Virgin Mobile Kyocera K9 Pay-As-You-Go Wireless Phone
Great Option for Occasional Cellular Users
As the end of my Sprint contract neared, I did the math and found that, on average, I was paying over 45 cents per minute.  Being that I was already on the lowest plan, I had no downgrade option, with Sprint, to save money. <br /> <br />Thus, I started considering other options - eventually prepaid.  With this phone and plan, I am saving over thirty dollars per month.  Now, if I could only get my wife to switch, that'd be another thirty dollars a month saved.  Being that Virgin operates as an MVNO on Sprint's CDMA network, I have the same coverage that I am used to, along with the crystal clear calls to which I have grown accustomed. <br /> <br />The Phone <br />It is what it is.  It's prepaid cellular phone for which I paid forty dollars in December.  It has performed reliably and as advertised since then.  The phonebook holds all of the contact information I require.  The battery seems to have good life, still having a full charge after leaving my phone turned on in the glove box of my car over a long, cold weekend.  The battery seems to drain more quickly when I am at my office, than when I am at home, but I also saw this trend with my Sprint phone.  I believe this is more tied to signal strength at that location than issues with either phone (most everyone else in the office also has Sprint and witnessed similar occurrences). <br /> <br />A minor complaint is that the buttons definitely feel small to my large hands and fingers.  Also minor, but more annoying, is that the phone only comes with one normal sounding ringer and it refused to use it (this is the same issue mentioned in other reviews).  This was solved by downloading another acceptable ringer.  I'd rather not have dropped the two dollars to get a non-musical/sound effect rings, but it's a small quibble given the initial forty dollar purchase price of the phone. <br /> <br />The Service <br />If you've had experience with Sprint, you will get the same coverage and call quality that you witnessed with them.  I have not had a problem in the 2+ years I've used their network.  As with any cellular provider, signal strengths are higher in some locations than others.  Most stores will let you return a phone and try a different carrier if you make a return within a reasonable amount of time, so make sure it works where you are likely to be found and check your vendor's return policy.  As an occasional user, the Virgin Mobile airtime pricing schedule works great for me. I am already saving money.  Just to make things better, they put $10 in your account to get you going when you activate the phone - much better than getting an activation fee.  I am on target to having monthly cell phone airtime expenditures of less than $10.  About that, I cannot complain.