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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/25/2008
- Released on: 02/01/2008
We don't review many U.S. Cellular phones because the carrier is regional and not nationwide. However, there are several phones for U.S. Cellular that aren't available for other carriers, and the Kyocera Tempo is one of them. The Tempo is one of Kyocera's few music-focused phones released in the U.S. and features external music player controls as well as stereo Bluetooth. However, we wish it provided more storage space and that it came with a microSD card or a USB cable. The Kyocera Tempo is available for $99.99 from U.S. Cellular.
Design
The Kyocera Tempo has a simple yet attractive design, with its rounded corners, mirror-finish front surface, and spun metal back. Measuring 3.5 inches tall by 3 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the Tempo has a soft touch rubber bumper around the phone's perimeter, which gives it a good grip and a solid feel. The Tempo is compact and lightweight, weighing only about 3.5 ounces with the battery included.
On the front of the Tempo, from top to bottom, are the camera lens with LED flash, the external display, three music player control buttons, and the external speaker grille. The external display measures 1 inch diagonally and supports 65,536 colors plus 96x96 pixels. Aside from displaying the typical signal and battery strength plus the date and time, the external display can also be used as a self-portrait viewfinder, and it can display the currently playing track if the music player is activated. Speaking of the music player, we found the external music player buttons a little slippery, but still easy to find and press by feel--which is quite useful when you're feeling around for the buttons when the phone is in your bag.
Flip it open and you'll find a nice 2-inch display with support for 262,144 colors and 176x220 pixels. The menu interface looks great on this display, and it really showcases images that pop with color. You can adjust the brightness and turn on "Power Save Mode" with the backlighting. You can't change the font size, however.
Underneath the display is the navigation array, which consists of two soft keys, a four-way square toggle with middle OK button, Send and End/Power keys, a dedicated speakerphone key, a Back key, and a dedicated camera key. The four-way toggle doubles as shortcuts to a custom menu (for your favorite applications), the contacts list, the media gallery, and U.S. Cellular's Easyedge store. We found the keypad a little flat for our liking, but there is enough delineation between the keys that we could dial easily by feel.
The left spine of the Tempo is home to a volume rocker, a dedicated camera key, and the charger jack. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover, which we found inconvenient. When flipped open, the Tempo folds out in an unusual angle, which does not cradle the face very well and lies a little too flat to the cheek.
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