Kyocera Strobe K612 / SwitchBack
Average Ratings
looks cute but SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am hiiiigggllyy disapointed in this phone.It is by far the worst cell phone i have ever ownned.I went into alltel two days ago and renewed my contract and got this phone.The alltel reps told me that it was a piece of crap before i got it but i didn't listen.All i saw was the cute outer shell and the keyboard.Don't let it fool you.Just two days later the screen goes blank flashing on and off and the keys are lighting up flashing on and off too.I tried to turn off the phone and it started to turn off and it stopped in the middle and would not stop making this god awfull noise!!!For the TWO days the phone did work the ringtones were not loud enough and
they sound HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!
IF I HAVE ANY ADVISE FOR YOU IT IS FOR YOU NOT TO GET THIS PHONE!!!!!!!!!
pros-though there are FEW but some.
for the two days it did work the keyboard was rather fun for texting and aol instant messanger.
cons-screen goes blank
ring tones have horrible quality
ringtones not loud enough
speaker phone sounds like you are in a cave-echos A LOT!!!
It's a sturdy reliable phone
I have had the Virgin Mobile Switchback for about 3 weeks and I like the phone very well.
This phone is great for aim, text and picture messaging. The call quality is good but in some places it could be better. The two screen idea is cool but you will find yourself finding the front screen is a little two small to work with.
The Pro's:
The phone has a great full keyboard, the keys are evenly spaces so you don't usually press the wrong key. It is perfect for messaging. The phone is actually pretty small even though it looks huge online. It is about the same size as my old flip phone when it is closed and just about as thick. It fits nicely in your hand and pocket. You can also download good quality songs, wallpapers,and screen-savers plus a few interesting extras like your own personal wake up call in the morning. Unlike a flip phone when you open and close the phone you won't lose what you were working on including a call. It has a camera with a flash. It also has a flashlight.
Con's
The phone's looped antenna is weird and looks strange. The front screen is very small and you will find yourself always opening it to do things. It comes with few and very odd ringtones,wallpapers,games, and screen-savers. It is also hard to get used to dialing the numbers on the front screen. The camera is just average and you can only zoom after you have taken a picture. You also can not take videos. The instant messaging only works with aim.
Overall the phone is a nice phone. It is cool to show off and text message. I would not get it for business. It is a phone that is mainly for teens who are into text and aim messaging
Kyocera strobe K612....very nice!
Love the phone! I text a lot and check email frequently. It's a great phone if you don't want to carry around a notebook like a palm treo. You have the option of getting the software to sync your computer with it. You can even surf the web on your laptop using the phone.
The signal is usually great, but I guess that depends on your cell phone Company. Mine is Alltel and I have yet to have a con on the way the phone works, but I have only had them for almost 4 months. Primarily it is used in Florida, but I travel a lot out of state and the signal is still very good. No dropped calls.
I also like that it is small enough to place anywhere..like my purse. I do not however, like the color. It is very male looking but designed for a female, with small buttons.. So if you have big hands this phone won't work for you. The speaker part of the phone is not as loud as I had hoped, but doable, since it is bluetooth enabled.
The features on the phone are also great. I can send text messages and record my own memo attached to it or a picture. The camera works good for a phone. The menu is easy to read and you can organize it the way you want. The way the phone-book works is great as well. I had never seen a phone that you just touch the button and lets you choose who you call. For example, if I press the #2 I can use the speed dial programed on it or press up/down for more contacts under abc. Downloading is also easy, especially the ring tones.
The most common problem I have had with the phone is the life of the battery, but since I am on the phone all the time it dies down quicker than most. There have been two incidents where the screen in the front froze for a couple of seconds. Kinda of annoying, but it has not done it since. The screen on the inside has no issues so far and keyboard works great.
Hope this was helpful!
Perfect for those who text
I bought this phone for my nephew. He was needing a cell phone so we decided on a pre-paid. I myself was with Virgin Mobile for close to 3 years before I finally broke down and went to sprint, but if it wasn't for the fact that I do SO much talking on my cell I would still be with Virgin. Now on to the phone...
I kept the phone for two weeks before handing it over to my nephew, right out of the box I was impressed. Don't let the online pictures fool you. It's small, curvy and fit well in the palm of my hand (I'm female, so I don't know how it would feel in a grown man's hands) wasn't too clunky and I had a much easier time talking on this phone than the sidekick. I didn't feel like I was talking into a psp. Measuring at just over 4 inches long and barely an inch thick it reminds me of most candy bar type phones.
I love that this phone opens up into a full keyboard. Too cute! The buttons are placed just far enough apart to keep you from pressing the wrong buttons. The menu was very easy to navigate, and all in all the entire phone is user friendly. Sound quality is good and the speaker sounds great. Reception ended up being better than I thought it would be, and I am now a fan of the loop style antenna.
The phone didn't come with much as far as wallpaper and screen-savers go. The ones it had was very dorky, same with the ringtones nothing to write home about. It doesn't have Bluetooth (at least the virgin mobile version doesn't) so that could be a let down for some. But when dealing with prepaid one probably wouldn't expect it anyways. Also I wish it had something more than AIM as far as chat goes.
Overall this is a great phone for someone who loves to text and wants a attractive yet durable phone. In my opinion it was money well spent.
waste of money!!!!!
i bought this phone bacause i liked the look and i knew some who had it and but i wasn't told anything bad about the phone. well now that i have it its the worst phone i ever had. the cuteness is whats its got going for it. but who cares about that if the phone doesn't work like it should. so now I'm hearing all the problems it has after i bought it. and this is my second one i replaced. and have to take it back in for a new one. cant buy a different phone yet. wish i could.
pros:
small
nice looking
open for keyboard
faster typing text
has a camera
cons:
-texting ur battery is gone
-sending pics sometimes don't work
-have to take battery out to make phone work at times
-little screen in front
-numbers don't line up to dial
-cant see more than one number at a time scrolling down.
-you have to back out the number ur in on the contacts screen to see the next
-phone n battery turns hot after a while
-when charging you cant turn sound off if you wanted
-screen and lights flick on n off
-phone turns itself on and off lots
-in the middle of a call or text or pic phone will turn off
-these phone crash with too much memory too fast.
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not worth it
okay, ive had this phone since xmas, and it looked fantastic! that little flip feature was great, and the fact that the keyboard works and kills time wilst texting/aim, but the phone doesnt like to stay off! i would literally turn it off, and all of a sudden out of the blue it would turn itself back on and tell me that aim would like to restart! now ive seen a lot of people that have said that the screen breaks on the drop of a hat, ive dropped this thing more times than i care to admit, but ive never had anything break on it for me, maybe it was just luck each time, picture messaging was impossible untill i called the provider and they said "its not an actual feature, but we can upload it for $$", yeah wasnt happy with that either, the fact that the lights go on randomly happened a lot too, for no reason at all, so here are some pros and cons
PROS: keyboard for good texting speed, real sound ringtones actually sound pretty good, games are pretty fun, voice dialing rules and the camera is decent speaker phone works rather well ( preferred it to normal ear to phone)
CONS: battery lasts about a day, if that, finding any gadgets for it seem utterly impossible, some keys dont register while typing (not just my phone, others around me have same problem) aim takes WAY too long to register, and also only lasts about 30mins of inactivity b4 it shuts the program down, keylock has times that it wont work and when its in my poket it will dial whatever number that my keys press, text message receiving delay of about 5+mins (30mins at one point!)
so the cons REALLY outweigh the pros, so, dont make the same mistake i did and dont get this phone!
I am extremely DISSATISFIED with this hunkajunk
I thought this would be a fantastic phone for texting; I thought horribly wrong after just one accidental drop. The internal display's crystals shattered, along with my hopes of having a durable phone. This phone does not have a good camera, or any way possible to connect to a computer to allow any form of customization. All in all, if you are thinking of owning a strobe, please think again. I would only recommend this to a frequent texter, but even then, it is extremely fragile. Avoid.
bad idea
If You have it or are talking about getting it don't,After about 1145 minutes of talk time the phone will start turning off and deleting your data.And it will start calling people from your phone book automatically.
GREAT QUALITY, HARD TO FIGURE OUT!
Not only does this phone look cool, it works great! If your not familiar with cell phones it may be difficult to figure out. I love that the inside has the letters set up like a keyboard. All of the ring tones that come with the phone are pretty cheesy. Arrangement of the key pad numbers on the front are odd and should be redone. It takes the best pics I have ever seen on a cell. Overall it's a fun phone with great reception and no problems. The biggest con is the difficulty of accessing menus etc. Needs more shortcuts. OUT OF ALL THE PHONES IVE HAD FROM METRO THE KYROCERAS HAVE BEEN THE BEST!
Not that bad
When I first read these reviews I wasn't sure if I was gonna get it..
I bought it used and it's only froze on me twice on a pic txt and has never had a spaz attack on me like others have complained about. Nor has it shut on and off by itself.
Definitely recommended for texters like me.
pros:
-keyboard is awesome and really easy to text.
-sturdy. i've dropped my phone TONS of times and hasn't left damage.
-button for key lock& vibrate on the front.
-speaker is pretty loud.
-battery life isn't that bad.
-timer, stopwatch, calculator, flashlight, alarm clock, and scheduler is really useful.
-you can change the default text for txting with the front of the phone.
-decent camera.
cons:
-all the buttons are kinda small.
-keys on the front wear away.
-sometimes it sends texts slow or will receive a text way later than it was originally sent.
-i get sucky reception when i'm in my house but everywhere else my bars shoot up.
-can't be on vibrate or silent when it's charging.
-have to have a password for voice mail which is kinda annoying.
...that's all i can think off.
Awesome phone. (=
