Kyocera S1000

Despite what phone companies may want you to believe, not everyone is interested in some high tech, fancy dancy, cutting edge device. Most of us just want a phone that we can talk to people on – that's it. And the Kyocera S1000 fills that niche with ease. It is not a stylish phone by any means. It has basically no features. But what the Kyocera S1000 does have is a usability that you just can't find in most phones these days. This phone does one function and it does it well.

The Kyocera S1000 is a dual band CDMA phone, so do not expect to be able to take it anywhere outside of America. Not like you would want to, anyway, as this is not exactly a phone that you would want to show any of your family or friends. Spartan would be the proper word. Nothing fancy, but highly utilitarian, and its looks certainly reflect that design decision.

As far as size is concerned, the phone is rather small and light, making it perfect as a backup device to be used only during emergencies. It is approximately four inches by two inches by half an inch in size and weighs only 76 grams. Battery life is not terrible for this device, but it isn't particular great either. Stand by time is 220 hours while talk time is only three hours. Considering that the Kyocera S1000 will likely be used primarily as an emergency phone, the battery life is not too problematic.

Although the phone is not exactly the size of your thumbnail, it does have a very small screen. If you're looking for a phone that can take you back to the mid 1990s, the Kyocera S1000 is the device for you. The screen is only 96 pixels by 64 pixels and is not even in color.

The Kyocera S1000 has virtually no features whatsoever. There is a speakerphone, a headset jack, an alarm, calendar, stopwatch and Caller-ID – but that's it. Even phones from a decade ago had more goodies than the Kyocera S1000.

Pros

• Performs one function – calling – and does it well
• Somewhat small and light

Cons

• No features to speak of
• Talk time from the battery is nothing to write home about

Overall

If you liked the movie "300" and you want to live like a Spartan, the Kyocera S1000 is a good starting point. In all seriousness, though, the Kyocera S1000 is a great device for those who simply want a phone that they can use to talk to people with. Makes a great phone for emergency purposes.