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Cricket Getting Kyocera Zio

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A carrier hasn’t yet been announced for the Kyocera Zio, but all signs are pointing to Cricket. In addition to the phone having the right bands and Cricket being a pretty good partner of Kyocera, HowardForums has been hiding some hints.

In the Cricket forum about “huge fundamental changes” leaked in February and rumored for March 9th, member yhike suggests (On March 3rd) they know of some upcoming Cricket phones:

New phones coming soon the kyo tap (touch screen), a410, 4t quarter Samsung two thumb and an android Sanyo Zio in 4 th quarter. Blackberry 8550 and Koycera Android both are coming in the summer.

They clearly mention a Kyocera android phone and although they also mention a Sanyo Zio, we’re guessing lines got crossed or names got changed and the Kyocera Zio was the intended result. After being encouraged to post pictures of the new phones, they did, and here is a picture of the gallery and the Kyocera Zio itself in the gallery:

cricket-zio

cricket-zio2

Notice the name of the gallery? Recognize the phone? Remember this conversation happened MUCH earlier in the month… I’m guessing Cricket will definitely end up getting the Zio and this is pretty good evidence.

[Thanks Melissa E!]

Rob Jackson
I'm an Android and Tech lover, but first and foremost I consider myself a creative thinker and entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for ideas of all sizes. I'm a sports lover who cheers for the Orange (College), Ravens (NFL), (Orioles), and Yankees (long story). I live in Baltimore and wear it on my sleeve, with an Under Armour logo. I also love traveling... where do you want to go?

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66 Comments

  1. What the hell is Cricket?

  2. a regional carrier. i think they’re mainly in the midwest/northern part of the us?

  3. @phoenix, they have it here in Raleigh, NC. About as east as you can get ^_^

  4. Cricket is based in San Diego California. Wiki it! :) I worked for then for a few years. Still have buddys there I talk too. One of my buddys told me there DEFINITELY gettin this Kyocera Android based phone. They’ve always had a good partnership. Cricket sells tons of there phones. This is going to broaden the Android platform by millions more! Way to go Kyocera on gettin Android to people that otherwise would have never afforded a smartphone :)

  5. A cheap ass phone service that they have here in san antonio

  6. finally cricket gets a decent phone, i flashed a sprint treo700wx to crickets bands and had no data(which was the only way to have a smartphone on an unlimited plan for $25 per month) i think ill stick with tmo for a bit longer

  7. what’s really interesting is that they’re headquartered in San Diego

  8. Cricket is in most major cities and they suck big time, I’m in Houston and had an old sprint phone flashed to Cricket and even though their plans are cheaper than dirt, the service is horrendous. I probably averaged 5-7 dropped calls a DAY. After I signed up with Tmobile they sent me letters to come back for like $14/month with the 1st month free and even that was too much to pay for their sucky service.

  9. Cricket service changed yeserday. They signed partnership agreements with 40 other carriers. Now there service is great!

  10. Some of you are wrong with your information… CRICKET IS NOW BIGGER THEN T-MOBILE AND BOOST MOBILE (nationwide coverage)!!! Cricket had announce yesterday that about their new coverage areas. “Kyocera” announced Cricket to carry the new “Zio” and they said possibly a few other company will carry that phone also. Cricket has announced Android phones and a black berry phone to come to be in their stores later this year.
    All of this information can be found on Cricket’s Leap Wireless website and also Kyocera’s website.

  11. I never knew there was a carrier called “Cricket” :D

  12. Cricket sux! Glad they can hey some android love.

  13. Cricket isn’t as bad as some of you think. The price for my unlimited talk, text, web etc is half of sprint’s for similar service. If you travel alot, then Cricket may not be for you. I save at least $600 a year, rarely drop a call and really have no complaints. I am very glad to hear about the new phone! I wanted an Android phone, but not the big company’s bill! Thanks for the info.

  14. cricket is the best for poor people because you can do prepaid many other poor stuff, we have it here in kansas city

  15. OMG people if you don’t know what Cricket is then look it up, it’s not that hard and Cricket is now NATION WIDE and larger than T-Mobile! I have them in Houston and found out that the service you get depends on your phone! I’ve had quite a few phones and so far I found out that their service DOESN’T suck but most of their phones do. I have a BB 8230 fully flashed and haven’t had a single dropped call in months.

  16. I had cricket, and it sucked. I recently switched to t-mobile. The phones and service are wayyyy better. :D

  17. I have had Cricket for quite some time and I love it. I have never had a problem with it and will definitely buy this phone if they do indeed start getting it. I have had T-Mobie and Sprint and Cricket is the best I have had. The customer service is awesome and hte service excellent! And it’s not for poor people, but for people who want good service and just don’t wish to pay a whole lot of money for cell phone service! I can afford to have any phone carrier I wish and Cricket is the one that works for me! I have had many of my friends ask me about Cricket and quite a few of them have switched. They may not have the phones that T-Mobile or Sprint has, but personally, I use my phone for talking and to get my emails when I need them. If I want to watch tv, that is why I have Direct TV and movies to watch at home.

  18. @Andy, If you think t-mobile is better than cricket, then you’re a flat-out idiot. That’s like a heterosexual that prefers a tranny.

  19. I’ve had Cricket service for 10 years in Nashville. It’s the best bargain going. If you aren’t using it your are just stupid. I pay $40.00 a month, get unlimited everything including nationwide talk,text, e-mail and now they are using Sprint towers so everywhere you have Sprint service you now have Cricket. The only downfall is they are slow at getting updated phones but now are finally getting touch screen android and blackberry so wise up people and check it out.

  20. Why do people argue over Cell Phone Carriers. Do you know you are only advertising for their companies. They don’t need commercials.Keep makin them millions while u sit at home hoping to get their next phone and uplifting certain companies. All service sucked in its beginnings. Fk T-mobile, Sprint, Cricket, Metro, Verizon, etc. You better worry about the SAR report on brain cancer from these carriers.

  21. I agree with Tela I have never had problems with Cricket. Ive had Sprint and T-Mobile and Cricket is the best Ive had. I had to pay $250.00 to get rid of Sprint I ran away from it. Cricket is better, with Sprint I had the exact the same thing, but with $50 less unlimited everything. When I went to Virginia I was the only one that could talk from my room all my friends had to leave their rooms.

  22. like someone above mentioned, a lot depends on the phone device you own. i had t-mobile before and i have found cricket to give a better coverage, but then again, the phone i have is better that the junkie one i had with t-mobile.

    as for savings, cricket is definetively a better option. i have been anywhere in california , arizona, new mex and i haven’t had any issue. i haven’t taken it to the east, but will see how it goes this coming summer….

    with cricket, the only thing i can say is, so far, so good.

  23. I live in Las Vegas and have Cricket. I have the cheapest phone they have right now ($5 with a mail in rebate) but now they’re getting an Android Phone and I am really excited. I recently got into a Tech position so i’ll need a phone that can make my job easier. Even though it’s not as flashy as Samsung or any other manufacturers, it is awesome for people with bad credit lol. If you get what you pay for, I will definitely be happy with the price they’re advertising. Also, in the Las Vegas area, Cricket is an exceptional carrier, BUT, I wish they had discounts for current customers. I’ll probably have to pay, if not full price, a very miniscule discount.

  24. I have had the Cricket service for almost two years, and have NOT had ONE dropped call that was Cricket’s fault…I don’t know where some of you scrubs are getting your information, but is is bunk nonsense…

  25. Cricket is better than T-Mobil and 1/2 the $$.
    I paid off my morgage with the price diference.
    Suckers all paying 2x what I pay with Cricket now I have no mortgage ha! :-) ZERO DEBT.

  26. Hi,
    My name is Cody Chilton I have been in management for 10 yrs and have worked with AT&T and TMobile. I currently am a General Manager for Cricket Wireless in St.Louis. I wanted to comment on a few things that people have said. Maybe i can clear up the confusion. First of all CRICKET does not use SPRINT towers!! Cricket uses their own PRL (Preferred Roaming List) They have their own towers. The service that Cricket provides just went nationwide March 23rd 2010. If you are an old customer you need to get into a cricket dealer asap and switch over to the nationwide serivce. YOUR PHONE WILL NOT SWITCH TO NATIONWIDE IF YOU ARE A PREVIOUS CUST BEFORE MARCH 23rd! You have to go in to have it done. Cricket is the fastest growing cell phone service ever. They have the best plans offer the most features and provide everything that other cell phone comapnies have + more. The only thing other companies have on Cricket is the quality of their phones which Cricket is already in the process right now to change that. Kyocera announced the Kyocera Zio to be released sometime in the summer time julyish. It will be coming to Cricket Wireless. Other carries are not available to carry the Zio. Cricket now has more coverage the TMOBILE and BOOST efffective March 23rd 2010. If you need a coverage map ill be happy to email one. If you wanna call people that wanna save money just to use a phone to call someone else poor then i call you an idiot. Why would you wanna pay 100 + dollars to talk to your friends and family and surf the internet? Thats insane. Even with the new Zio coming out you can get on a 40.00/month plan(Which is UNLIMITED everything) and add data for 15.00 and 5.00 for insurance and taxes your look at less than 80.00 a month for a ANDROID phone with unlimited everything on it. Come on!! if thats poor then i am POOR as hell!! Thanks

  27. i use to have cricket but i switch to T-mobile thinking it was a good which its not. alltel always over charges me on my bill. it recently was 186$ which is crazy due to the fact that i do not even buy apps or any thing to make the price go up and i do not go over my min. i been looking in to geting cricket again but i want a nice phone. so my question is when will the kyocera zio come out? will it be avalabe in NM?

  28. alright look here people. i’ve had cricket before i switched to at&t. i only switched because their phones were under par compare to other cell phone companies. everyone else was coming out with better cameras and silder phones with these new improved storage space. however while cricket did not have this, they did have some of the best coverage i’d ever had while in houston. i also switched to at&t because cricket didnt have nationwide and now they do. which means they probably have the best coverage in the US now. this android they are getting is the start of them getting ready to take over the cell phone business. whos honestly gonna pay $100 to $200 of dollars just to use few functions of their andriod when with cricket you’ll be using all driod functions for $80-90? you’d have to be a pompus fool to refuse such a deal. i myself will be switching to cricket next year when my contract with at&t ends and i will be claiming one of these Zio’s for myself.

  29. Cricket is the best service ive had in a long time…….its cheap and believe me, when u are living on one check a month cricket really helps……….its cheap and reliable…..I live in nashville.. so everywhere u go in Nashville has service and i have also traveled the country all the way to mississippi…i got roaming in mississippi….so Cricket is not bad at all so stop freaking bitching about cricket people and save some money.

  30. Cricket is a medium sized carrier that’s really big around where I live. I’ve always been intrigued by their contract-less service, but the lack of smartphones is a bit of a turn off.

    I really wish Cricket would get with Google and get the Nexus One… that would be worth switching for. I am not sure how the Zio stacks up, but if it’s a slug I may have to pass.

  31. I’m out here in sunny California and Cricket is all good on mine. People will clown you for having Cricket, but in reality they are just hating. I hardly get any dropped calls–ever. Sometimes I may have to send a text twice for the person to get it but hey…for an average of about $42 bucks a month for my bill…I will take that ALL DAY. Most of the fools out here with T-Mobile/Sprint/Verizon have cell phone bills around 125-150 buck$ a month–**** that. And I really wanna know the exact date that Android phone will be at Cricket because I will be there to grab one…the money I have saved being with Cricket has basiclly bought that new phone…and I love the no contract part.

  32. what part of july is the droid expected? early, mid, end i also heard about the blackberry comin in august.

  33. Well actually for all of u that just like to talk smack, cricket expanded their coverage in march. they are now nationwide because they signed contracts with all the other carriers to be able to use their towers and get full service. And yes the new phones are coming out by the end of july. How do i know this? cuz i work for cricket. i have cricket myself and i never ever get droped calls. All u guys are just paying too much money for ur service with a contract that never ends cuz if u end it ull have to pay a shit load of money! unlike me i pay 45 dollars a month for unlimited everything, no contracts, no credit checks and now when the new droid comes out ill have a better phone so HA to all u haters.

  34. I’ve had cricket for many months now..& my family & i enjoy it! I used to have T-mobile but i couldnt afford it..good thing i changed to criket. And now im very excited that the Kyocera Zio is going to come out soon!!

  35. DJDEMOND needs to start a “PEOPLE WILL CLOWN YOU FOR HAVING CRICKET” Facebook page! I’m sure lots would join! I was in the thicket of Arizona mountains all weekend add had 5 bars on my Samsung Jetset phone from Heber, Arizona. After talking with 611 (Customer Service) and doing *228 to reset the area, it worked great! Can’t wait for the Zio!

  36. Well, I’m so glad to hear about this! I moved to NC last year and decided to get cricket because Alltel/Verizon, was charging me out the ass for charges I wasn’t even making! So I bought a blackberry curve and got it flashed because I needed a smart phone for my job. Even though I don’t have service when I go out of town, I have been patient, and now this phone is coming out! I’m very excited. Cricket is definitely about to get a lot of my money lol cause I’m getting me and my 2 kids one for they birthday and they will be 9. Too much? Maybe, but I love my kids and we love cricket!

  37. I am an employee at cricket and have discussed with my corporate supervisor that we will recive these phones no later than mid August. I have a meeting next WED. so I’ll update on what they let me know. Await for these phones, ohh and they will sell fast.

  38. I also have Cricket and I too love it ! Works all the time.
    i have a Samsung Delve I flashed over. I talk more about it here http://bit.ly/bHUxvB

  39. Hello folks!

    I switched to criKet® about two years ago. I’ve had no issues with the service they provide. The only issue is lame outdated phones that’s the only issue, I was actually looking to switch to a carrier with smartphones in their line up, but just found out that they will release news phones which includes a couple of smart phones. Can’t wait!!! I use to be with tmo and had a G1 that came with a high bill, now I pay for three phones with unlimited everything for the price of one onE tmo!!! I’m very poor!!!!!!

  40. Hi Folks,
    I work for Cricket and the Kyocera ZIO (Android) and Blackberry 8530 is launching 2nd August 2010 with new rate plans on August 3rd…. I can assure you that the phones are good and rate plan for ZIO is $55 and Blackberry is $60. The best part is that these rate plans give you unlimited everything!! And to add, with the new rate plans Cricket has removed almost all fees (late, reinstatement, activation etc.). All you pay is the price you pick (e.g. $55 for ZIO plus local tax) and that’s it for unlimited everything…. we know that tax needs to be paid but look at the bill… ZIO (Android) for less than say $65/month (including tax) with unlimited everything…. that’s the biggest thing…….
    For info… Blackberry rate plan is $60 with unlimited everything…..!!!! That’s half of what other carriers charge…. (for both plans)
    As for the dropped calls and Coverage… Cricket is a National Carrier and has covers area bigger than most other carriers… oh.. to ensure phone works when travelling you need to dial *228 to provision the phone and you will not have a complaint- its that simple….

  41. Correction there… sorry about the date folks… the ZIO (android) and Blackberry’s launch date is August 6th…. I was able to get a hands on experience of both the phones being launched by Cricket….Zio is surprisingly light… and has pretty good features…. and the Blackberry is amazing….

  42. correction there… sorry about the dates folks… the launch date for both the ZIO (android) and Blackberry is set to August 6th…. I was able to get a hands on experience of both the phones…..

  43. What are the prices of the new Zio & Blackberry phone?

  44. I live in D.C. area and cricket’s service is pretty damn awesome. They are a up and coming wireless contender. I worked for Verizon damn near 5 years and payed more for the NAME than the service. When it comes down to it, i switched to them and yes they have spottie areas but doesn’t everyone. I would rather pay $55 a month with unlimted EVERYTHING and get a pretty decent phone service than pay over a $1oo dollars a month with and still be getting nickel and dime by the big boys. Not to mention the contract is month to month and you never get hit with a contract cancel fee for $180.00 I love cricket and will keep using them as they keep progressing as a company. Have fun paying out the A$$ for your phone service ……

  45. Well… the ZIO is priced at $249.99 and Blackberry at @299.99……. Blackberry may seem complicated for those who have not used Blackberry before but once you get a hang of it the phone feels awesome…. no wonder some consider Blackberry a status symbol. Feel free to ask any questions (from features, troubleshooting, to using the phone to its optimum) … I will be happy to help. Cricket offers $5 discount on monthly bill for any additional lines you add to the account (e.g. you can have your phone number and a phone number of a family member added to same account)- this includes Broadband connection (if you have/want)- you could add upto five lines to same account.

  46. Well the ZIO is priced @ 249.99 and Blackberry @299.99. Again remember that android and blackberry phones are known for data usage so Cricket is the only Carrier to offer unlimited features at flat rate plans (no hidden charges, no increase in monthly bill). Oh.. also to mention that Cricket launches new True rate plans on august 3rd- it means there are not hidden charges (e.g. no reinstatement fees if you pay your bill late, not regulatory fees passed to customers, no activation fees- Cricket is taking the the ownership of bearing the cost of regulatory fees on behalf of customers). Feel free to ask any questions and I will be happy to help.

  47. R San! When Is The Blackberry coming out for cricket? I know in August but it would be very awesome if you can give me an actual date!
    Also will the Blackberry have that Carbon back like the one from Verizon or the plastic like the one from AT&T ?

  48. Okay R San I scrolled up and read what you put yesterday but I still want to know about the battery cover. Also can I keep the plan I have now and get the blackberry or do I have to get a new plan?

  49. Are those the prices if you get a new account? I know prices are diffenet if already have an account & want to upgrade to a new phone.

  50. To the ppl that said they flashed their phones from another carrier and the service sucked, that’s the point right there! You would have perfect service like me if you actually had a phone from Cricket! I’m really looking forward to a new touchscreen phone cuz my EvOke is not an ideal touchscreen phone.

  51. r san i see the blackberry but when is zio coming i want man

  52. when is the rio cuming out plz i have been waitin for 3months and i need a nice phone now plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz tell me when the acually date is am tired of waitin lol… this is very important plz

  53. Hi, my name is u shoudlnt know but anyway i have the circket phone its called cricket messanger 1 and its unmileted talk text web and all the other cool stuff the only thing thts not free is the ringtones u gotta pay but tht and its 25-35 dollars a month my friend got the newer verison of the cricket samsung messanger 2 her is the same but mines doesnt coem with video and cam only messanger 2 her plan is 35 dollars a mothn i think circket is the best all those other stuff knwo everyone should be with cricket as far as i like now is the iphones r good and cricket nothing else GOOOO CRICKET AYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CRICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT PEOPEL GET CRICKET ITS THE BEST PLZZZZZZZZ TRY IT

  54. I have had Cricket service from Sept 2009. Plans are the best available but the main problem I have had is with their Customer Service. First they were unable to make my unlocked CECT-V1000 to work within their network as they don’t know how to convert internationally acclaimed IMEI to the oldest ESN based system. But the worst issue I have had is that international SMS stops working when I changed my cell phone number. Mr GUEVARA, manager for the company’ store in Gaithersburg-MD, has tried his best to address my problem. Escalation to Technical Support never worked and he keeps just crediting me $5/month!

  55. Hey when is the new ZIO phone coming out? Cuz it doesnt appear on mycricket.com only the blackberry.

    Is there a price difference if you already have a cricket account?

  56. The zio is already in the website- mycricket.com
    & soon will be coming soon in stores..(:
    I LOVE CRICKET.!!

  57. I was about to go out and buy the Blackberry; but went on Crickets website tonight(8/17/10) and the ZIO is now available for Pre0rder and should ship by August 21th. Has anyone heard any reviews of this new phone?

  58. i can’t wait. :)

  59. Man if you havent heard of cricket you better ask somebody about them, i have had them for 4 years now and the service is great for what you pay and what you get, i have unlimted talk, text and internet, and cant think of one dropped call, and they are getting big i mean big, the giants of the mobile world better watch out att, verison,sprint and all of the rest better watch out because this company is about to corner the industry…
    im gonna go all the way with them. WISH I COULD BUY SOME STOCK IN THEM..

  60. I have read every comment on here about Cricket. I had Cricket for 6 years before I left and went to Sprint,because I did not want anyone to know that I was with Cricket. How stupid was that. I never had any problems with them and I was always able to pay my bill. Went to Sprint and could never pay my bill on time. I have actually gone back to Cricket as of May 2010. I got the Zio on September 15, 2010 and I am loving it. It is a TRUE Android phone. Looks like I will stay with Cricket for the next 6 years.

  61. I have been a Cricket customer for a few years now. And I have seen them get better and better with their cell service. I’ve always had problems with other cell phone companies nothing is ever perfect, but Cricket has come very close to it in my eyes. Best service I have had when it comes to prices and availability. And the Zio is great. I’ve had it for a few days now…I think it’s become attached to me. ;-P

  62. I’ve been with Cricket since 2004 and have never had any problems with service. I don’t care what people may say about Cricket, I love them and having a $55/mo plan is beyond words. And when I travel I don’t have to worry about not having service. Oh and I <3 my Android!

  63. I own this phone and it is nothing but horrible. The screen lags; you can only use one finger at a time; there are miss strokes all the time. If you swipe left or right sometimes it will go up and down. Kyocera and Cricket Customer Service are impossible to work with to get an upgrade to 2.0. The phone freezes often and you have to hard boot it. The screen will time out for no reason at all no matter how long you have the screen time out set for. The soft keys only light up on start. There is a constant flashing green light you can never get rid of. For your money, the best thing to do to save you all of these headaches and more that i didn’t mention, you should find an actual Android phone and not consider either “droid” phone cricket has available.

  64. Cricket is great. Unlimited minutes, internet and text for $50 a month is what i get here in chicago. No dropped calls.

    Sure, they only have a couple smartphones….so far. But I use my phone mainly to make phone calls….imagine that!!!!

    Theres also no contract, I can end the service at anytime. Simply don’t pay your bill and your service ends….I had Sprint for almost ten years. My contract finally ended about two years ago, I switched to cricket and have not looked back. I think eventually cricket will be one of the biggest phone providers in the nation, they will get better smartphones also.

    Why pay more than fifty bucks a month for service, when you can get unlimited useage…..fuck that…I’ll stick with this service, and eventually They’ll come out with a phone that kicks ass.

  65. Yeah, I’ve been with Cricket ever since they came to Little Rock, AR. It started out sort of crappy, with reception being very poor in some areas. But, where I lived, the service was very good, so I stayed with them.

    Cricket has really come a long way actually. They are now nation wide, but, you are still going to get a lot of “Dead Zones” if you are traveling. But most cities are covered in the USA.

    They now have the smart phone. Which is super awesome. I’ve been saying that the only reason AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and all them have all the customers, is because they have the latest Bells, and whistles, and as soon as carriers like Cricket, start getting them too, it would be over.

    I get a dropped call every now and then, but everyone does. When I say every now and then I mean like once or twice a month. But, I have noticed, that though the service is unlimited, I believe there is a silent limit on the length of the phone call. Cause I get cut off at excatly 1 hour and 30 minutes, I’ve been on the phone talking to my girlfriend, and it drops the call at excatly 1 hour and 30 minutes.

    So, whatever, it is still the best deal around. I use it for my home phone too, and it is all I need.

    I do wish they would hurry up and update the Android software. That would be nice.

  66. I have only ever had cricket for a cell phone. My first year I log 50,000+ hrs. I have land in Goldendale WA and Up in the pass. No one has cell service but I do and can text to my heart is content. I have No power and no water but I have Cricket

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