Boy Genius Report has posted some leaked slides which reveal Cricket’s 2010 device lineup. Among the new devices is the Kyocera Zio, which will be the carrier’s first Android smartphone. The Kyocera Zio is targeted for a June 2010 release with a retail price of $299.
Most of our readers probably don’t pay any attention to Cricket Wireless, but the carrier recently reached a roaming agreement with Sprint to provide nationwide coverage in all 50 states.
Cricket is positioning itself as T-Mobile’s chief rival and is going after the larger carrier in print and radio ads. The carrier now claims a coverage area 277 million people, which is 9 million more than T-Mobile. Cricket is also marketing their unlimited plans at half the cost of T-Mobile.
It will be interesting to see what rate plans Cricket offers for their smartphone lineup because they have some of the best values in the industry right now. Cricket customers can currently get unlimited talk, text, and web for only $35 per month (no contract required).
They might not offer the fastest Android phones, but it looks like Cricket really could deliver the cheapest unlimited 3G smartphone value. Any takers?
The Kyocera Zio.