I think that the main thing that your decision should be based on is which one you like more as well as which you can afford.
While I won't say to ignore what the other answer says, I will say that there are always bound to be issues when a new phone comes out along with new plans. I'm sure that the bugs with activating and downloading will be fixed ASAP. So don't let that affect your decision too much.
I'm not sure what they are talking about when they say that Yahoo, etc... won't download to the phone which to them means no internet. From what I've read on the Virgin Mobile website, as well as other places, all you have to do is activate your phone and go. After all you can get internet access on any of the other older Virgin Mobile phones without any download.
Yes, the buttons on the Loft are a little small and they are a bit hard to push, at least at first, but I just bought the Loft myself and with a little practice I can push the buttons easily. My hand may be a bit bigger than yours, though my hands are small for my size, so if I can do it, you can too. It would be easier for those with smaller fingers.
I haven't activated my Loft yet since I'm still on one of the regular monthly plans until the 12th so I can't really speak on how easy it is to use the phone, though I've been with Virgin for years and I haven't had a phone that's hard to use yet.
Also, I've read that there are also issues with activating and downloading with the Rumor Touch too, which just shows that it's not only the Loft that has bugs that need to be fixed.
