Reports have revealed that Verizon Wireless, the telecom giant, is all set to pull down the prices for Palm's Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smartphones and will also be offering free access to a Wi-Fi service that would allow the phones to deliver Internet access to a range of other devices, like the eagerly awaited iPad by Apple which is all set to hit the stores on Saturday.

Palm Inc., the original smartphone guru, has been trying to fiercely compete with other offerings in the market with more and more customers starting to opt for Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices. Chances are that the price cuts and offering of free services would help catch the attention of some bargain users.

On Thursday, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney shared that the company is selling Palm's Pre Plus for $50, which is a substantial discount from the previous selling price of $150, and the Pixi Plus will now go down from $80 to a mere $30. Both the phones come tied with a two year contract.

Both Palm Pre and Pixi Plus are black in color, sporting a touchscreen and a standard QWERTY keyboard, but while the keyboard of the Pre Plus slides out from the bottom, that of the Pixi Plus is built into its face. Both the smartphones run on Palm's WebOS software.

In addition, Verizon is also offering customers free, though limited, use of a service which would allow up-to 5 devices to be connected to the company's wireless network through the Pre and Pixi Plus phones, which would act as Wi-Fi hotspots.