AT&T GoPhone (LG Thrive) vs. Virgin Mobile (LG Optimus V)

[pierretong]

Hey! I'm going to be going to college this upcoming fall in Clemson, South Carolina and am looking at a cheap android cell phone option and saw the LG Thrive as an option. I am currently on an AT&T GoPhone plan and saw that they have the LG Thrive android phone but the data packages look ridiculous ($25 for 500 MB, $10 for 100 MB, $5 for 10 MB) while Virgin Mobile with the exact same phone (except called the LG Optimus V) is unlimited for $25. A couple of questions though:

1. How much data am I going to need? I am on a college campus so there is wi-fi most of the time (not everywhere I go but most places). I check facebook, twitter, email and sometimes watch youtube videos.

2.Would it be better off to start on the AT&T GoPhone data plan and see how much data I actually use since AT&T has better coverage? or vice versa and start off with Virgin Mobile? What would you do in this situation?

Thanks a lot for any comments!

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Even without a data plan, AT&T will probably be more expensive. We have no way of knowing how much 3G data you will use, since we don't know how often you will be away from Wi-Fi. Casual browsing and social networking wouldn't be too bad, but the video streaming will use lots of data if you go overboard.

If you are willing to pay more and have limitations for better coverage: AT&T

If you are looking for the best value: Virgin Mobile

 

[nb_mitch]

I have a Dell Streak with the 200MG plan. I average about 50MB a month with a high of 80MB since December, but I am on a Wifi network 95% of the time. Wifi is free, not part of the data usage.

I have an app to turn off my 3G and if I watched it closely, I could probably keep it under 20MB a month, but since it is so low, I rarely shut it off.

That said, YMMV. I work from home, have a home wifi, so the only time I am on a 3G network is when I am mobile. I have used Google Maps navigation and used 25MB in 30 minutes. You have to be careful. Depending on your school and where the hotspots are, you could find yourself going in/out of wifi hotspots and into 3G just walking between classes.

I always say get the device that provides the best coverage first and then deal with the features second.

 

[insertusername]

Hey! I'm going to be going to college this upcoming fall in Clemson, South Carolina and am looking at a cheap android cell phone option and saw the LG Thrive as an option. I am currently on an AT&T GoPhone plan and saw that they have the LG Thrive android phone but the data packages look ridiculous ($25 for 500 MB, $10 for 100 MB, $5 for 10 MB) while Virgin Mobile with the exact same phone (except called the LG Optimus V) is unlimited for $25. A couple of questions though:

1. How much data am I going to need? I am on a college campus so there is wi-fi most of the time (not everywhere I go but most places). I check facebook, twitter, email and sometimes watch youtube videos.

2.Would it be better off to start on the AT&T GoPhone data plan and see how much data I actually use since AT&T has better coverage? or vice versa and start off with Virgin Mobile? What would you do in this situation?

Thanks a lot for any comments!

I would honestly go with Virgin Mobile. Unlimited data and text (w/ 300 minutes) really is hard to pass up. The main thing you want to check is which place has service. Assuming both carriers operate in SC, I would go with Virgin.