Virgin Mobile Arc ReviewBluetooth enabled flip phone w. cameraThe Virgin Mobile Arc is a flip-style Bluetooth-enabled phone with a VGA resolution camera. Available for about $30, this phone makes a few trade-offs. Update: DiscontinuedCore FeaturesCameraThe Virgin Mobile UT Starcom Arc has a VGA-resolution camera. OK, but you can do better with similarly priced Virgin Mobile phones especially if you are willing to give up . . .BluetoothYes, the Arc is Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use it with those headsets you hang on your ears. The headset is admittedly useful when you're in the car or maybe even on your bike.Internal and External LCDLike most flip style phones these days, the Arc has both a main internal screen as well as a small external LCD screen. Both screens are full color, though there's not a whole lot you can do with the external screen which looks like it can fit about 3 lines of text enough to tell you who's calling or texting you.Text MessagingYou can of course send text messages. Depending on what you feel comfortable with you can set the Arc cell phone to use predictive entry mode or multi-tap mode. Predictive mode is when the phone tries to guess what you're about to say. See the Virgin Mobile Arc manual(pdf) to see how to set that and other options. On the other hand if you plan to mainly talk or . . . .Surf the WebYou can surf the web with the Arc that, too as you can with almost all Virgin Mobile phones with varying degrees of usability depending on the screen and keyboard. In this case, reviews are mixed.SpeakerphoneIf you don't have a headset, you can use the speaker phone as a handsfree substitute.Voice dialingIf you're going to use either a Bluetooth headset or speakerphone then you're probably not shy about talking out loud to your phone, so you may also want to make use of the voice dialing feature. It's not really any faster than pressing a couple buttons on the phone, but, like a headset, you don't have to take your eyes off what you're doing.HAC-rated M4Switching senses, the Virgin Mobile Arc has been HAC (hearing aid compatibility) rated M4 which is excellent. So if you need this feature and the rest of the phone's feature set is good for you, you may want to give this one a try.Battery LifeYou get 3.5 hours talk time (standard) and 14 days standby time (quite good considering it's a relatively full-featured phone).AccessoriesBluetooth HeadsetThis is, of course, going to be the main accessory.Car chargerIt's a good idea to keep these sorts of phones charged especially when traveling through areas with lower signal strength as the phone will use power attempting to maintain the network.Extra batteryIf one battery goes bad it good to have one so you don't have the bother of ordering one or getting a new phone. You can check it and charge it every few months to make sure it's charged when you need it.Worth a try?If you already mostly carry around a digital camera in your pocket or purse, the Virgin Mobile Arc is worth a try with it's Bluetooth capability, and long battery life.Already have one?Tell us about it!Your Virgin Mobile Arc ReviewTell us about your experience with this phone! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Virgin Mobile Arc is great for my business!
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The Virgin Mobile Arc is a great little phone!
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