Kajeet Smart Phones Speak Chinese, Too!
December 12, 2012
Check out this special blog post from a Kajeet customer!
As an avid Chinese student surrounded by English speakers, I am constantly searching for ways to practice and improve my Chinese. Unfortunately, most of the Western world is not well designed for Chinese language use. Because Chinese has a writing system that uses one character for every word, instead of letters representing sounds, typing in Chinese can be very inefficient. When my friends and I texted one another in Chinese, we had to write the pinyin (approximate Western transliteration) of our texts. These couldn’t include the tone marks on the words, though incorrect tone marks can change the entire meaning.
When I got the Kajeet Samsung Galaxy SII (my first smartphone!) last week, it didn’t take me long to start looking for better ways to use my phone for Chinese. It also didn’t take long to find, download, and install the Google Pinyin IME app from the Google Play store. Shortly thereafter, most people on my contacts list started receiving excited text messages sent in Chinese characters. (Not all of the receivers actually even spoke Chinese. Hey…I was excited!)
The range of inputs for IME is phenomenal. For starters, I can simply type pinyin and then select the appropriate character. Alternatively, I can use the touch screen to write out the character strokes. Writing Chinese on a touch screen is not only great practice for character-writing, but it is also, objectively speaking, considerably more fun than writing with a pencil and paper.
The last option — and this is most impressive to me — is that I can speak Chinese into my phone and have the words transcribed.
The brilliance of the speech part is that it is context-based, so it does a remarkable job of guessing the correct word, even when there are many Chinese words pronounced the same way. I tested it by speaking random words, (mother, rope, horse, curse — all pronounced “ma,” but with different tones) and it had a lot of trouble figuring out the difference until I used them in a sentence. My guess is that the microphone technology is probably not sophisticated enough to pick up differences is tonal quality, so the app has to make up for it with contextual intelligence.
The Pinyin app works no matter where you want to enter text: it actually installs another keyboard on your phone, and you can switch between input keyboards at any time (The same way you can switch to Swype.).
My overall review: 比切片麵包更好！
（Much better than sliced bread!)
How to get GooglePinyin IME on your phone:
1. Go to the Google Play store. Search and install the app.
2. When you are ready to type, select the text box to open up a regular keyboard.
3. Touch and hold the “Swype” symbol.
4. Touch “select input method.”
5. Select “Chinese Pinyin”
6. Touch the “back” hotkey, and start typing!
–Amelia H., Brooklyn, NY
Thanks for sharing, Amelia! Kajeet customers — do you have a story to share with us, too? Let us know!
Activating or Replacing Your Phone
December 3, 2012
If you made someone’s holiday happy this year with a cell phone from kajeet — or if you received one — the first thing you need to do is to activate it. And this can be done entirely online, whether you purchased a phone from our website or will be bringing your own used, inactive Sprint® device. To help, we’ve provided the answers to some frequently asked questions below:
What is “activation?”
Prior to use, each kajeet account needs to be set up with parent (or guardian) information and assigned a phone number. Once you activate your phone, you will automatically be enrolled in the rate plan you chose when the phone was purchased. If you are bringing your own eligible device (learn more about this program here), you will be prompted to select a rate plan at this time.
The phone I want to activate is for a NEW kajeet user (someone who has not had a kajeet phone before). What do I do?
Activating your kajeet phone is easy! Click here to get started. Be sure to have the phone you are activating with you (whether it was purchased from our website or you are activating a used, inactive Sprint® device), as you will need information found on the handset for the first step.
I’m already a kajeet customer. I want to transfer my current kajeet service to a new/different phone. What do I do?
If you are bringing your own device, please contact our Customer Care team at 1-866-452-5338.
If you purchased a new device from kajeet, just follow these steps to switch your current service to a new/diferent phone (for an existing kajeet user):
1. Log into kajeet here.
2. Go to your Account Summary page. Scroll down the page to access the “Add a Phone” tab, as shown below.
3. Click on the “Add a Phone” tab. You will see an option that reads “Replace a Phone.” Click on the link right underneath (the one we circled below).
4. You will be asked to select the phone you would like to replace/upgrade (in the event you have multiple phones on your account) and for the ESN or MEID of your phone (be sure to have your new phone handy during this process!).
What if I am moving/porting my existing cell phone number to kajeet?
You will need to contact kajeet Customer Care if you are porting (moving) a number from another cell phone service provider to kajeet. Have a copy of your bill and/or account login information with you when you contact kajeet Customer Care. While we are working to make this process as fast as possible, it can take up to 3-4 days to port a number (we are dependent upon other telecommunications companies, and they are all busy at this time of year).
How can I reach kajeet Customer Care and what are the kajeet holiday Care hours?
Our Customer Care team is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET and on Saturday from 9:00 am ET to 6:00 pm ET. Our Care department can be reached at 1-866-452-5338 or at care@kajeet.com. Kajeet Customer Care is closed on Christmas Day to give our hardworking care personnel the day off with their families.
Our Holiday Care Hours are as follows:
- Saturday, December 22: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Sunday, December 23: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Monday, December 24: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Tuesday, December 25: CLOSED
- Wednesday, December 26: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Thursday, December 27: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Friday, December 28: 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET
- Saturday, December 29: 9:00 am ET to 6:00 pm ET
Care is already busy and we do expect them to continue to be busy after the holidays. Avoid the wait and activate online!
Happy Holidays!
Sprint is a trademark of Sprint.
Transferring iTunes Music on Your kajeet Android(TM) Smartphone
November 26, 2012
Hello fellow Kajeet users — I have been a Kajeet user for four years now, and just last year I got a new AndroidTM phone from Kajeet. I was ecstatic, and I soon grew to love my new phone with all its apps and internet access. However, as an Apple iTunes user as well, I became disappointed because I thought I would not be able to play my iTunes songs on my Android phone. I thought I needed an iPhone to do that. After a few months without even trying to put iTunes music onto my phone, I decided to try it. When I plugged my AndroidTM phone into my computer, I realized that my phone looked like a USB drive on my computer, which meant that I could copy files from my computer to my phone. I tried copying the songs from iTunes in my iTunes Music folder onto my Kajeet AndroidTM phone, and it worked. It was pretty easy!
To get my music files to my phone, all I had to do was follow these steps:
1. Plug my Kajeet android phone into my computer with the USB connector that you can pull out of the phone charger
2. Once I plugged my phone into my computer, I pressed the button that said “Turn on USB storage”. Then my computer started scanning my phone for viruses and started to download some of my files.
3. I could also see my phone connection in the Finder (since I was using a Mac), where my Android phone was called “NO NAME” like a USB drive. I clicked on “NO NAME” and all of the things I had on my phone came up. There were folders for Apps, Settings, Music, Photos and everything else I had stored on my phone.
4. I clicked on the Music folder to show all the music on my phone, which at that time, was nothing.
5. Next, I opened the iTunes app on my computer and created a playlist in iTunes with all the songs I wanted to copy to my phone
6. Then I copied all the songs from my iTunes playlist by dragging and dropping them into the Music folder on my phone. Alternatively, you can also copy the song files individually from the iTunes Music folder on your computer to the Music folder on your phone.
7. After copying the music files to my phone, I ejected my phone from the computer and I had all the music from my iTunes account available to play on my phone. Awesome!
Now, whenever I want to add more music from iTunes to my AndroidTM phone, I just plug my phone into my computer with the USB cable, open up my Music folder on the phone and drag/copy the new song from iTunes to the Music folder on my phone. This seems to work for all AAC and MP3 format music files in iTunes. There is also an AndroidTM app I have used called AirSync (made by DoubleTwist) that syncs my iTunes music library with my AndroidTM phone. It seems to work pretty well. My other recommendation is to make sure you get enough memory on your phone to hold all your songs and apps.
Now that I have figured out how to put all of my songs from iTunes onto my Kajeet AndroidTM phone, I am even more happy with the service that Kajeet provides.
Matt – an avid Kajeet user – 15 yrs old
Kajeet, the smart phone for kids
Android is a trademark of Google, Inc.
Do Cell Phones Keep Your Kids Up at Night?
February 16, 2012
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal revealed that kids today are getting less sleep than recommended – and suggests that advances in new technology may partially be at fault. No longer are books and radio considered the main culprits. Now television, the Internet and cell phone activity are what researchers believe are causing kids to get less sleep – and late night texts, calls or emails certainly don’t help (something our free parental controls can prevent!).
Do cell phones keep your kids up late? How do you manage this?
Have you tried kajeet Smart Blocker?
January 20, 2012
For even the most technologically-savvy parent, configuring a cell phone for your kid can be tricky and time-consuming to figure out.
But kajeet makes it simple! With our FREE parental controls and exclusive Smart BlockerTM technology, it’s easy to block websites, unwanted calls or texts on your kid’s cell phone, keeping him or her safe at affordable prices. Click the video to see our new Smart BlockerTM functionality in action!
Click to Play Video
Activating or Replacing Your kajeet Phone
December 9, 2011
If you made someone’s holiday merrier by purchasing a kajeet cell phone for the holidays, or if you received one, the first thing you need to do is to activate your phone. Kajeet phones can be activated entirely online! Need help? Just reference our FAQs below:
What is “activation?”
Prior to use, each kajeet account needs to be set up with parent (or guardian) information and assigned a phone number. Once you activate your phone, you will automatically be enrolled in the rate plan you chose when the phone was purchased.
The phone I want to activate is for a NEW kajeet user (someone who has not had a kajeet phone before). What do I do?
Activating your kajeet phone is easy! Click here to get started. Be sure to have the kajeet phone you are activating with you, as you will need information found on the handset for the first step.
I’m already a kajeet customer. I want to transfer my current kajeet service to a new/different phone. What do I do?
To switch your current service to a new phone (for an existing kajeet user), just follow these steps:
1. Log into kajeet here.
2. Go to your Account Summary page. Scroll down the page to access the “Add a Phone” tab, as shown below.
3. Click on the “Add a Phone” tab. You will see an option that reads “Replace a Phone.” Click on the link right underneath (the one we circled below).
4. You will be asked to select the phone you would like to replace/upgrade (in the event you have multiple phones on your account) and for the ESN or MEID of your phone (be sure to have your new kajeet phone handy during this process!).
What if I am moving/porting my existing cell phone number to kajeet?
You will need to contact kajeet Customer Care if you are porting (moving) a number from another cell phone service provider to kajeet. Have a copy of your bill and/or account login information with you when you contact kajeet Customer Care. While we are working to make this process as fast as possible, it can take up to 3-4 days to port a number (we are dependent upon other telecommunications companies, and they are all busy at this time of year).
How can I reach kajeet Customer Care and what are the kajeet holiday Care hours?
Our Customer Care team is available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am ET to 10:00 pm ET and on Saturday from 9:00 am ET to 6:00 pm ET. Our Care department can be reached at 1-866-452-5338 or at care@kajeet.com. Kajeet Customer Care is closed on Christmas Day to give our hardworking care personnel the day off with their families.
Our Holiday Care Hours are as follows:
- Saturday, December 24th: 9:00 am ET – 12 :00 am ET
- Sunday, December 25th: CLOSED
- Monday, December 26th: 9:00 am ET — 10:00 pm ET
Care is already busy and we do expect them to continue to be busy after the holidays. Avoid the wait and activate online!
Happy Holidays!
Black Friday Sales Start Now!
November 25, 2011
Don’t miss out on these amazing cell phone specials for your kid! Choose from the following:
- LG Optimus S Android™ Smartphone – Regularly priced at $299.99, on sale for just $209.99. Use promo code TURKEY during checkout and this phone will only cost $178.49!
- Samsung Replenish Android™ Smartphone – Regularly priced at $339.99, on sale for just $249.99. Use promo code TURKEY during checkout and this phone will only cost $212.49!
- Samsung Seek – Regularly priced at $249.99, on sale for just $149.99. Use promo code TURKEY during checkout and this phone will only cost $127.49!
- LG 102 – Regularly priced at $34.99, on sale for just $19.99. Use promo code TURKEY during checkout and this phone will only cost $16.99!
Plus, we’ve got great deals on the LG Rumor Touch, the LG Remarq, the LG Rumor 2 and more! Click here to see our complete lineup of cell phones for kids.
Grab one of these great deals – and get free USPS Priority shipping – today! But hurry – the TURKEY promo code expires on November 28, 2011!
kajeet – the smart phone for kids
Android is a trademark of Google, Inc.
2011 Black Friday Savings at kajeet!
November 24, 2011
Start gobbling up those holidays savings early! Starting today (on Thanksgiving!), you can save 15% on any kids cell phone on our website, including those that are already on sale!
Just use promo code TURKEY during checkout and you’ll receive 15% off your purchase. Plus, you can also take advantage of free USPS Priority shipping for a limited time. Check out our full lineup of phones here!
And – best of all – the savings last all weekend long! The TURKEY promo code is valid through Monday, November 28, 2011 and USPS Priority shipping is free through Saturday, December 24, 2011. But act fast! Cell phones for kids make great holiday presents and they’re sure to go fast.
Extended Customer Care Hours!
October 27, 2011
Great news!
You asked, we listened – and have extended our Customer Care hours. Our new hours are as follows:
- Monday through Friday, 9:00 am ET through 10:00 pm ET
- Saturday, 9:00 am ET through 6:00 pm ET
Feel free to reach out to our team. We hope to hear from you!
Kajeet in the Sacramento Bee!
September 20, 2011
The buzz is out!
Kajeet was recently featured in an article in the Sacramento Bee that addressed what parents may want to consider before getting their kid his or her first cell phone. Among the many topics discussed were ways parents can manage cell phone use – and how kajeet makes this simple with our free parental controls. Click here to see what else makes kajeet a popular pick for parents!
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