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CNET editors' rating:
3.0 stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 39 reviews
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Product summary
The good: The Kyocera Oystr is a basic phone that comes with text messaging, a speakerphone, and a wireless Web browser. It's a well-designed phone with easy-to-press buttons.
The bad: The Kyocera Oystr has a small lackluster display and no external screen.
The bottom line: The basic Kyocera Oystr doesn't have a lot of features or an external display, but it does what a phone should do.
Specifications: Carrier: Virgin Mobile; Band / mode: CDMA 1900; Talk time: Up to 215 min; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 08/14/2006
As we mentioned, the Oystr has a pearly-white exterior that's reminiscent of its namesake. It also has some black accents and smooth, rounded corners. Measuring at 4.3 by 2 by 1 inches, the Oystr is a compact handset that fits easily in a pants pocket. It feels great in the hand and cradles comfortably when held against the ear. It has a headset jack and a stubby antenna on top, while a volume rocker rests on its left spine. We're a little disappointed, however, that the Oystr doesn't have an external screen to facilitate caller ID. As a result, you must open the phone to see who your callers are.
Speaking of displays, the small and lackluster internal display was a letdown. It measures 1.75 inches diagonally, and though it supports 65,000 colors, it simply doesn't compare to other cell phone displays with similar specifications. We did find the user interface easy to understand, and we liked that you could change the menu style to icon or list view. You can change the contrast and backlight timer, but you can't change the font size or the brightness of the display.
Underneath the display are the navigational controls, which consist of two soft keys and a five-way toggle that doubles as shortcuts to your Virgin account, text messaging, recent calls, and Virgin XL, Virgin's Web portal. Below those keys are the Talk key, a dedicated speakerphone button, a Back button, and the End/Power button, followed by the number keypad. All the keys were tactile, rounded, raised above the surface, and really easy to press and dial by feel.
Continue reading- See more CNET content tagged:
- Kyocera Wireless Corp.,
- Virgin Mobile,
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- Web portal,
- text messaging
User reviews
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 39 reviews
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