Like Bob, I have also received a freebie cell from Sprint with six months usage on it. Unlike Bob, I have no feelings about Sprint one way or the other. My old cell, on another system, works just fine for me, but it’s very old school — no camera, no bells, no whistles. This thing that Sprint is pushing is loaded with all of those, and can supposedly be used as a modem for my laptop, which could be handy when I’m on book tour in a couple of months.
To me, this is the same thing as a review copy of a book or film, or — ahem — a free trip to Amsterdam. (Sigh.) My policy is basically, anyone who wants to send me free stuff, or fly me to fabulous foreign cities, is more than welcome to do so, but there are no promises involved on my end. If it sucks, I won’t refrain from saying so. If I recommend something, I’ll do so because I genuinely mean it.