operation.
Support for basic text messaging and multimedia messaging (MMS) are built into the Wild Card. When used in combination with the phone’s built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging chat is also supported, thanks to an embedded AOL Instant Messenger client. A built-in wireless web browser lets you surf Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 2.0 sites via the Virgin Mobile Web service. eZiText text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit– a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
A number of handy tools ship with the Wild Card, including an alarm, a calendar, and a calculator with a tip calculator. There’s also a voice memo application for recording quick notes or numbers.
The built-in 1.3-megapixel camera captures great stills and comes equipped with an LED flash, multi-shot adjustment, and a self-timer. Because the Wild Card supports Java applications it is compatible with many Java-based games. Many games are available from Virgin Mobile’s wireless download service. You can also customize the phone with custom graphics and wallpapers, many of which are also available from Virgin Mobile.
The phone fully supports Virgin Mobile’s wireless content service, VirginXtras. Use the pay-per-use service to download ringtones, get content and vote in TV-based polls via the MTV area of your phone, or get jokes and updates from Comedy Central. Pick a celebrity voice to answer your voicemail, or get a Sponge Bob thought of the day.
Vital Statistics
The Kyocera Wild Card weighs 4.1 ounces and measures 3.94 x 1.97 x 0.79 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 195 minutes of talk time, and up to 150 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 1900 frequency.
Kyocera Wildcard Prepaid Phone
I was expecting that Wildcard will have a huge difference from the Switchback.
Everything are complicated and it is difficult to configure there Bluetooth.
The operating system is almost the same at the Switchback and the graphics still sucks.
What is the concept of putting a lot of keyboard on the phone if there’s only has few functions.
I can’t imagine that Wildcard always freeze and hang most of the time.
I have no idea why Virgin Mobile USA has a very poor servive and products compare to Virgin Mobile Canada that sells most of the latest Cellphones.
I am really dissapointed all of your cellphones looks like disposable cellphones.
Rating: 1 / 5
This phone has a nice set of features and an almost usable keyboard. Unfortunately, it is new, and it is possessed. Things you configure randomly unconfigure themselves or turn off or on. I attribute it to buggy firmware, but I cannot get any useful help from Virgin Mobile after literally hours of time on the phone and numerous emails. I will return it due to the poor customer support. The camera phone is decent, but the colors are off. In comparison to the other long review, this phone does occasionally lock up and also randomly drains the battery to zero in standby after a half-day.
Finally, beware if you are new to Virgin Mobile. The signal is terrible (and I do not live out in the boondocks–think top-ten largest cities in the US). I only tolerate the dismal service because it is cheap and this is more of an emergency-use phone. Unfortunately, the extra features of the WildCard do not make up for the bugs and frustration. Considering the equivalent monthly fee, don’t expect any help from VM because for a few bucks a month, they don’t care.
Rating: 2 / 5
I haven’t had this phone for 30 days, and it somehow already broke on one of the hinges. Keep in mind there’s no warranty, so you can’t just trade in for a new phone. Basically, I have to buy a new one all over again.
Rating: 3 / 5
I tried to e-mail them for questions, and they don’t answer you, or they put you off for weeks! I would never buy a cell phone from them. I have never encountered such a horrible company.Someone had purchased this phone after stealing my credit card info from a on-line purchase from a company I do not know…yet. Thanks Virgin Mobil for NOT helping me find the company who stole my CC info.
Rating: 1 / 5
I bought this phone for my son who absolutely loves it. I’ve actually put my own phone on the side to use his instead!! The sound quality is excellent. Not a single dropped call. The images on the screen are nearly as good as our computer monitor! The full keyboard is easy to use. With all the extras that are available from Virgin, why get locked into a monthl contract! Highly recommend for anyone who wants a full service phone with internet access, camera and music player! Good alternative to the iPhone for about a third of the price!
Rating: 5 / 5