Kyocera Strobe K612 (Unlocked)

-from a teen's POV-

As I purchased this phone, I thought it was the neatest thing ever. It truely is; I've not had any major problems with it. It's a crowd pleaser and and it's sure to please you.
Ultimately, I would recommend that you buy this phone.
PRO'S: cute design, great for texting, crowd-pleaser, good service, comes with games (on US Cellular, at least), size*, basically it's everything about this phone minus the cons below. (:
CON's: when placed in the pocket or purse the buttons on the outside are easily pressed - I use the keygaurd, and it prevents this. But there are two more flaws in the keygaurd: it will allow you to answer calls [it turns off when a call comes on, but will, after hanging up, activate once more], and that it takes about 4 seconds to turn off. This may not seem like a lot of time, but when you do get to that point it's seriously annoying. Also; after a lot of opening and shutting on the phone, it wears out by squeaking [very quietly, I assure you] when you open and close it. This is minor, though.
OH! and it doesn't hold a charge extremely well. It lasts about 48 hours and then it dies.

comparatively? This phone is smaller than an envy from Verizon. This phone is much cuter than an envy from Verizon. This phone easily beats the envy from Verizon and is much, much cheaper than the envy from Verizon.

This phone is money-well spent and you cannot go wrong purchasing it.

I bought this because my son tore up is razor and I couldn't afford a new one at alltel. He is thrilled with this phone, loves the full keyboard. It really seems to be sturdily built, and I'm betting it lasts longer than the razor did. This phones size makes it perfect for a child.

i love this phone sence i first layed eyes on it.a friend of mine ahd one and she loved hers.so when i old phone broke i had the chance to buy this great phone.the pics are wonderful and its great for texting.its so much easier texting with this phone.i love the keygaurd feature on it also .oh and it even has flash light witch comes in handy.plus i love virginmobile who has the phone plans and thats another reason why i got it.my old phone was threw virginmobile so i figure why not stick with that company.it was so easy to transfer to a new phone and i kept my number.

The first day I bought this phone I went swimming with it. (on accident) I thought it was surely ruined, but a couple of hours later it powered right up. I really enjoy this phone. It saves soooo much time when texting, and browsing the internet. It has a great little camera too. It is nice that you can access everything on your phone while talking on it. The style of the phone is nice, and its compact. I like the missed calls feature. It blinks next to the name or number that called you, and if you call that number back it stops. That really comes in handy. Now for the cons. The speakerphone isn't the greatest, you pretty much have to put your ear right next to it to get a clear sound. The screen on the front of the phone is so tiny you can't make out pictures very well. The scheduler sucks and it doesn't have a to do list. You can't make the phone ring and vibrate at the same time. You can't dial numbers from specific group names. Other than those minor things, I recommend this phone. Especially for those of you who love to text!

Bought this for my daughter and she loves it - but it does have some quirky things. Pressing and holding the * key is supposed to lock the phone keypad. It usually does - but sometimes instead it prints 474747474 across the screen instead. We are thinking this may have something to do with the little screws inside the hinge to the qwerty keyboard. Those screws are countersunk - but they are RIGHT over the 4 and the 7 on the qwerty keyboard. If texting is your thing - you will love this little phone. While it is quite a bit thicker than the RAZR she lost... she admits that since it is really two phones in one - it makes sense that it might have to be thicker.

I like the look of the phone and its so easy to use while driving...you don't have to take your time to flip the phone open then answer it you can simply say yes or no and the phone does exactly what you tell it to do.

WELL, THIS PHONE HAS A TON OF FEATURES THAT ARE GREAT! NOT ONLY ARE THESE FEATURES FUN BUT THEY ARE FUNCTUAL AS WELL IT HAS A GREAT TEXTING CAPABILITY, THIS IS IF YOU LIKE THIS FEATURE AND I SO HAPPEN TO LIKE THIS FEATURE. I JUST THINK ITS A GREAT LITTLE PHONE ALL THE WAY AROUND. VERY CLEAR RECEPTION AND I HAVE NOT HAD A DROPPED CALL AS OF YET. THE BEST FEATURE IS NO CONTRACT, HOW DOES THAT SAYING GO "IF YOU DON'T PAY YOU DON'T PLAY. ACTIVATE IT OVER THE PHONE AT HOME, DO NOT GO TO THE STORE BECAUSE THEY WILL TRY TO GET YOU TO BUY A NEW PHONE, THEY WILL LIE AND TELL YOU THE ESN IS NO GOOD WHEN IN FACT YOU KNOW IT IS. THEIR WHOLE FOCUS IS TO SELL, SELL, SELL..... SO DO THE ACTIVATION AT HOME. THE ONLY DRAW BACK OF BUYING A USED PHONE IS YOU DO NOT GET THE FREE ACTIVATION AND THE FIRST MONTH FREE. SO YOU HAVE TO PAY THE ONE MONTH UP FRONT AND A $15.00 ACTIVATION CHARGE THE TOTAL PRICE DEPENDS ON THE PLAN YOU CHOSE, NOW WE TOOK THE $50.00 SO THE TOTAL ACTIVATION CHARGE 73.95, THIS IS TAX AND SOME OTHER LITTLE SOMETHING THE CELL PHONE COMPANIES LIKE TO HIT YOU WITH REGARDLESS NOW THE MONTHLY CHARGE FOR THE PHONE. NOW THINK BACK WHEN YOU BOUGHT YOUR CELL PHONE FROM OTHER COMPANIES THAT HAD CONTRACTS THEY WOULD HIT YOU UP WITH ALL KINDS OF CHARGES. ITS AMAZING THE DIFFERENCE IN COST BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO FACTOR IN THE COST OF A NEW PHONE THAT WOULD HAVE ALL THE FEATURES THIS LITTLE THING HAS. I JUST THIN ITS A WONDERFUL PHONE WITH ALL KINDS OF FEATURES. LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE I WAS AT A SECOND HAND STORE TODAY AND SAW SOMETHING THAT I KNEW WAS EXPENSIVE AND THEY HAD $20.00 ON THE ITEM. WELL, I JUST TOOK OUT THIS PHONE AND JUMPED ON-LINE AND GOT THE CURRENT PRICE NEW AND USED, NOW NEW $195.00, USED A LITTLE OVER $100.00. WELL, I ASKED TO OPEN IT AND TAKE A LOOK AND MAKE SURE ALL THE PIECES WERE THERE AND THIS ITEM WAS BRAND NEW AND HAD NEVER BEEN USED. IT WAS MISSING THE CD BUT THIS DRIVER IF YOU EVEN NEED IT CAN BE DOWNLOADED OFF THE NET FOR FREE. SO THIS CAME IN REALLY HANDY. THIS WAS QUICKER THAN THE IPHONE WE HAVE AS WELL.... I WAS A LITTLE LEARY ABOUT BUYING A PHONE FROM THE INTERNET, I CHECKED THE ESN NUMBERS AND THEY WERE BOTH GOOD TO GO. THIS LITTLE PHONE IS PACKED WITH ALLOT OF FEATURES AND IT IS FUN TO PLAY WITH. THE ONLY PROBLEMS I HAVE WITH THE PHONE IS THE FRONT KEYS ARE SMALL, BUT I HAVE BIG FINGERS SO THAT DOES MAKE IT A LITTLE DIFFICULT BUT ONCE YOU GET USED TO IT THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM..... I JUST HAVE TO THANK KYOCERA FOR MAKING SUCH A COOL LITTLE PHONE.

the product was a little beat up. it has nicks and dings in it, very well used. The battery does not hold a charge for very long so it will need to replaced, the car charger is not charging the phone. all in all not very pleased with the product, however the seller was awesome to work with.

This unit was a Virgin Mobile phone. I bought it for my daughter and took it to my Alltel Store to have it programmed with my daughters phone number. They told me it could not be done because it was a Virgin Mobile model... even though they sell the Kyocera Strobe K612 in their store.
I came home and called the 800 number for Alltel... explained what I wanted to do, and tech support walked me through the process and I programmed my daughter's number into the phone from home. My daughter loves the phone for texting her friends.
They didn't have a clue at that Alltel Store.

raman99

my son wanted the phone and the seller made a deal with me and i could not believe that. i will do business with him again when i need another phone.

i am very pleased with my phone i purchased on ebay i searched ebay for a phone that was affordable so that i did not have to buy a brand new one for $300 and it does everything i was looking for

I got this phone for my 11 year old daughter for her birthday whom is a text freak.....She loves it!!! The full keyboard is awesome. Just the right size to hold in your hand. My only complaint is that when recieving picture messages the image is to small. It is a great phone for those who love to text!!!

I bought this phone for my daughter as hers was broken. I was pleased with the phone as it arrived just as described. It is in perfect working condition and my daughter puts it to the test every day. There isn't anything I could say I dislike about the phone. Very pleased.

THE STROBE K612 I GOT WORKS PERFECT... I AM GOING TO BUY ANOTHER ONE FOR BACK UP...THIS PHONE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL RING IN YOUR BLUETOOTH WITHOUT ANYONE KNOWING SOMEONE IS CALLING.I HAVE HAD MANY BLUETOOTH PHONES AND THIS ONE IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THAT FEATURE. SO PRIVACY IS AWESOME ESPECIALLY IF YOU GET THE EARPIECE M700 MODEL! EVEN TEXT MESSAGES...NOBODY CAN HEAR IT RING AT ALL. IT EVEN READS OFF THE NAME OF EVERYONE CALLING IN. THIS PHONE IS BEST ON THE MARKET!!!!! YOUR KIDS CAN EVEN TAKE IT TO SCHOOL AND PUT THE EARPIECE ON AND TEACHERS WILL NEVER HEAR IT RING!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PHONE!!!!

excellent phone! excactly as the seller described and arrived promptly. A++++!!! will buy from again.

I really like the qwerty keyboard. I very seldom text anyone because of the difficulty with a regular number key pad. This phone eliminates that problem.
the reception is good, the phone has lots of bells and whistles, but not so many that it is overwhelming. The phone feels good in my hand, not like the thinner phone I was using, I'm not afraid of breaking it if I "dial" to hard!
The camera is awesome. I like the control the phone gives you, and it has a flash, and a flashlight for low light situations.
I realize this is an older phone, the new one they came out with is OK, but I thought the size was too small, and it felt flimsy.
My only complaint is the product guide is 80 pages long whew... (sorry I still remember dial phones!) and it was used so I had to delete pictures, ringtones, and some very nasty texts!
all in all a very good phone, I'd buy it again. and again and...well you get the point!
gypsihippi

This little phone is just that, small yet it does everything I need. with a full keyboard I can text almost as fast as my teen. I can access my e-mail and college website, record reminders, take good pictures and keep track of my calander. My only set back was the tower connection is not perfect. I get full tower in town but I am more in the country so I get a friendly roam, but a good connection most of the time.

I've used pre-paid phones all my life, or at least enjoyed them more. I had cingular for a while, but contracts aren't my thing at ALL. I bought the switchback because I'm always texting. It mirrors the Side-Kick, but in my opinion, was a much better deal. I'd rather pay 20 bucks every 3 months, than 60, EVERY month. Definitely worth looking into if you only use your phone for emergencies, quick calls, etc. The Switch_Back is small, and can fit just about anywhere. Ever put a Caribiner on your phone before? Haha, well... I did. Virgin mobile is underestimated by those who don't own a phone by them. Despite the fact that MTV is responsible (Trust, that I hate MTV, but suck it up anyway), Every so often, V-mobile will reward their customers with things like texts that are only a penny. (PS, you don't get charged for INCOMING texts...ever!) V-mobile also allows people to choose a plan if they really want it. Another great feature, is the fact that you can hook up a debit/credit card to your Virgin Mobile account, and it will automatically put money on your phone when you're running low. These phones are equipped with every paying option you could want, which is something a contract fears the most. The Switch_Back is the newest phone for Virgin Mobile - I've looked into all the features, so I knew V-mobile was going to be my choice for a long time. Phones are cheap, too. Sometimes they're even free. They all work like a charm, and in my opinion, are the only phones worth looking into.

I absolutly LOVE this phone. The keyboard makes browsing the web and texting SO easy. The speaker phone works great. The keys are easy to push. Set up is a breeze! I just ordered a blue tooth headset for it. I will be keeping this phone as long as possible and probably will buy another one after! A++++

I love my Kyocera Strobe. When I said cheapest version of the Sidekick I was only referringt to price. The phone is great. Taking pictures is easy and you can add decorative backdrops if you'd like. The internet browser always works perfectly (you can even check your eBay on it). The speaker phone will sometimes not be the best for the person on the other end because it will echo back to them but only sometimes. Keypad is great for the 'texter'. All in all a GREAT phone!

Yeah it's pretty kewl fone,but watch out if it's either prepaid or wireless fone.The prepaid one would be called the switchback the regular phone will be called the strobe.It's def better than the switchback.

This phone is heavy, cumbersome and the camera is truly awful. The keyboard is good and that's why i bought it. I wouldn't recommend it unless your primary need is texting. For that purpose, it's a good phone.

like the key board--dont like the camera and switching back and forth to use all the different features--the sounds are inventive and fun...