UPDATE 3/30/14: Be aware that the original review below is quite old, and many of the tips are no longer valid. By today's standards, this phone is VERY outdated, and other phones like a Google Nexus would be highly preferable at a similar cost. AT&T has crippled their Pay-As-You-Go plans for people who want cheap data, as now it'll cost at least $30/month for cellular data (though you can still get decent deals on AT&T's network with smaller companies like AirVoice or H2O Wireless).
UPDATE - June 22, 2011: ** HOW TO USE AMAZON'S APPSTORE WITH THE LG THRIVE **
By default, AT&T has disabled installing apps from "unknown sources" (i.e. Amazon Appstore). Rumor has it that there's an Android OS 2.2.2 update being pushed out over the air for this phone which re-enables this feature. Unfortunately, I can't get my Thrive to check for updates at all. However, you CAN enable installing unknown source apps using a "secret menu". Just dial 3845#*506# and a settings menu will appear. Scroll down and tap "Unknow Sources Test". Then check the "Unknown sources" box on the screen that pops up. Amazon Appstore should work as intended now!
First things first: this is no $500-600 flagship phone. But for under two hundred bucks, it's an excellent value, and can do almost anything that any of the fancy smartphones can do. And for someone who doesn't use many voice minutes, and can ration 3G data by taking advantage of Wi-Fi, the monthly fees can be incredibly low when compared to a smartphone contract.
PROS
* Using the 10-cent per minute plan, this can give you a smartphone for as little as $8.33/month (that is, if you use fewer than 33 voice minutes & less than 10MB of 3G data every month). If you find yourself low on data, you can spend twenty-five bucks to add 500MB (up to a max of 1500MB) that will roll over every month that you continue purchasing a data package. Voice minutes can also be added in 150 to 1000 minute increments at any time.
* If you port your old number or sign up for a new number using Google Voice, you can get free text messaging without paying a monthly texting fee to AT&T (texts will come to your phone through your data plan or Wi-Fi). Be aware that you'll want to send & receive texts through the Google Voice app (found in the Android Marketplace), and not the stock Messaging app. Also, once you link your Thrive to your Google Voice account, you'll want to turn OFF the "Receive text messages on this phone" setting for the Thrive (if you turn this setting ON, every time you receive a text, you'll get a free Google Voice text PLUS a regular SMS text that will cost you 20-cents a pop).
* Ability to run almost any app in the Android App Store.
* Pretty decent battery life (for an Android phone). I charge my Thrive while I'm asleep. Unplug in the morning, use it all day, and plug it in to charge when I go to bed at the end of the night.
* Small size makes it extremely pocketable. While the entire device is a bit bulkier, the screen is just a smidge smaller than the screen of an iPhone.
* Even though it's only 3.2MP, the camera takes some pretty clear shots.
* Like any other Android phone, you can upgrade the memory by buying a larger microSD card. I bought an ADATA 32GB class 4 microSDHC card, transferred all of my music to my Thrive, and ditched my iPod. (Looking through Internet forums, it appears that similar LG Optimus phones have been reported to have problems with SD cards 16GB or larger -- I have not had any problems on my device with this setup.)
CONS
* The screen is definitely not Gorilla Glass. I babied my phone, and had a couple fine scratches on the screen within 2 weeks. Invest in a screen protector.
* At 320x480, the screen resolution isn't as high-def as newer phones. However, it's still on par with any iPhone made before the iPhone 4.
* The fairly-slow 600MHz processor means that you won't be able to install Flash on this device for web browsing. I've also noticed slowdowns in some games, specifically the newer Angry Birds games.
* With only 150MB of on-board memory, you're very limited with the number of apps you can install. True, you can move some apps to SD, but even then, these apps will still eat up a certain amount of onboard memory. In less than a month, I've already found myself having to delete certain apps to find room for others.
* (FOUND A WORKAROUND FOR THIS! SEE UPDATE AT THE TOP OF THIS REVIEW!) AT&T has turned off the ability to load apps from anywhere but the Android Marketplace.
* AT&T tries to complicate the refill process for this phone. You CAN set up automatic refill of airtime and features like data, but to do it online, you have to use two different AT&T websites. At paygonline dot com, you can set up auto-renew on your data or text plan. At myprepaidrefill dot com, you can set up auto-refill on airtime. Also of note, buying feature packages at paygonline dot com deducts from your existing airtime balance; while feature packages at myprepaidrefill dot com must be purchased separately.
* Depending on where you live, you may have an E911 fee deducted from your airtime balance every month. Usually not too costly, but still a surprise. Search for "gophone e911" to see what you'll be paying for 911 service.
