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(More customer reviews)This is my first foray into pre-paid telephone plans in the US. After using my mobile phone as my only phone for the past few years, I found that my new house has absolutely no signal coverage. So it was time to abandon the monthly plan for something less expensive and Virgin Mobile seemed to have the best deals available in my area. I grabbed a Flare and a $90 topup card and was ready to go.
On-line activation was a snap (and offers some bonuses that aren't available if you call the service center to activate) and my phone was on the network within 2 hours of activation. The $90 topup card provided a year's worth of service (meaning I'll never have to top up again in the next 12 months to keep my phone active) as well as approximately 1500 minutes when all bonuses were applied. All things considered, it wasn't a bad deal--I was paying more than $40 a month for 300 anytime minutes and free nights and weekends on my old phone. (Virgin does offer a similar plan with daily and monthly fees if you want to go that way--I didn't since my usage pattern is definitely going to change now.)
As for the phone itself, well, it makes phone calls. I don't download much stuff on my phone--the occasional ringtone and wallpaper--and I don't surf or text much either (even when I had unlimited surfing and texting) so my chief concern is how well a phone works as a phone and how easy it is to get my phone directory into it. I have to say I was very pleased on both counts. Calls sound fine and signal strength is good. The volume is easy to adjust and the phone is quite loud when turned all the way up (I hate phones that are too quiet).
My only quibble is with the keypad. The keys are rectangular, but the buttons under them are round, which creates deadspots on the keys, so as I type I have to feel for the little bump to make sure my button press will register. (I have large fingers and use the edge of the tip of my thumb ... the keypad might work well for smaller hands.) However, the bright screen and color contrast make it very easy to read what I'm typing, which in my book overcomes the weaknesses in the keypad.
This isn't the best mobile phone I've ever owned, but it's a sub-$30 phone and to compare it to a phone costing 10X as much would be unfair. On a per-dollar basis, I am very pleased with the LG Flare.
Pros--
Inexpensive to buy (and replace, if necessary)
External LCD screen
Screens are bright and easy-to-read
One-touch account balance, call log, messaging, set up, and vibrate/silent mode
Voice-activated dialing and volume control on outer edge
Bluetooth compatible
Virgin Mobile plans allow a meager $60 upfront topup to activate for an entire year (the $90 card I purchased is not necessary)
Customizable ringtones can be set for each person in directory
Multiple phone numbers per person in directory
Intuitive menu system
Cons--
Cheap feel to housing and keypad
Not much variety in pre-loaded ringtones
Mediocre stand-by battery life
Click Here to see more reviews about: LG Flare Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile)
Dark and sleek with colorful dual screens, the LG Flare from Virgin Mobile is more than just a pretty face. In addition to clear voice communication, this svelte clamshell phone also offers text messaging and connectivity to your Facebook account as well as Web browsing. It's also one of the first handsets available from Virgin Mobile with Bluetooth wireless connectivity for communication headsets. Other features include voice-activated dialing, a speakerphone, pre-loaded games, and Spanish language menus. It runs on the 1900 MHz CDMA network with Virgin Mobile's prepaid service, which requires no annual contract.
Virgin Mobile Service With Virgin Mobile, you pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a plan that's based just on minutes (with rates between 10¢ and 20¢ per minute) or a monthly plan with no annual contract (with select plans offering unlimited calling on weekends and after 7pm on weekdays). You can easily Top-Up your Virgin Mobile account right from your phone. First, buy a Top-Up card at one of the thousands of retailers that carry them; or register your debit card, credit card, or PayPal account at the Virgin Mobile USA web site in order to add minutes to your account directly from your phone.
Additionally, you can choose from a variety of mobile messaging plans, which includes text and picture messaging, email, and IM (via AOL and Yahoo!). Virgin Mobile USA's national coverage is powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network.
Virgin Mobile contributes 5 percent of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless teens, as well as provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.
Phone Features Featuring a glossy piano black finish on the front of its clamshell body, the LG Flare also has a small, full-color LCD on the outside that displays battery life, signal strength, current time, and incoming calls/messages against a fiery red background. Flip the phone open to view its larger interior screen and keypad (with five-way navigation pad, send/end keys, soft keys, and dedicated volume and Web buttons).
Because the Flare is Bluetooth enabled, wireless communication headsets can be configured with the phone. It also supports up to 20 saved Bluetooth pairings--great if you use multiple Bluetooth headsets. And the phone incorporates a jack for an earphone as well as a full-duplex speakerphone for total hands-free operation.
Support for basic text messaging is built into the Flare, as is connectivity to Facebook and other social networking sites on your phone. A built-in wireless web browser lets you surf Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 2.0 sites via the Virgin Mobile Web service. With VirginXL, you can access a variety of music, entertainment, and information services from your phone, as well as download ringtones and games (additional charges applicable). Other features include:
Up to 500 contact entries
Voice-activated dialing
Six unique ringtones for incoming calls and three text message tones
Choose a custom Ringback Tone for each of your callers to hear while they wait for you to pick up
Real music ringtone support provides access to clips from hit songs (additional charges applicable)
Vibration option for when you need to keep your phone silent
Preloaded games include Pac-Man and Tetris
Personal organization tools: calendar, alarm clock, note pad, tip calendar, and world clock
Vital Statistics The LG Flare weighs 2.72 ounces and measures 3.54 x 1.85 x 0.78 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 170 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 1900 MHz CDMA frequency.
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