By Cricket’s finally announced pricing and availability for their newest Android phone – the Sanyo Zio by Kyocera – and has opened up the floodgates for pre-ordering. If you enjoy Cricket’s low-cost, easy-on-the-wallet service, this phone’s price might make you just as happy: it’ll only cost $249.99 off contract.
Let’s be clear: you’re not getting a superphone or anywhere near close for that price, but it is one of the cheapest Android phones we’ve seen released in the states to date and is worth a look or two of Cricket’s other phones aren’t doing it for you. It comes with a 3.5-inch WVGA display, a 600 MHZ Qualcomm processor, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and Android 1.6 with plans to upgrade it to 2.1 or higher later on.
$55 per month for unlimited everything on a phone that can truly take advantage of the web certainly sounds like a steal to me. Head on over to Cricket‘s site now to get started.
[via Android & Me]
Wow that’s not bad. Cricket is finally picking it up and maybe one day it’ll be the best phone company haha.
But I love my nexus one and nothing could make me leave it.
Wow … $55 dollars for unlimited everything is great deal as long as the quality of service does not suck.
Cricket is CDMA.
once someone gets it to work on pageplus or verizon- count me in.
I’ve been a cricket customer for almost 4 yrs, and I was planning on leaving them because they were not nationwide, then a few months ago , a rep told me they were going nationwide. I had the same phone for 3 years and I was palning toleave cricket because they did not have any new technology phone such as, blackberry and Droid, the I was told a few weeks that they are getting both those phones, so therefore I am fully convinced to stay with them now. I will be ordering my Android soon!!!
I meant “planning to leave”
Ok, Something smells fishy here if this phone is no smart then neither is the G1, its comparable. I digress, what smells fishy is that isn’t this the same company that was selling the Moto RAZR last year for $379 is this phone solid? something smells rotten here……..
My dad had Cricket for a while and he said they charged around $20 in just taxes and fees. $55 would be a good deal, but you’ll never see that on your bill.
$20 in taxes and fees sounds right for a $55 service plan. Check your own phone bill and see how much the government takes. Cricket doesn’t charge anything other than what the government mandates for all mobile lines of service.
Your dad was wrong I pay $52 after taxes for the $45 plan and I am currently using the HTC Droid Eris on it just like I used it on Verizon.
I had no idea Kyocera bought out Sanyo mobile.. learn something new everyday I guess
Umm nothing fishy with Cricket in the DC Metro area
I had Cingular for 2 yrs and my avg extra charges ranged from $15 – $25
Verizon was the MOST my bill was almost $180 with teh Blackberry Wolrd edition phone
Tmobile was okay but charge about $30 extra
My cricket bill for the last year and a half has consistantly been $53.64 on a $45 plan – unlimited everything!
U guys are dumb not to buy this phone and upgrade if u dont already have Cricket – Everyone else gets away with rape everyday SO i understand this too good to be true – but its the TRUTH!
Actually, Cricket’s new plans (including the $55 Android plan) include Telecom Taxes and Regulatory Recovery Fees. You only pay sales tax.
(Actually, Cricket’s new plans (including the $55 Android plan) include Telecom Taxes and Regulatory Recovery Fees. You only pay sales tax)
CORRECT. if only people would read instead of listing to others yap about stuff they dont know anything about.
I was on the verge of leaving cricket, I’ve had them for about a year and I had been looking to purchase a smart phone. Just yesterday I was browsing there website when I came across the new Android and then I saw the rate plan. Needless to say I was sold and I have already pre-ordered my new phone, Thank you Cricket, somebody in coorporate is thinking!!!!!! I’ll keep you all updated on how it works.
Andrei do your homework:
CDMA has been traditionally faster than GSM, though both technologies continue to rapidly leapfrog along this path. Both boast “3G” standards, or 3rd generation technologies.
Actually the plans have changed and you only pay state taxes.. no more fees or late fees. I pay $45 a month and it comes out to be $48
They just sent me a text saying no more late fees,
PLEASE REFUND ALL THE ONES YOU ALREADY GAUGED ME WITH OR OFFER ME SERVICE CREDIT,
(or do you need to be faced with a Wells Fargo type class action lawsuit)
THANK YOU
I hope the Zio is a major disruption in cell phone market. Consumers today are getting gouged by the cell companies. They are out to see how much money they can extract from the consumer. The only real downside is that the Zio only runs Android OS 1.6. My guess is that this will be fixed fairly quickly
Now that Cricket is scheduled to run on Sprint network they can compete well enough to scare the competition
I work for Cricket and the moto Razr was never 379 dollars and we have what is called true rate plans now which means just state taxes. The plan for this phone is less then 60 bux after taxes. I played with this phone and it reminds me of the G1. I think its a step up for Cricket but dont expect anything close to the super phones that are out there.
Ps i dont see how this device will ever handle 2.1 but I will be happy to see it get the update(if it does)
i am wondering if u have the $55 android plan and you are in the nation wide plan sharing thing if it charges u, or is that just fro the contract plans?
Can this phone get the same apps as the orig. Verizon droid?
There will never be a Android update for this phone. Cricket never stated one nor did kyocera . This is just a rummor that was started and it will never happen.
There will never be a Android update for this phone. Cricket never stated one nor did kyocera . This is just a rummor that was started and it will never happen. Stop the rummors and spread the real truth. thanks
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.
I have the Sanyo Zio from cricket. I dont have any problems with it other than the fact it only has android 1.6. I think its a very good deal (both upfront cost and monthly wise) that most people will love. Obviously, the hard core androiders aren’t going to like it because of the few limitations.
Ok, I’ve seen this response from “rod” pasted into several of the Zio M6000 comments… and I must say the comments from “rod” show that he obviously has no experience with CricKet or the Zio.
The Zio comes with v1.6 from CricKet, but is being upgraded to 2.x in January 2011 (scheduled release). Their Huawei has already upgraded to 2.0 or higher. The delay on the Zio is NOT CricKet’s fault… it is because Kyocera has to modify the OS to their specs. I have a Zio from Sprint (company phone) and it is an awesome phone once you get the OS to v2.x.
I have not had any experience with “freezing up” on either Zio, but given the fact that the Zio has a smaller processor than the HTC EVO, and does not have a separate video processor like the HTC Epic, IF you are trying to run dozens of multiple apps and Pandora, or other music streaming service, it could cause the unit to “freeze” due to processor and RAM limitations.
Certain apps will mess with the screen timer, but changing the timer to “never turn off” will solve the problem, but you’ll have to manually push the sleep button or drain your battery. This no different than my older HTC Touch Pro. You have to set it to never sleep, and manually sleep and wake-up the phone with the power button; this is not an app problem, it is a Windows Mobile 6.1 problem!
As for the green light… that means you have an unread email/message/voice-mail/missed call/calendar event/etc. “rod”, if you bothered to read your manual (page 23), you would KNOW THIS!
Trust me, the ZIO is a REAL Android phone, and is as solid as any other manufacturer’s ‘Droid. Kyocera makes a reliable phone (had my Kyocera K323P for 3 years, never failed to function).
If you want an Android phone, and don’t want to deal with the major carriers’ contracts… get the Zio! Mine runs me $63/month which includes $55 for the plan, $5 for insurance, and $3 for sales tax! My son has a regular Sprint account for his Samsung Intercept Android phone, and his monthly bill is never the same, and never less than $110.
My husband and I left Tmobile after 6 years to switch over to CriKet. We both bought the Zio.
The only issue we’ve had so far is this: My husband downloaded some free ringtones from the app marketplace. After he installed one of the ringtones, his ringtone now only plays for 3 seconds and then the phone says who is calling. He tried taking the ringtone off and using on of the preloaded android ringtones, but that didn’t fix it either. So he gets 3 seconds of music ringtone and then in an annoying robotic voice the voice says “call from person that is calling” over and over. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Other than that we love the phones!!! My husbands 69 yr old mom even liked it better than her tmobile and she went and bought the zio!
Shannon –
The answer you seek is on page 30 of the manual:
Voice Ringer
Your phone will speak the information of an
incoming caller.
1. Touch Menu > Settings > Text to speech.
2. Touch Speak incoming caller ID to check
it.
• If the number is saved in Contacts, the
Contacts name will be read.
• If the caller ID is saved, it will be read.
• If the number is only available, it will
be read.
• If music is assigned as a ringtone, it
will be played.
I hope this helps…
I just opened an account with Cricket and I have to warn you, when you call customer service their voice menu system will leave you banging your head against a wall. It is impossible to reach a human operator and the canned responses are very limited. The usual tricks to escape voice menu hell such as pressing 0 or # over and over will just lead to the system saying, “I don’t understand your response. Please call back later.” Then it hangs up on you.
I’ve been digging everywhere to find info on the upgrade, but alas, everyone seems to have opinions, and nothing in the way of facts regarding OS version and date for the release. Even info from Kyocera and Cricket originally said 2.1 in Q4 2010. Lately, the only info we get from Kyocera or Cricket is Q1 2011 and no confirmation on the version….
FINALLY, info I “think” I can trust…. I was in the local store today, my good friend behind the counter said the Zio’s OS upgrade to 2.2 (Froyo) is scheduled to begin regional release on 2/24/11. I can only assume the mid-week release will allow them through the weekend to push the updates and have them completed across the country by 3/1. Notice the upgrade to 2.2 is higher than Sprint’s Zio, which is currently running 2.1 (Eclair)
Now, for those of you still on the fence regarding Cricket service…. yes, CricKet has an agreement with Sprint… anywhere you get Sprint service, you get full service on your CricKet phone! Yes, CricKet’s customer service is lacking… but then again have you tried to discuss any problems with your billing or service with AT&T lately?? Given the choice of calling AT&T customer service with a problem and having my arms ripped off by a team of mules… I’ll take the mules any day! Sprint and Verizon aren’t much better either!
Now for pricing info:
I’ll compare pricing in my local area from carriers for the same plan features with Android phone:
CricKet: $55 (unlimited everything) + state taxes (no hidden fees, charges, overages, roaming, etc.)
Sprint: $99 (everything plan) + taxes and fees = $130 minimum cost
T-Mobile: $100 (required everything plan) + taxes and fees = $130 minimum cost
AT&T: $70 (unlimited talk/text) + $15-25 (200MB or 2Gb data) *unlimited data is no longer available* + $5 insurance + taxes and fees = $114 minimum cost and LIMITED data ($1.99/mb over plan penalty)
Verizon: $110 (unlimited everything) + taxes and fees = $140 minimum cost
So, there you have it in a nut-shell… CricKet is a no-brainer for cost savings (without a contract!) For the cost your two year contract from one of the other carriers, you can have your service with CricKet for nearly 5-years!
The Zio is a good quality, mid-line Android phone, and CricKet is scheduled to add in the Huawei X5 (dropping the Ascend), LG Optimus, Samsung Intercept, and a Viewsonic 10″ Android tablet (bundled with WiFi-hotspot) all in the first half of 2011… http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375473,00.asp
Look out major carriers!
Hugh- whenever you call cricket do the “technical issues” option over and over to talk to a real person (I got someone who spoke perfect english the other day it was amazing). They will usually transfer you to somewhere else but they at least get the human ball rolling so to speak. Let them know to let their bosses know you dont appreciate having to lie to a machine to get ahold of a human being. There is one prompt on there thats so insulting to me because it tells you, “I will get you with a representative in just a moment, but first…” and then it redirects you -EVERY TIME- back into another automated circle-jerk.Boo for machines being patronizing.
YEA!!! My CricKet rep/friend was right… Upgrades started over the weekend and I received an email today which said my upgrade was ready for my phone! The upgrade was fast (about 30-min) over wifi, even though it took a couple of reboots to get it to complete the upgrade to V2.2 (Froyo) because it downloaded in three segments. I’m so glad they finally provided this upgrade!
In March 2010, CricKet announced “Nationwide Roaming Partner Agreements which will increase our customer coverage area to exceed 95% of the US market”. In late 2010, CricKet announced they would be altering the TOS for Roaming Usage. Quote per updated TOS: “We may limit or terminate your Service without prior notice if you no longer reside and have a mailing address in a Cricket-owned network coverage area or if a majority of your voice and/or data usage is on a Partner network during the previous month. ”
Bottom line: If you don’t have a mailing address on file within a CricKet home area, OR if your usage during a one-month period (actually they use a 90-day average to determine Home / Roaming ratio), CricKet will terminate your service without notice (or at least drop your Android features).
We have been loyal CricKet customers, with 4-lines (two Android and two MsgM8 phones) as well as a 3G Air-card (which we only use when traveling, and can ONLY be used within a CricKet Home area due to data restrictions). Our combined pay to CricKet each month was just over $240. We live within the Partner Service area, but are only 8-miles from the Home coverage area.
Today, my wife’s Android was terminated from ALL service and I received notification via Text Message that my Android rate plan would be reduced to $45 (and Android features would be dropped, even within the Home area).
I called CricKet Customer Service (big joke) and after three transfers and two supervisors all spouting the same “talking points”, I finally found the details for termination without warning (and rate plan change turning my Android into a basic candy-bar phone)… because my wife’s usage exceeded 90% “Roaming outside the Home coverage area”, and my usage exceeded 60% “Roaming outside the Home coverage area”. When the rates are calculated for my kid’s lines next month, I’m sure they will be terminated as well, since their calls / texts are well above 90% outside the Home coverage area as well….
Is this any way to do business?? Our combined 4-lines do not exceed 1200 minutes per month in total… MAXIMUM, and I’m sure the $240/month in fees they are collecting are more than enough to cover the per-minute “partner” fees they are paying to Sprint or Appalachian Wireless for our usage AND provide CricKet with a profit margin.
Today, I went to Sprint and signed a contract for 4-lines. I despise contracts, and I won’t have the 3G-Air-card, but I will have service for 4-lines. The best part is the cost will be LOWER than what I was paying to CricKet. So, this is a win for me and a loss for CricKet. I’ll be happy to go into the office and terminate my remaining services on the 30th of the month! (Anyone want to buy a couple of like-new Zio’s?)
How much longer will CricKet be able to support their profit margins once they terminate thousands of their loyal customers just because they live, or make the majority of their calls, outside a metropolitan CricKet home area? Which costs more to profit margins… half your customer base, or paying a few “partner” fees so your loyal customers can be happy with their contract-free service?
Be aware… if you live outside a CricKet home coverage area, or you make a majority of your calls from a Partner / Roaming area… you will be terminated, or at least have your Android / Blackberry service plans reduced to the $45 rate plan, rendering your fancy Android / Blackberry useless except for phone calls and text messages (still subject to 50% Home/Roam ratio for the rest of your service life).
CricKet has been well on their way to being the #3 wireless carrier in the US. After making this serious mistake in customer service and satisfaction, they are well on their way to becoming another bankruptcy statistic.