Boost unveils First CDMA Android Smartphone
The difference between Sprint's two prepaid brands, Boost and Virgin Mobile, just got a little more confusing with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Prevail, a midrange CDMA Android smartphone for Boost. The Prevail is a bit like a stripped-down version of one of Samsung's popular Galaxy S smartphones. Like the Galaxy S line, it's a sleek black plastic slab running Android 2.2. But all the specs are knocked down a notch: there's a 3.2-inch, 320-by-480 screen, a 2-megapixel camera, and a 2GB MicroSD card for storage. The lower specifications let Sprint sell the phone for less: $179.99 prepaid, with Boost's $50 unlimited plan on Sprint's 3G network. Even better, for every six months a customer pays on time, Boost reduces the monthly fee by $5 until it's only $35. This is very competitive with devices like the LG Optimus M and LG Optimus C on MetroPCS and Cricket's $40-50/month unlimited plans. Sprint's two prepaid brands, Boost and Virgin, differ in tone but they also used to differ in technology. Boost ran iDen phones with the Nextel push-to-talk system; Virgin ran CDMA phones on Sprint's nationwide network. Boost then started getting CDMA phones, but Virgin got some smartphones, which appeared to shift their focus into Boost being a more talk/text-centric versus Virgin being a more data-heavy brand.
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