The New Best Smartphone Deal

Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V No-Contract Mobile Phone – $149.99

By: Dappered Tech Correspondent Paul Olson

Dappered’s go-to mobile provider, Virgin Mobile, just launched another great Android-powered smartphone, the LG Optimus V.  Why’s this one worth a look?

1. It’s Android

Android phones are great.  You can play Angry Birds on them, keep track of your bank balances with Mint, read news with Pulse, and never get lost thanks to Google Maps.  While the iPhone definitely blazed the trail, Android-powered phones offer all of the functionality at a fraction of the cost.

2. It’s Android 2.2

Android 2.2 matters for two reasons — it’s faster and it’s Microsoft Outlook friendly.  If you want to access your work email on your phone (and your office uses Outlook), this if the phone for you.  Virgin Mobile’s Samsung Intercept runs Android 2.1 — but it’s scheduled to get the upgrade this spring.  Currently, the only phone with a more advanced version of the Android OS is the Google-blessed Nexus S.

3. There’s No Keyboard

I’m not a keyboard guy — I like the touchscreen.  The Optimus V is keyboard-free, so you don’t need to worry about mucking up the sliding keyboard with your pocket lint and finger sweat.  And it’s cheaper to manufacture, so the Optimus V is cheaper than the Intercept.

4. It’s Cheaper Than Your Family Plan

Let’s do the math for AT&T: unlimited minutes for 5 people cost $120 + (4 * $50); unlimited messaging for the family plan is $30; data for 5 phones (2 GB cap) is 5 * $25 … this is $475 a month or $95 per person per month.  And you don’t get unlimited data on AT&T.

Virgin Mobile’s unlimited plan is $60 a month.  Their 300 minutes, unlimited data and text messaging plan is $25 a month.  It’s impossible to beat this.

5. It’s The Best $150 GPS Unit You Can Buy

For $150, you could buy a Garmin — but the Google Maps and Navigator apps make a Garmin entirely unnecessary.  And unlike a stand-alone GPS unit that only does one thing, your Optimus V is basically a mini computer that can do everything your laptop can do.

Conclusion

Get this phone.  Unfortunately, a lot of people have already come to this same conclusion — the phone’s sold out a lot of places and back-ordered on Virgin’s site.  It’s worth the wait.

NOTE: Now that Paul our tech correspondent has gone over the new LG Optimus, know that Joe will give everyone an update at the end of the week on how he and his new Samsung Intercept are getting along. Some have asked.  So know that’s on the way too.