AT&T brings LG Android smartphone to GoPhone prepaid brand

AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) is jumping into the prepaid smartphone market by partnering with LG to bring an Android smartphone to the carrier's GoPhone prepaid brand.     

The LG Thrive, left, and the LG Phoenix are headed to AT&T. Click here for details.AT&T said it will launch the LG Thrive for $179.99 on April 17 for its GoPhone prepaid customers. The carrier also will launch a postpaid version of the gadget, dubbed the LG Phoenix, for $49.99--a price that coincides with a required two-year contract.

In addition to the new phones, AT&T also updated its GoPhone data plans for customers who choose its $2-per-day unlimited talk and text plan or 10-cent-per-minute plan.

The new data options are:
--$25 for 500 MB
--$5 for 10 MB (which was previously $5 for 1 MB)
--$15 for 100 MB (previously $19.99)

The LG Thrive runs version 2.2 of Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform and sports a 3.2-inch screen, 600 MHz processor, Wi-Fi and a 3.2-megapixel camera. The Phoenix is similar but also supports mobile hotspot and tethering features.

AT&T is the latest carrier to bring smartphones to prepaid subscribers. Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) Boost Mobile prepaid brand recently launched its first CDMA Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Prevail.

Such prepaid smartphone launches put pressure on flat-rate carriers MetroPCS (NASDAQ:PCS) and Cricket provider Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP), which began increasing the number of smartphones in their lineups last fall. Both flat-rate providers intend to make smartphones a centerpiece of their offerings this year.        

For more:
- see this release

Related Articles:
Boost Mobile launches first CDMA Android phone, Samsung Prevail
Sprint pushes smartphones to prepaid via Boost, Virgin
Huawei hooks up with MetroPCS on low-cost Android phone
Huawei, ZTE high on Android