On Aug. 23, T-Mobile unveiled the Concord, an affordable Android device aimed at first-time smartphone buyers.

The 3G ZTE Concord runs on the older Android 2.3 Gingerbread and provides basic Web surfing and Google Maps support, as well as easy access to social networks, according to T-Mobile. The handset comes in midnight blue and sports a 3.5-inch touchscreen display and a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera. There is no mention of CPU power, so those specs are probably not something T-Mobile wants to tout.

The Concord is currently available at Walmart for $99.98 with a Walmart Family Mobile plan, and T-Mobile expects it to become available at Target on Aug. 26 for $99.99, with a qualifying T-Mobile Monthly 4G plan. This plan does not actually provide 4G service on the ZTE Concord, but it offers unlimited talk and text, as well as "worry free" data, according to T-Mobile.

The carrier's new unlimited mobile data plans go into effect on Sept. 5. T-Mobile's Monthly4G plans start at $50, while Walmart's plans start at $45, offering the same services.

The fact that it runs on the outdated Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile operating system and has only one 2-megapixel camera, with no front camera, may make the Concord unappealing to some, but for those looking to pick up their first smartphone without committing to a contract, the $99.99 handset is a good place to start. It may be no Samsung Galaxy S3, but low-cost contract-free smartphones such as the Concord will soon take the place of the less-powerful feature phones.

According to data market research firm Nielsen provided back in May, smartphone use passed the 50 percent mark in the United States, with one in two U.S. mobile subscribers now using a smartphone.