Virgin Mobile launches the Samsung Intercept

Virgin Mobile has just announced that their long-rumored Android device will be available now at Target stores nationwide, and soon on the Virgin website. The device is the Samsung Intercept, which also recently launched on Sprint. The Intercept is a moderately exciting phone that has a slide-out keyboard and runs Android 2.1, Eclair. It features a 3MP camera, 3.2" screen, and all the Google apps you expect from most Android phones.



More exciting than the phone, though, is the pricing. The phone costs $249 (this is contract-free pricing, remember) and no-contract, unlimited data plans start at only $25 per month, taxes and fees included. That plan gives you 300 talk minutes. That pricing brings it within reach of a whole lot of people who couldn't necessarily afford a smartphone before.

The Intercept is a "With Google" device and runs a mostly stock version of Android 2.1. It's available in Target stores now. [via Android Guys and Virgin Mobile]

The Intercept is a nice device, more powerful than my G1, easily pocket-able, and capable of running most of the current apps. But phone aside, that plan has me seriously jealous. Twenty-five bucks for unlimited data, unlimited texts, and 300 minutes? We could get four of them for about the same price we're paying now for two lines on T-Mobile...and even what we pay is less than Verizon or AT&T customers. That's a seriously sweet deal.

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This is an average phone, but I agree that the pricing plans are awesome. It would be awesome if this kind of pricing took off and all the carriers were offering plans like this. I'm not holding my breath, though.