Starcom Arc Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile)

Outlined with stylish curves, the affordable Starcom Arc for Virgin Mobile flip phone helps you stay in touch with friends and family with easy-to-use voice and messaging communications. It also provides such extras as access to personal email and Bluetooth connevitity with handsfree headsets.

With Virgin Mobile, you can choose a pay-as-you-go plan where you pay for just the minutes you use, or select from one of several monthly plans--including an unlimited option. Other features include a VGA camera for still photos, dual LCD screens, Spanish menus, speakerphone, voice dialing, and up to 3.5 hours of talk time.

Virgin Mobile Service

With Virgin Mobile, you can pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a plan that's based just on minutes (with rates between 5¢ and 10¢ per minute, depending on the amount of minutes you buy). Or, you can choose a monthly plan with no annual contract, including Total Unlimited Calling for $79.99. Pay-as-you-go users 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

Finished in a trendsetting red soft-feel touch body, the Starcom Arc clamshell phone has a thin external LCD screen (96 x 64 pixels) that displays incoming calls, current time, signal strength, and battery life. The internal 1.8-inch screen has a 128 x 160-pixel resolution and support for a 262K color depth. Weighing in at just 3 ounces, it'll slip into a bag or pocket without causing any unsightly bulges. The internal phonebook can store up to 500 contacts, and it provides multiple phone number fields and is compatible with caller groups.

In addition to a speakerphone, the Arc includes Bluetooth connectivity for communication headsets and handsfree car kits. Snap still photos on the go with the VGA camera, which includes a 4x digital zoom. Other features include:
Messaging: SMS text and MMS picture
Mobile web browsing
Voice-activated dialing
Personal organization tools: calendar, alarm clock, stopwatch, tip calculator, and world clock
Downloadable real-music and animated ringtones (additional charges applicable)
Comes with preloaded games; more downloadable games available

Vital Statistics

The Starcom Arc for Virgin Mobile weighs 3 ounces and measures 3.6 x 1.9 x 0.8 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.5 days) of standby time. It runs on the 1900 MHz CDMA frequency.