Prepaid Reviews Blog » kajeet

kajeet now offers five Android smartphones

Joe — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:09:15 +0000

Kids will inevitably ask for smartphones this holiday season, and parents will understandably feel reluctant to get them one. A smartphone is not just any cell phone. It’s a powerful device that in many ways mimics a computer. Parents surely want to make sure that their kids aren’t exposed to the stuff they can randomly find on a computer — hence, parental control. For years kajeet has brought parental controls to prepaid cell phones for kids. Now they’re adding Android smartphones to their lineup, complete with the parental controls that have earned them four parenting awards.

Here are the four Android handsets kajeet will offer:

LG Optimus S. LG released its Optimus line on nearly every carrier, including many prepaid carriers. It only made sense that if kajeet were to carry Android handsets, they’d get this one. It has a smallish 3.2-inch screen and a 3.2-megapixel camera, plus all the great Android features. It comes in both black and purple.Price: $299.99.
Samsung Conquer. The Conquer is slightly larger than the Optimus S, but otherwise they’re pretty similar. Samsung is more of a name brand, hence the much higher cost. Price: $399.99.
HTC EVO Shift. This is a popular handset on Sprint, and now it’s available on kajeet. Few prepaid carriers have this one, so it’s a surprise to see it here. The screen is a bit bigger at 3.6 inches, and the camera is a bit more powerful at 5 megapixels. It also runs a bit faster than the other kajeet Android handsets. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes for easy messaging. Price: $439.99.
Kyocera Milano. Since Kyocera is a lesser-known brand, it typically sells for less. The Milano came out earlier this year as a discount model on postpaid carriers, which makes it a good fit for prepaid. The screen is compact at three inches, but the slide-out QWERTY keyboard can appeal to many. Price: $249.99.
Samsung Replenish. The Samsung Replenish might resemble a BlackBerry at first, with its full QWERTY keyboard and screen on the same candybar surface. But it runs Android. The camera is just 2 megapixels, and the screen isn’t very large, but for those who want a messaging phone without the sliding keyboard, the Replenish can provide a solution. It comes in both blue and black. Price: $259.99.

You can get all of these Android handsets, plus a service plan, at kajeet’s website.

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kajeet adds collect calling service

Joe — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:21:27 +0000

Collect calling? On a cell phone? It just doesn’t seem right. After all, your cellular provider charges you for outgoing calls, so it doesn’t seem right that you could send those charges to the receiving party. But a new services makes it possible. Arterra Mobility, which services such prepaid providers as kajeet, has partnered with 1-800-COLLECT to offer the service on their cell phones. It works just as it would through a landline. The caller dials 1-800-COLLECT from a kajeet cell phone and then dials the recipient. The recipient then gets to accept or reject the call. If they accept, then the per-minute rate gets billed to them. This is particularly useful when cell phones have few minutes left. It’s also a perfect integration with kajeet, which is focused on kids. The last thing parents want is a kid who has a cell phone with no minutes. Kinda defeats the point.

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kajeet raises another $18.08 million

Joe — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:33:19 +0000

While it’s of no immediate interest to the end user, it is worth noting that kajeet has raised $18.08 million in venture financing. We haven’t heard much from kajeet lately, so perhaps this round of financing will spark some new developments from the company.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet wins Mom’s choice Award

Joe — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:30:39 +0000

Another parents’ award, another win for kajeet. This time it’s the Mom’s Choice Awards, where the company took home the Gold Recipient in the Gear and Accessory category. kajeet seems to win one of these every few months, a nod to their place in the market. It’s one thing to offer a cell phone service to kids when they’re at an age where parents aren’t sure if they should have a phone or not. It’s another to consistently win awards for your service. Contragulations to kajeet for another notch in their belt.

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kajeet revamps service plans, adds mobile Web

Joe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:37 +0000

Over the course of this year we’ve seen not only new prepaid companies, but older companies rolling out new plans to better fit the current wireless market. The latest to update is kajeet, the cell phone service for kids — mainly those in the “tween” ages, between 8 and 12. They’ve altered their Basic, Great Deal, and Special Plans, and have added to their Bundled Plans, which include unlimited text messaging. Details of the changes after the jump.

To note the changes above, the Special plan used to include 150 voice minutes, but cost $19.99. The $29.99 plan looks unchanged, though I notice that I didn’t have anything about unlimited text messaging in the kajeet review.

The changes to kajeet’s Bundled Plans looks a bit more significant.

The $50 unlimited plan actually existed before, as we noted in July, but they hadn’t advertised it heavily. There are also add-ons for the Bundled Plans, including packages of minutes, pay-as-you-go options, and text messaging packs. You can visit kajeet’s website for more details.

Additionally, kajeet has introduced a mobile Web feature. Parents will have control over this, as they do over all kajeet services. Service costs 35 cents per .25MB — kajeet broke down charges into the quarter megabyte because it is a smaller denomination than most carriers, allowing users to more accurately pay for what they use. The total cost comes out to $1.40 per megabyte, which is a lot for heavy users, though kajeet promises to have bundles available in the future. For a quick reference, .25MB constitutes about 10 mobile Web pages, or two non-mobile Web pages.

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kajeet customers can get $10 for referring another

Joe — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:50:34 +0000

Here’s a quick way to make $10: sign up a friend for kajeet service. Carol Politi explains in this blog post. Existing customers should hand out the referral code 102962 to enter alongside their phone numbers to receive the $10 credit. That goes right towards cell service, and can even go towards the phone wallet, which parents can use at their disposal. Best part: there’s no limit. So if you have the service, there’s no reason to not hand out this code when referring.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet enlists moms for strategic sales force

Joe — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:30:41 +0000

Competing with the big cell phone carriers isn’t easy. Not only do they have name-brand recognition, but they also have multi-million dollar marketing budgets. How, then, does a startup MVNO even make a peep in that environment? Many have tried and failed, as we saw in 2007 when a large chunk of the MVNO market vanished. Still standing, though, is kajeet, a cell phone service which targets kids aged roughly 8 to 14. Dubbed tweens, this demographic is largely untouched by the bigger carriers, and kajeet has used this to its advantage. At Forbes.com, Elizabeth Woyke examines how kajeet has used moms to expand its reach.

Many stay at home moms keep up blogs to share their thoughts with fellow parents. Some of them have been lucky enough to find streams of income from their blogs. In this, kajeet saw an opportunity. They recruited a number of mommy bloggers to become evangelists for their products. In return for blogging and twittering about kajeet, the company rewards them with $20 for each new customer they sign up, and then a commission on services purchased thereafter.

The company won’t stop there, though. They’re expanding it to a multi-level marketing (MLM) gig, whereby moms sign up other moms and get paid for their associates’ performances. Like other MLM programs, kajeet charges an up-front fee of $49.99 to receive the demo phone package, though that will be $69.99 once the program expands.

One issue Woyke touches, but doesn’t really expand, is the trust factor. “Kajeet believes moms are the company’s best chance to increase sales, as 85% of Kajeet customers are moms and moms naturally trust other moms when it comes to safety products.” There will always be questions of whether these kajeet moms actually endorse the product, or are doing so to keep up their income. In other words, it’s just like any other sales gig. Mommy bloggers are trying to sell kajeet service just like a retail employee. The difference should not be ignored.

This is certainly an innovative measure on the part of kajeet. They’ve abandoned their physical retail presence in favor of Web only. Websites don’t sell on their own, though. They need marketing machines, just like any other retailer. Kudos to kajeet for figuring out how to adapt to the digital environment.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!

HarperCollins and kajeet team up for Mackenzie Blue promo

Joe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:02:39 +0000

MVNO kajeet has an interesting spot in the market. While other carriers are moving towards a more general audience, kajeet remains one of the few committed to a certain demographic. That might seem like a disadvantage, but strategically it’s a smart move. It allows them to stay on message — that they’re the safest cell phone company for kids — and allows them to run promotions which specifically target their chosen demographic. Their latest promotion, a partnership with HarperCollins to promote Mackenzie Blue, a new children’s book, is something that only kajeet could do. There could be many more promotions like this in the future.

The promotion is pretty basic: kajeet subscribers can access graphics featuring Mackenzie and crew. They’ll also have access to Marcus’s Money Tips, which is intended to teach kids a thing or two about fiscal responsibility. This is not new for kajeet; they often add promotions and programs which help teach kids the responsibility of owning a cell phone.

While Mackenzie Blue likely won’t win kajeet any new customers on its own, the promotion is part of a trend which shows that the company has a game plan. Give kids what they want and they’ll want your services. In other words, it’s not just Mackenzie Blue. It’s Mackenzie Blue and various other content promotions which will help kajeet move forward in this difficult MVNO environment.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet debuts unlimited calling plan

Joe — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:00:01 +0000

It seems like everyone is adding an unlimited talk and text option to their current repertoires. We saw this earlier today, as Straight Talk, a subsidiary of Tracfone, launched a $45 unlimited plan. Not to be outdone, kajeet is jumping on the bandwagon. Their brand of unlimited offers the best of both worlds: unlimited talk and text for kids — tweens, as we’ve come to know them — and a comprehensive set of controls for parents. Details on the plan after the jump.

Rather than competing on price, kajeet is sticking with the $50 price which seems to be the industry norm. Instead they’ll rely on their appeal to younger folks and their parents. There will apparently be no big marketing push for the plan, but that could change depending on how kajeet does during this trial period.

To sign up for the unlimited plan, you can go to kajeet’s website and find a phone that suits you or your tween. Place it in your card, and upon checkout you can select the $50 unlimited plan. Like all kajeet plans, there’s a 30-day money back guarantee. This offer lasts until September 30, with all new lines needing activation by October 21.

We’re now faced with a chicken or egg question: Are carriers rolling out unlimited plans as a response to pent up consumer demand, or by rolling out unlimited plans are they creating demand? Either way, unlimited plans seem to be working. We’ll soon get a better gauge on the situation as companies announce their second quarter adds.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet takes home yet another parenting award

Joe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:30:24 +0000

For the third time in eight months, kajeet has impressed a set of parents. This time it’s the folks at iParenting Media. They’ve handed out awards and kajeet, the cell phone service which targets tweens, has won for Excellent Products in the Safety category. This is in large part due to kajeet’s parental controls, including the ability to set when a phone can be used and the ability to block certain callers. It also presumably stems from kajeet’s GPS locator, a touchy issue which we discussed with CEO Daniel Neal a year and a half ago. After the jump, some accolades for kajeet.

The judges on why they voted for kajeet:

“Kajeet does a great job of giving kids the feelings of self-confidence and respect that come with owning a cell phone,” said one iParenting Media Awards Reviewer. “It also helps parents feel safe and in control, because they can give their kids as much or as little freedom they need.”

“This product is a great way to give parents peace of mind knowing that they can access their children when necessary,” said another iParenting Media Awards Reviewer. “It also allows children to contact their parents in case of an emergency.”

“My favorite feature is the time-out blocks. They allow me to control what hours the phone can be used by my children, but still allow them access to us, their parents, in case of an emergency,” said the third iParenting Media Awards Reviewer.

Back in December kajeet took home the PTPA Media Inc. Seal of Approval for excellence in parenting products. Then in May they won an Honors award from the National Parenting Publications Awards.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for Tracfone Prepaid information on the web!