Find Whirlpool Deals at Lowe’sKyocera Jax S1300 (Virgin Mobile)
Manufacturer: Kyocera Part number: VMS130
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Kyocera Jax is a functional cell phone, but there are better basic handsets in Virgin mobile's lineup.
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CNET editors' review
Kyocera Jax S1300 (Virgin Mobile) price range: $9.99
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 05/20/2009
The good: The Kyocera Jax is compact and easy to use. Its feature set includes voice dialing.
The bad: The Kyocera Jax's design isn't durable and its display is low-resolution. Also, call quality was variable.
The bottom line: The Kyocera Jax is a functional cell phone, but there are better basic handsets in Virgin mobile's lineup.
The Kyocera Jax for Virgin Mobile is the opposite of the carrier's Kyocera X-tc. While the X-tc offers a midrange feature set and a full keyboard for texting, the Jax is just a simple handset for making calls. The basic candy bar design holds no surprises and the feature set offers little beyond the standard personal organizer. Call quality is variable, so we'd only recommend it for very occasional use. On the upside, you can get it for as cheap as $9.99.
Design
The Kyocera Jax couldn't have a simpler design. The candy bar handset is basically a black rectangle with little to distract from its straight lines and sharp corners. The plastic skin doesn't feel sturdy, so the danger-prone should be careful. We also noticed that the battery cover wobbled just a bit. At 4.29 inches by 1.73 inches by 0.51 inch and 2.5 ounces, the Jax is portable and lightweight.
The 1.8-inch display supports just 65,000 colors (160x128 pixels). Its low resolution means that graphics aren't very sharp and colors are pretty muted. The menus, available in grid and list styles, are intuitive. You can change the display's brightness, contrast, and backlighting time. The volume rocker on the left spine is too thin for our tastes. It is easy to find when on a call, but it could be bigger. On the right spine you'll find a 2.5mm headset jack and a microUSB charger port.
The navigation array is a mixed bag. While the circular toggle and central OK button are spacious and easy to use, the remaining controls are small. They include two soft keys, a dedicated speakerphone button, a back key, and the Talk and End/power controls. The keypad buttons have their good and bad points as well. While the keys are raised above the surface of the phone, their plastic feel didn't do great for banging out long texts. The keys are backlit for dialing in the dark.
Features
The Jax's phone book holds 250 contacts with room in each entry for six phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, two URLs, a street address, and notes. You can save callers to groups, but photo and ringtone caller ID is available only for groups. The Jax comes with nine ringtones and an assortment of graphics. If you want to use your own photos, you'll have to find a way to get them on the phone.
Features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a speakerphone, a voice memo recorder, a calendar, an alarm clock, a tip calculator, a world clock, a timer, a stopwatch, a memo pad, and a calculator. Voice dialing is an unexpected bonus, but the feature list ends there.
You can personalize the Jax with a variety of color themes, banners, wallpaper, and screensavers. More options and additional ringtones are available from Virgin's VXL Internet portal over the WAP 2.0 Web browser. The Jax comes with one game (Brick Attack), but you can always buy more titles.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) in San Francisco. As a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), the Jax operates on Sprint's network. Call quality was decent on the whole, though it was not without its problems. On the upside, the signal was strong and free of interference. Also, voices sounded natural most of the time.
On the downside, the volume was rather low. It wasn't a problem when speaking inside, but we had trouble hearing in noisy environments. Even worse, when we turned the volume up to the highest levels, the audio was distorted.
On their end, callers said we sounded fine, though a couple of our friends reported that the Jax picked up a fair amount of wind noise. All could tell that we were using a cell phone, but that's not unusual. Speakerphone calls were just adequate. We could hear well enough, but the sound was rather tinny. The Jax has a rated battery life of 3.3 hours talk time and 8.3 days standby time. Our tests showed a talk time of 2 hours and 56 minutes.
User reviews
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Small phone for a small price.
by smartjay1 on October 25, 2009
Pros: The jax has pretty fast internet. More features than a average prepaid phone.
Cons: Hard to use arrow keys. Small soft keys.
Summary: Tools: keyguard,calender,alarm clock,calender,voice memos,tip caculater,caculater,world clock,timer,stopwatch,memopad
Other: Web,brick breaker,caller ID pics,9 ringtones,2 themes,list or menu,...Summary: Tools: keyguard,calender,alarm clock,calender,voice memos,tip caculater,caculater,world clock,timer,stopwatch,memopad
Other: Web,brick breaker,caller ID pics,9 ringtones,2 themes,list or menu,call timer -
I would rate it lower, but I can't. Don't buy one.
by DarkAngelTona on October 11, 2009
Pros: It's cheap: You won't be out much money when it catastrophically fails.
It's funny: When it catastrophically fails, it may greet you with "HERRO"Cons: It's cheap: It feels like you'll crush this child's toy in the palm of your hand.
It catastrophically fails: It now only shows static, white, or black screen.Summary: When it comes down to it, I was happy with this product for quite a while. It was cheap and effective as a method of communication. After a while, it ...
Summary: When it comes down to it, I was happy with this product for quite a while. It was cheap and effective as a method of communication. After a while, it has taken on a mind of it's own, and it's not a very agreeable one. The Jax sometimes greets me with Hello, but never wants to get past that friendly introduction. It sometimes is ethnically inappropriate and spouts a happy Herro to me. Most often I see a white or black screen which never goes away. I'm under the impression that the video card has gone out or the firmware corrupted.
I guess I've gotten a fair 15 dollars of use out of this phone, but when I buy an electronic, I expect it to at least last me half a year before showing this kind of failure, even if it is cheap. -
Good Value, but High Radiation output
by rbarbosa on September 9, 2009
Pros: Good value for the Money
Cons: High Radiation Output (1.55 W/kg). The max. FCC allows is 1.6 W/kg.
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Its a really nice little phone for its price.
by hernandez10 on August 4, 2009
Pros: Small. Keys are good. Size. Price.
Cons: It doesnt have a camera. A camera would of have completed this phone.
Summary: Good Phone. The price makes it even better.
Summary: Good Phone. The price makes it even better.
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Nice basic phone, easy to carry, great calling features
by JPhillips07 on July 26, 2009
Pros: Calling Features, Battery Life, and Sleek Design
Cons: LCD Display, Not many features that could have been offered through this phone, Volume/Speakerphone.
Summary: Bottom line the Kyocera Jax is for old people...just kidding. The Jax is a great phone for someone to have that just wants to be able to call friends ...
Summary: Bottom line the Kyocera Jax is for old people...just kidding. The Jax is a great phone for someone to have that just wants to be able to call friends and family hearing them clear and distinct on the phone, but I don't recommend it if you want something that has a lot of features and quality speakers. The speaker system in the phone is kind of weird, its hard to get it play loud, especially when you playback your voice memos or whatever its just kind of nerve racking to have to hold it up to your ear to hear the speakerphone. All in all just a basic phone.
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Nice little phone.
by amandastarr89 on May 30, 2009
Pros: Small, compact, nice screen, nice features, feels good in hand, easy to get used to.
Cons: Clickety buttons
Summary: I just bought the Jax today and so far i'm in love with it. I used to have the VM Flare but the phone would constantly freeze up on ...
Summary: I just bought the Jax today and so far i'm in love with it. I used to have the VM Flare but the phone would constantly freeze up on me. So far, I have had absolutely no problems with the Jax. I love the way it feels in my hands, it's small and I like that. It also has a lock so you can't accidentally call people. Anyways, for me, this phone is perfect because I'm really only a texter and it's great for texting. Not only that, when I do talk the sound is very clear, speakerphone is too. Also, when you download your own ring tones, they sound amazing for this little phone.
Bottom line, this phone is amazing for 15 dollars I would recommend it to anyone! (If you can have a phone w/o all the bells and whistles.) -
One of the best basic phones.
by losthighway1985 on May 29, 2009
Pros: Easy to use, lightweight, good menu design, very easy to text.
Cons: Feels a bit cheap.
Summary: I got this phone for $14.99 at Wal-Mart not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've had every type of phone from an expensive PDA device that ...
Summary: I got this phone for $14.99 at Wal-Mart not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've had every type of phone from an expensive PDA device that did practically everything to the cheap basic phones without a camera even, and this is one of the better basic phones you can buy. The screens and menus are pretty cool, for one thing, but the best part about this phone is the ease of use when you text. It is incredibly easy to text on--even easier than some phones that have full keyboards. The buttons just work so well for it, and I find myself texting away on this little thing like crazy. I love it. On the downside, the phone feels like it's made of pretty cheap plastic, and does not feel like it would withstand being dropped on a hard surface or be mistreated in any way. So take care of it. I had to get this phone to reduce my budget when switching to Virgin Mobile. No, it doesn't have all those cool, fancy features most people want with their cell phones nowadays like a camera and applications, etc. So if you want a toy or something to "look cool" this, this won't do it. But if you need a good phone for basic usage (talking and texting), this is one of the better inexpensive ones I've seen. After all, you can use your computer to get on the Internet and do all that other stuff at home.
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Worthless and Unreliable- STAY AWAY FROM KYOCERA
by thishereguy on May 27, 2009
Pros: Nothing. Absolutely aweful.
Cons: NO INTERNAL CLOCK - lose the signal, you can't see what time it is, and your alarm won't go off if it is set.
Keypad lock doesn't work for incoming calls- friends will wind up talking to your pocket.
Poor sound quality
Bad keyboard design.Summary: I didn't expect much for $15, but The Jax is a nightmare.
There are two HUGE failures on this phone which make it completely worthless.
1) The phone has ...Summary: I didn't expect much for $15, but The Jax is a nightmare.
There are two HUGE failures on this phone which make it completely worthless.
1) The phone has NO INTERNAL CLOCK, it gets the time from the service provider. I called Kyocera, this is true on all of their phones. So if you lose the signal, say, because you're in a large hotel at a convention (as I was this weekend), you can't see what time it is, and your alarm will fail to go off if it is set. If you ever use your phone as a watch or an alarm DO NOT BUY A KYOCERA.
2) Your friends will wind up muted or talking to your pocket. The phone has a "feature" called "any key" which cannot be disabled and which overrides the keyboard lock. It can be set to "any key answer" (pressing any key answers an incoming call) or "any key mute" (pressing any key mutes an incoming call) but it cannot be turned off. This virtually guarantees that if the phone is in your pocket, it will either be muted or answered IMMEDIATELY, as some button will probably be depressed at any given time.
These are the less significant problems.
3) The sound quality is very poor and low volume, as the cnet reviewer pointed out- if the room is at all noisy, you and the person on the other end of the call will not hear each other.
4) The keys are all very flat, the same shape, and don't give much tactile feedback when pressed- it's virtually impossible to dial without looking at the phone, as you might while driving (obviously you shouldn't, but we all do, don't we?) . I haven't tested the voice dialing feature.
I couldn't even get the thing to connect properly to virgin mobile's data network, even after talking to the company repeatedly (I could make and receive calls). Virgin mobile insists that it's a problem with the phone. I talked to Kyocera, and while they didn't have an explanation for my not being able to connect, the clock and "any key" problems are simply design issues. I'm taking this thing back, and finding another provider (since all of Virgin Mobile's phones are by Kyocera.) -
a $15 winner--but-----
by vincent marcellino on May 25, 2009
Pros: small and light-easy to carry and easy texting-great loud ringtone -good battery life
Cons: call quality is spotty-often distorts so you have to lower the volume in the middle of a call-or the converse-raise it because it is too low--and voices sound "canned"--
Summary: if virgin ever gets a handset with the ringtone volume of the jax and the earpiece quality of the oystr they will finally have a great handset!-seems weird to ...
Summary: if virgin ever gets a handset with the ringtone volume of the jax and the earpiece quality of the oystr they will finally have a great handset!-seems weird to me a long time virgin and kyocera fan that they can't or won't put both in the same inexpensive package-the x-tc suffers from the same problem-i had to return mine in annoyance-100 bucks and the sound sucks??!--i get the feeling that virgin's mandarins are losing interest and i vibe a move being made--?-these are not great products for this company to push at this time when great products are surely available-whoever is in charge of new product development and testing needs help--but at the end again the jax at fifteen dollars or less is a pretty good and acceptable piece of work-
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A basic phone
by magstudios123 on May 22, 2009
Pros: Minimalistic design and great voice dialing feature.
Cons: display has a low resolution and doubtful durability.
Summary: Basic phone with not so great features. Ideal only for basic usage.
Summary: Basic phone with not so great features. Ideal only for basic usage.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Kyocera
- Part number: VMS130
- Description: Sleek, streamlined design Large display, keypad and texting fonts Robust sound quality Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 2.0 browser SMS and instant messaging Airplane mode Contact directory of 250 names with up to five numbers each Alarm, calculator, scheduler, stopwatch, timer, tip calculator and world clock Voice memos Speakerphone with dedicated function key Vibrate alert TTY/TDD support for the hearing impaired HAC compliant
General
- Product Type Cellular phone
- Service Provider Virgin Mobile
- Width 1.7 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 4.3 in
- Weight 2.5 oz
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Additional Features TTY compatible, E-911 compliant
Phone Memory
- Phone Book Capacity 250 names & numbers
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- WAP Protocol Supported WAP 2.0
- JAVA applications Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Instant message, E-Mail, WAP Push 2.0
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
- Additional Timer Functions Stopwatch, Countdown timer
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology CSTN
- Display Resolution 128 x 160 pixels
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 16-bit (65000 colors)
- Multi-language Menu Yes
- Features Wallpaper, Screensaver
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Battery, AC travel charger, Vehicle power charger, Fitted case
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 700 mAh
- Talk Time 200 min
- Standby Time Up to 200 h
Manufacturer info
- Kyocera
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Kyocera products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.kyocera.com/
- Address:
8611 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92123 - Phone: 858-576-2600
- Email: kiijobs@kyocera.com
- Fax: 858-492-1456
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