Sprint stocks up on eco-friendly phones with Samsung Replenish

Earth Day is a week away now, but Sprint is getting the eco-friendly party started today with the unveiling of the Samsung Replenish.

As far as specs go, they're very standard, so don't get your hopes up. Running on Android 2.2, the Replenish sports a QWERTY keypad, a 2.8-inch QVGA main display, a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Wi-Fi, GPS, a microSD card slot (supports up to 32GB), Android Market access and access to Sprint's new ID pack. Buyers can get a little greener by opting for the solar door charging accessory.

Speaking of green, that really comes in from the "reduced environmentally sensitive materials" used to make the Replenish. This Samsung smartphone is outfitted with a casing made from 34.6% post-consumer recycled plastic and 82% of the rest of the device is made from recyclable materials. Naturally, the packaging is fully recyclable and made from 80% post-consumer waste material with soy inks. Finally, if you get the Replenish, you're probably done with your old phone. Thus, Sprint will include a pre-paid envelope to recycle the old thing.

Set to be available in three shades (Onyx Black, Arctic Blue and Raspberry Pink), the Samsung Replenish will be launched on May 8 from Sprint for $49.99 with a two-year service agreement. To make the deal a little sweeter, Sprint is also dropping the $10 monthly premium data add-on charge when buying this device.

If you want an environmentally-friendly handset but don't want a contract, you could opt for last year's model, the Samsung Restore, which will be available via Virgin Mobile USA without an annual contract for $79.99 starting on April 18.

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