Samsung Captivate Available Practically Free

The regular price for the Samsung Captivate is $200, but a number of online retailers are selling it for much less. New AT&T customers can get this high-end Android OS model for almost no money down, and deals are also available for current subscribers.

Amazon.com is offering this new smartphone for just a penny to those who are switching to AT&T to get it. Wirefly.com has a deal that's almost as good: $10 for new subscribers.

AT&T and other wireless carriers regularly offer special deals to new customers, hoping that discounts on phones will lure in additional subscribers. They rarely if ever show these on their own sites, though. 

Those who are already AT&T customers don't have to pay full price for the Captivate, either. Wirefly.com is asking $80 from those who qualify for an upgrade, while the rival online phone retailer LetsTalk.com has it for $90. Amazon.com's price for upgrading is $100.

Overview of the Samsung Captivate
This smartphone has a tablet shape with a 4-inch, WVGA (800 x 480), Super AMOLED display.

It runs Android OS 2.1 on a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, and is bundled with an array of software for web browsing, messaging, and entertainment.

The Captivate is able to access AT&T's 7.2 Mbps 3G network, and it also sports Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

It has a 5 megapixel camera with support for recording 720p HD video as well as still images. This model also includes 16 GB of internal storage, a microSD memory card slot, and a GPS receiver.