
No Contract: $149 Android phone, $25 unlimited data and 300 min - dave1619
http://virginmobileusa.marketwire.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=F4ABAEBA3A27ECD9&version=live&prid=715003&releasejsp=custom_124
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clojurerocks
I had actually considered getting this a few months ago. I was also looking at
tmobile prepaid which also has an android phone. Initially they both looked
like too good to be true deals and then i learned the reason for that. The
phones they both offer are terrible. Small and very underpowered. With i think
the Virgin Mobile phone running android 1.6. Which is like buying a computer
with Windows 95 or 2000 on it. Sure its running "windows" but no software will
actually work on it so whats the point.

Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile prepaid also get terrible reviews.

In the end i spent the extra money and got a Droid X on contract with Verizon.
Its a great phone with good coverage.

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beoba
My mother got this phone with this plan, it's not the best thing in the world
(the screen is a bit too low-res) but for $25 I think it's a fantastic deal
for a device/service which really isn't that noticeably different than what
the 'high end' android phones offer.

I currently have a Droid Incredible with a $70 plan on Verizon ($75 after
bullshit fees) and I felt like a schmuck for paying so much when I saw her
phone.

I previously had a prepaid phone on Virgin and it worked fine. Ended up
switching carriers just to get a data plan. I think I'll be switching back
once my contract is up.

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m0th87
Does anyone know of a website or means with which I can reliably determine
whether there's good coverage from a service (in this case Virgin) in my area?
I'd love to switch, these AT&T rates are killing me.

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andrewce
Here's Virgin's coverage map for voice-usage:
<http://www.virginmobileusa.com/check-cell-phone-coverage>

It looks like Virgin uses Sprint's 3G network. Here's their coverage map:
<http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?ECID=vanity:coverage>

Finally, here is a CNET review of the LG Optimus V (the phone featured in this
particular plan): [http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/lg-optimus-v-
virgin/4505...](http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/lg-optimus-v-
virgin/4505-6452_7-34482446.html)

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nathanb
I have the Samsung Intercept, which is also offered by Virgin Mobile for the
same plan. It's about $100 more expensive, and while I can't vouch for whether
it's $100 better since I've never used the LG phone, I can say that you get
what you pay for. Still, it's very encouraging to see this trend, and really
when you compare how much you're saving on the contract then the phone
essentially pays for itself within the year even if you get the more expensive
Intercept.

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abello
They deduct minutes to every call to voice mail. Google Voice and Skype seem
to take out from the 300 too. You really can't talk with this plan. This is
for data-centric use.

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gcb
Like every other operator. Att here evens deduct s my minutes for received g
voice calls.

But Android has sip clients. who needs voice?

Also there are plenty of skype apk patched to behave the same in wifi and 3g,
meaning it will go via data no matter what

~~~
georgemcbay
In 2.3 (Gingerbread), SIP is baked right into OS and integrates seamlessly
into Google Voice & the regular phone UI, so you don't even have to run an
external client.

~~~
gcb
I call that a SIP client too :)

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dave1619
This has got to be the best deal for a prepaid Android phone ever. The $25
month unlimited data and 300 minutes is the best voice/data plan out there as
well.

~~~
gcb
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

~~~
trotsky
Alternately, everything you're used to is just a really bad deal.

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radu_floricica
Speaking of, does HN know of a cheap android phone available internationally?

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Huppie
A friend recently bought a ZTE Blade. I haven't tried it personally but he's
very exited with it, and looking at the specs it seems to be a good, cheap
android phone.

It's available in a few countries other than the US like the UK, France and
Switzerland. Depending on where you buy it, an unlocked phone will cost about
$150 to $250.

~~~
camtarn
In the UK Orange sell a rebranded version of the Blade on Pay As You Go,
called the Orange San Francisco. Several people in my office have bought one,
since they're only £100 here and can be trivially unlocked to run on any
network. It's a little slower than high-end Android phones, but appears to be
very usable.

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moses1400
If you buy this phone, can you use it as a wifi only and never actually
activate it with VM? Or can you pay for a month, cancel and still use it on
wifi? Might be a good tester device option.

~~~
turbodog
Yes, you can use WiFi only without ever activating it or paying VM. I did it
myself: [http://blog.gerundinganimal.com/2011/01/cheap-wifi-only-
andr...](http://blog.gerundinganimal.com/2011/01/cheap-wifi-only-android-
phone.html)

~~~
moses1400
Thanks! I am on Sprint with the SERO plan now - its $30 a month - but i have a
very old windows mobile phone - I could upgrade my device but then i also get
$20 extra tacked on a month on the SERO plan. Maybe this is a better option.

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cdsanchez
How's their service in the US (specifically CA)? My contract with T-Mobile is
up in April and I'm paying $70 for 300minutes + 5 unlimited contacts +
unlimited web and 400 incl. text messages.

~~~
dave1619
Virgin Mobile USA uses Sprint PCS Network.

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ahemphill
Bonus: while it does not ship configured to do so by default, the phone can be
used as a "mobile hotspot" (tethered) after a simple modification.

I think I'll go pick one up.

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ahemphill
I have a BlackBerry on Virgin and while the device is pretty atrocious, the
coverage is great in SF. (The customer service is not quite up to par,
however.)

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HockeyPlayer
Can you buy a phone somewhere else and sign up for their plan?

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ahemphill
You can buy the device from a third party but they only allow Virgin-branded
devices on the network.

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gcb
no virgin mobile here.but if they are anything like pcs, which advertise
unlimited web and calls for 40, then data for them means some proxied sites
only

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trotsky
It's not like that for VMU, you can reach any site on the net afaik. The
"unlimited" is 5gigs/mo, after that they will throttle you. I've read
complaints that they add extra jitter to SIP protocol traffic, though.

