Company's Easiest Texting Camera Phone Features New Streaming Music
Capability with Unique Catalog Content, Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology
and More Polished Look
WARREN, N.J., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- This fall, music lovers
looking for the convenience of Bluetooth(R) wireless technology in a
sophisticated handset with the ease of texting on a full QWERTY keyboard
should look to be dealt Virgin Mobile USA's new Wild Card by Kyocera
Wireless. The first Virgin Mobile handset with streaming music capability,
Wild Card gives customers the ability to listen to their favorite music
right through the phone, and "ups the ante" on the full texting keyboard
capabilities of last year's Switch_Back phone.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071019/NYF009 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/VIRGINMOBILE )
Weighing in at just over 4 ounces, the sleek and stylish Wild Card
"aces" great functionality within a compact and trendsetting clamshell
casing. Among its most notable features are two vibrant color displays. The
first on the front face of the phone is for voice calls. But by turning the
phone sideways and giving its face a quick flip, customers have access to
the Wild Card's wide screen -- along with a sizeable QWERTY keypad designed
to make emailing, texting, IMing, gaming, browsing online, or streaming
full music tracks simple and enjoyable.
"Wild Card is an elegant and refined version of last year's
Switch_Back. With multiple upgrades, streaming music through our Headliner
application and the new, affordable $19.99 monthly unlimited messaging pack
offer, this is another Virgin Mobile phone that appeals to so many of our
customers' interests -- especially those who love to text and listen to
music," said Howard Handler, chief marketing officer for Virgin Mobile USA.
"At $99.99, our customers are getting a superior handset at an affordable
price."
"Some people shop with their heads and some shop with their hearts -
Wild Card is a phone that will appeal to both," said Tom Maguire, vice
president of global marketing at Kyocera Wireless Corp. "Many will like its
sophisticated styling and affordability, and you'd be hard pressed to find
a better value for a music phone with a full QWERTY keypad. But once you
flip open this phone, prepare to be blown away by the full house of
features and entertainment hidden inside."
Wild Features
The new Wild Card is being paired with the newest messaging offer from
Virgin Mobile USA -- unlimited domestic messaging including text, IM, email
and picture messaging for $19.99 per month. When customers activate their
Wild Card and purchase their first month of unlimited messaging, they will
receive their second month free.
Also featured on Wild Card is "Headliner," Virgin Mobile's personalized
mobile music magazine. For only $2.49 per month, Headliner offers concert
tour updates, music news, artist information (bios, discographies, etc.),
latest music charts and other music-related points of interest through a
subscription service. Introduced earlier this year, Headliner now works
like a jukebox, upgraded for the Wild Card to include a streaming music
function that allows the customer to listen to individual tracks for 25
cents each.
In addition to these exciting features, the Wild Card also offers
Virgin Mobile customers peace of mind with "Contact Vault" which allows
those with the Wild Card, Cyclops and Switch_Back handsets the ability to
store, retrieve, delete and transfer their personal contacts list in the
event the phone is lost, stolen, damaged or upgraded. Customers can easily
input up to six phone numbers per contact in the address book and store up
to 140 contacts in total, depending on the phone model. The Contact Vault
costs $1.99 per month, or $9.99 for a six-month subscription.
Stacked Like a Deck of Cards
Don't be fooled by its slim figure. The Wild Card deals a strong hand
with innovative features including:
-- Large hidden QWERTY keypad
-- Dual display screens - External 65k color 128 X 128 pixel;
- Internal 65k color 128 X 160 pixel wide screen
-- 1.3 megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom and images effects including
black and white photos
-- Integrated speakerphone
-- "Real-music" ringtones
-- WAP 2.0 Web browser
-- Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology
Those looking to get their game on can check out preloaded demo games
PAC- MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN and Block Breaker Deluxe. Wild Card users also have
access to VirginXL, Virgin Mobile's full suite of diverse mobile content.
Virgin Mobile's Wild Card by Kyocera Wireless rolled out at retail
beginning on October 7 and is now available at stores including Best Buy,
Radio Shack, Target and Wal-Mart. The Wild Card will be available on
http://www.virginmobileusa.com as of October 24.
About Virgin Mobile USA, Inc.
Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. (NYSE: VM) offers its millions of customers
control, flexibility and choice in wireless service, rich data content and
innovative products without annual contracts. Voice pricing plans range
from monthly options with unlimited nights and weekends to by-the-minute
offers, allowing consumers to adjust how and what they pay according to
their needs. Virgin Mobile's full slate of smart, stylish and affordable
handsets, including the Wild Card, Super Slice and Cyclops, are available
at top retailers in more than 35,000 locations nationwide and online at
http://www.virginmobileusa.com, with Top-Up cards available at more than 130,000
locations.
J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Virgin Mobile highest in customer
satisfaction among wireless prepaid services in 2006 and 2007, and its
customers report a 90% satisfaction rate. Virgin Mobile contributes 5% of
profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social
initiative to help homeless youth, through donations to charitable partners
or funding of programs that support and raise awareness for young people in
need; and provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for
customers to recycle old phones. Launched in 2002 as a joint venture of Sir
Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel, Virgin Mobile USA's
national coverage is powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network.
About Kyocera Wireless Corp.
Kyocera Wireless Corp. is a leading supplier of innovative,
feature-rich CDMA wireless devices and accessories for customers worldwide.
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera International Inc.,
which acquired QUALCOMM Incorporated's CDMA consumer wireless phone
business in February 2000. Based in San Diego, Kyocera Wireless leverages
Japan's history of creating advanced consumer technologies around humanism
and respect for the environment and blending them with a Western
entrepreneurialism and style, resulting in a unique design language and a
natural, user-friendly interface. For more information, please visit
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com.
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE: KYO), the parent and global headquarters of
the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics.
By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and
integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading
supplier of telecommunications equipment, semiconductor packages,
electronic components, laser printers, copiers, solar energy systems and
industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2007, Kyocera
Corporation's consolidated net sales totaled approximately US$10.8 billion
(JP1,283,897 million yen) with net income of approximately US$895 million
(JP106,504 million yen).
Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Bluetooth trademarks
are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
MS. PAC-MAN(R) (C)1980, 1982, 2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
PAC-MAN(R) (C)1980, 2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
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