Free phones combined with various data plans from mobile operators are being offered all the time, but generally these handsets only pack basic features. Now, we couldn't possibly say that Palm Centro is a highly evolved device, but it's neither a low-end handset, so the fact that it is now available for free is sure a good thing. Especially for new or old Sprint subscribers, because the Centro is free only if you buy it via Wirefly (a US leading mobile retailer), with a 2-year Sprint contract agreement. Sure, the contract will cost you 40 USD per month, so you still have to take some money out of the pocket, but for the Centro smartphone you won't have to pay a cent.

Without a contract agreement, a Palm Centro retails at $399, so the new Wirefly-Sprint deal seems more than OK. A good-to-know aspect about the offer is that only the Onyx Black version of the handset is free, so customers who want the device in other colors must still pay for it.

As for the features the Centro smartphone includes, users will get quad-band GSM connectivity, GPRS, EDGE, Palm OS 5.4.9, a TFT display with 65k colors and a 320 x 320 pixels resolution, a 5-way navigation button and a (kind of small) full QWERTY keypad designed to help those who send numberless text messages and emails while on the go. Moving on, we have a MP3 player, Google Mobile Maps, Blazer 4.5 Web browser, Instant Messaging, Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP, a 1.3 Megapixel camera with video recording and digital zoom, microSD card support for up to 4GB of extended memory, and a Li-Ion 1050 mAh battery that should offer up to 4 hours of talk-time and up to 300 hours of stand-by time.

This being said, Palm fans as well as those who want an affordable smartphone should seriously think about the free Centro offer. If they live in the US and they don't have anything against Sprint, of course.