Leaked earlier this week, T-Mobile and Samsung officially announced the Samsung Dart, available today for free with a new two-year contract.

The Dart, also known as the T-Mobile t499, gets straight to the point with its features. Running Android 2.2 Froyo, the Dart is a 3G world phone (quad-band). It has a 3.1-inch QVGA screen, a 3-megapixel camera, and it comes with a 2GB microSD card (the handset takes up to 32GB external memory.)

Swype lovers will be happy to see that it comes with a Swype keyboard by default. The Dart is 4 inches high by 2.4 inches wide by half an inch thick and weighs 3.8 ounces.

As a free, entry-level phone, the Dart is clearly targeting first-time smartphone users rather than well-seasoned technologists.