We received the Instinct a few weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to write up my impressions on it after using it for just about a week straight. I’m happy to report that the Instinct on Sprint is a capable and powerful smartphone and, in a way, is a direct competitor to the iPhone generation 1 (iPhone 3G doesn’t fit into this equation, but I suspect I’d say the same thing when we see it). Sadly, there are many caveats to this opinion and it would behoove Sprint and Samsung to quickly update the phone as soon as possible if they wish to have the blockbuster success that this device, in the end, deserves.
First the good. The Instinct interface is far superior to the iPhone’s simply because of haptic feedback. Much of the good ideas the iPhone uses – slide to unlock being one of the most important – are partially visible here and special care has clearly been taken to ensure that an apples to apples comparison is difficult if not impossible. Nothing in this phone is a direct knock-off and it is all fresh and slightly disconcerting at the same time. Once you work out the kinks, however, it is very strong interface and eminently usable.
We begin by unlocking the phone by holding down a button on the top. This direct physical interaction with the phone also turns it on and off, so care must be taken not to hold the button too long or it will turn off. The sliding metaphor appears quite a bit, however, especially in answering and making calls. For example, when a call comes in you are offered a floating bar. To answer, you slide the bar up to a box marked answer. To ignore, you slide the bar down. Weird, right? Strangely, it works. Another odd UI choice: When you make a call you type in the number and then press the bar that the number shows up in. You wouldn’t know it to look at the screen, but that was their design choice. It works although it does take a moment to figure out what’s going on.
Most importantly, the Instinct has haptic feedback. When you press a button or slide through emails or menus the phone buzzes and creates an interesting form of feedback. Haptics are not a must-have but they’re nice.
Call quality is strong and the data capabilities mean you can live stream TV and on-demand video from almost anywhere. The web widgets like Weather, News, Sports, and Movies are quite useful. The music player is very capable even though it checks the included 2 gigabyte memory card every time it launches. The camera is good in standard light but is useless in low light, throwing a “fuzzy picture warning” on the screen and giving you a messy photo.
I’m most pleased with the email. It supports POP3 and IMAP along with all of the usual suspects – AIM, Yahoo, MSN – and uses a very intuitive mail reading system that lets you select multiple messages for deletion or filing.
Now for the bad news. There is no desktop sync and it only supports contact sync of up to 600 contacts. There is a “backup” system offered on Sprint.com that keeps your contacts safe but there is no real sync solution for Windows or OS X.
Next, the browser is abysmal. Coupled with a fairly bad keyboard, trying to type in a URL into the browser is hell while viewing a full webpage at the default resolution is a study in agony. The browser is not quite standards-compliant, as we see here. The system uses the accelerometer to let you scroll through longer documents. This position sensing system, activated by pressing the camera button, is fairly useless.
Finally, in the week I used this phone I’ve already scratched the screen quite noticeably. While I don’t coddle phones, I never put them in with my keys nor do I ever put them in with other phones. The result, after just a week of use, is a buffed and scratched screen that makes screen viewing difficult under some light.
Bottom line? This is a good, if flawed phone. Most importantly, the browser needs a complete overhaul and the next generation needs a glass screen. As it stands, however, this $130 iPhone competitor is quite compelling. If you are on Sprint, this is the closest you’ll get to a truly intuitive phone with enough horsepower to download TV, audio, and video on the go. It is not a dream come true – yet – but it is a start. It is up to Sprint and Samsung to upgrade this phone with regularity, adding features that business folks need – Outlook sync for one – and a better browser for everyone else.
Okay… that was the worst “good” review I have ever seen. It is like the reviewer so desperately wants to like this phone, but at the same time cannot help but point out the flaws.
The iPhone is, in a word: flawless. Why would anyone consider a pale imitation when you can have the real deal ??
iPhone killer ?? I think not…
I have owned the Instinct for about 3 weeks now. I LOVE it! I went with a buddy of mine this weekend to look at the new iphone. The instinct beats the iphone hands down. For one, the instinct is a bit less wide, and just a tad thicker than the iphone, so it sits in your hand much easier and is much more natural to talk with. It has a rubber backing, so it wont slip from your hands like the iphone does. Sure the iphone has a bigger screen, but hello, its a PHONE, not a TV. The instinct menus are much easier to get around with than the iphone. It has a VIDEO recorder, which works good. I was able to film my friend and his wife naming their baby in the hospital. If I had the iphone, I would have some snapshots of it only. Its navigation is hands down much better than the iphone.
To all of you iphone lovers, don’t just bash this phone because you are iphone lovers if you havent even checked it out. And to someone looking for a new phone, definitely take both for a test drive before you buy. Don’t get caught up in all the apple hype.
Oh, did I mention that when the keyboard comes up, the keyboard sits vertical, so you turn your phone and have a much bigger keyboard than the iphone.
Also, forgot to mention the battery in the instinct actually can be removed and you can replace it with a second battery that comes with the phone. It has a separate battery charger that you can charge the second battery while the other is in your phone. You can even hook it up to a computer USB and power it that way. You will never have down time while your phone is charging like the iphone.
The guy reviewing the phone forgot to mention all these cool things that the iphone does NOT have.
thank you
im about to get this next month
the iphone is a joke, its one big toy trying to be something big
i’ve had this phone for almost a yr and i love it and the only reason i feel iphones were more popular was it was the first of its kind to be honest i think it’s just a waste of time if you ask me what good is having all the apps that the iphone is capable of when you have to pay for each one you can’t get them all in one package
Iphone killer, i think SO! I am VERY pleased with my Instinct. I have dropped this thing in mud, taken it out in the RAIN, and dropped it about 93 times and it still works perfectly. I recommend this phone to ANY Sprint person.
I had a sprint Katana before this and hated it! The Katana has a terrible keyboard, poor texting, and offers very little. But the Instinct just BLEW MY MIND! It offers SOOO much (TV, Music, Radio, YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, Shopping, ect.) I gave my upgrade to my sister because I didn’t want to lose this phone! Long live Instinct!
BillyBob youre kidding right? Is no copy paste on a smartphone flawless? Is no tactile feel keyboard flawless? Is no external speaker flawless? How about instant messaging? And these are just the device, not even going into the Service provider side.
Try again.
This guy doesn’t know anything about mobile phones
In what way?
zing
I wont go as far as saying flawless, since nothing is perfect. But iPhone is really setting a very high standard for its competitors.
@Crash
Tactile feed back can be added with an update. But I think apple is leaving it until the battery can hold more power.
Im not sure what external speaker you are talking about, since it does have an speaker and are able to connect to any ipod ready speaker/hi-fis.
Again, things like instant messaging can be added, specially now with app store.
Service provider will not be an issue coming May when first patches of iphone contracts runs out.
If you really dont like the iphone, please ignore it.
I tried this phone out at my local Sprint Store today. It does in fact suck compared to an iPhone (and I’m a Sprint subscriber, even). It’s extremely laggy and lacks the interface polish that makes the Iphone such a pleasure to use. The interface is counterintuitive – I had a hard time finding even simple options that I could get into on the iPhone in seconds. And yes, the browser does in fact suck.
Even with Sprint’s EVDO network, the phone felt slower than a 1st gen iPhone. The Sprint employee who was hovering about when I was testing the phone was visibly embarrassed to admit that the Instinct does not support Outlook synchronization. That alone would be enough to kill the deal for me, but the rest of the Instinct’s flaws make the iPhone all that more appealing.
Iphone killer, not even close!
the iphone has a split second lag when you type keys, where as the instinct keeps up with the key touches right on, so your comment that its laggy is completely incorrect. Its the iphone that is laggy. I will agree the browser is not great.
Go suck raw eggs Larry Stevenson.
LOL, spin it all you want. The Instinct with the older touchscreen technology like your ATM and Store debit card screen is the same. They only added a vibration mode and gave it a fancy name “haptic” screen. iPhone is a multi-touch screen that completely interacts with the OS itself, full system calls on it. Don’t forget the hardware accelerated Open GL/ES, blows away any graphics that will display on the Instinct. The app store will provide whatever gimmicky stuff the Instinct has now and the SDK is so rich, the apps coming from developers will be stuff that the Instinct will never be able to copy at the same level. Even the accelerometer on the Instinct is not used properly by the OS.
How is that wi-fi connection coming along?
What? None????
Also… Sprint service here in Michigan is awful!
No thanks, Sprint. Again.
The wifi connection is coming along with video recording on the iphone.
Oh yeah, the keyboard on the iPhone has some REAL intelligence built in. Unlike the other clones like this one. iPhone has a learning keyboard system, and tracks and learns your typing pattern to better improve your speed and accuracy.
the iphone is not all that great!!!! I think its an over priced item when you can get the same thing for less. when I had my iphone i had to get it fix three times because it was now working properly!!!
I almost forgot to mention the display quality. On the iPhone, the display is extremely bright and clear and is so close to the glass it almost looks like paper. On the instinct, the display is set back within the phone behind the glass and looks like crap. You can see the gap between the exterior glass and the LCD itself.
It also helps that the glass screen has the same quality as your optical lenses. Diamond dust coating during manufacturing also helps prevent scratching, and what makes the glass so smooth when you use it. Thats why the battery is so efficient, light from the LCD easily penetrates through the layers and keeps it bright and clear.
yea, but the iphone also has a higher chance of being broken, the instinct is further back, but has more glass, making it harder to break than the iphone.
I bought the instinct the day before it’s launch to the public, and While the internet speed lags in standard mode, it flies in mobile mode. I can add my own favorites to my screen, so launching news, weather, t.v., or even who I text most can be put there for a quick response. I can play my music in the backround while texting someone, surfing, or playing games, it’s nice.
Sending videos and pics is a breeze, setting up my e-mail was easy, and learning to use the phone was even easier than any phone I’ve ever owned.
Best part is the voice to action button, I can say ” goto search” then say something like “walmart”, or “grocery store”, and all locations show up, with phone numbers, and directions, voice guided directions to all of them. I can say “call”, or “text” somebody on my contacts list and it does the according command flawless. Say “weather” or “News”, or “Sports” and all that shows up. Pretty much, I can tell my phone what I want and it responds flawless, Even “Send video to”, or “Send pic to” and bam, its done.
This phone, to me, was designed simple, not alot to figure out, thats what I wanted, that’s what I got. Calls are great, pictures outside are nice. You can fit the phone for right handed user or left handed user. Most anything done on this phone requires one touch, easy.
To anyone wanting a great phone, touch phone, and are sprint customers, why would you talk ianything…they’re not sprint, and this phone is fantastic. Try it, they give you 30 days to return it if you don’t like it, and a great price. I paid alot more for phones that do alot less, and I found a winner, maybe you will to, anyways, that my take.
Looks like everyone is saying the browser sucks. ( http://boogadget.com/why-samsung-instinct-sucks , http://gizmodo.com/5014419/samsung-instinct-full-review-verdict-best-sprint-phone-ever-best-samsung-phone-ever-too )
So it’s a nono for me as I browse on my phone a lot.
The reason I went with Sprint Instinct Touch screen phone is because UNLIMITED Text messaging is included. So with 2 lines, it saves a ton of money over EXPENSIVE AT&T ripoff plan.
Think about it, text messages take tiny amount of data but AT&T charges enormous amount of money for them because they can!
No they can’t. Go with Sprint Instinct.
You also get UNLIMITED TV channels (live and on-demand) and Radio and turn-by-turn voice GPS Navigation with real street names announced. And it also has a camcorder that iPhone 3G doesn’t! And it is perfect size and fits so well in your hands! The browser on iPhone is better however.
But over $30 per month EXTRA for text messaging for 2 lines on AT&T? That’s a ripoff right there! Not for me! And I can get my work push-email (Outlook/Exchange) for FREE with Sprint. Apple would charge $100 per year for the service. Those fees add-up quickly with iPhone 3G!
Bottom line:
============
iPhone 3G = Good; AT&T = Rip-off!
Go with Sprint Instinct if you live in major metropolitan area! Sprint has much better 3G coverage anyway but there is no wi-fi on Instinct phone.
Plan Comparison:
===============
Sprint Instinct:
—————
2 lines, 1500 minutes talk time, unlimited data, UNLIMITED text messaging, unlimited TV (live TV and on-demand channels), unlimited streaming radio, unlimited Turn-by-turn Voice command GPS Navigation with real street name announcement, push email from Outlook/Exchange: $129.99 per month
AT&T iPhone 3G:
—————
2 lines, 1400 minutes talk time, unlimited data, Unlimited text messaging ($30 EXTRA), no TV, AOL radio, Google maps with GPS, Mobile me email ($100 per year to Apple): $149.99 + $30 = $179.99 per month + ($100 per year for mobileme push email!)
This was a no brainer for me as much as I wanted iPhone 3G.
AT&T Pricing Source:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/att-iphone-3g-plans-70-130-single-130-360-family/14614
THIS IS VERY TRUE! I have Sprint and I have not always been in love with the customer service, but I also have AT&T for home and DSL and THEY SUCK.
They raise the rates all the time and everyone knows AT&T has a crappy 3G network. The prices are too high just because they know people will pay it to be the latest trend whore to get an iphone.
iphone is cool for what it is, it’s not a smart phone. instinct is a cheaper iphone wannabe but the service is cheaper and the instinct wont be obsolete next year like the iphone. apple will come out with a new iphone and everyone who has the iphone 3g will feel like they have yesterdays news and feel forced to buy a new one to continue to impress his/her friends.
apple is the new microsoft only greedier, u will have to buy a new mac too to sync up with ur iphone, god forbid u have a older mac before apple became so TRENDY.
Just FYI: AT&T may be one name, but is really a bazillion companies all mooshed together. The home/DSL service (probably SBC) is not really the same company as the mobile (Cingular, nee BellSouth Mobility). No At&T lover, but it’s really not even the same company.
No one can touch Sprint’s plans, yet. But someday I suspect someone will perfect Wifi Mesh and VOIP (at the same time) and from then on a $100 one-time investment will get you far more than you pay a monthly fee for now. It could replace the phone company, the cable company, and your cellular company all at once, so it’ll probably be outlawed. Until then, the Instinct on Sprint is about the best deal you can get (and enjoy) on a sub-$100/mo phone budget.
I got my Instinct this weekend. In a matter of minutes, I had synched with my Outlook contacts, set up to receive my work (Exchange) email, and my personal (POP) email. The turn-by-turn nav took me on a few unfamiliar, but ultimately shorter, routes to regular destinations, and, to top it all off, on the family share plan (3 lines), we’re saving about $100/month!
Yeah, Instinct wins for me.
I tried the Instinct at the Sprint store. The fact that you have to flip the phone around for the keyboard, then back up seemed odd. The real non-starter for me was the lack of ActiveSync. You would have thought that Sprint/Samsung would have heard the yelps from the iPhone group when iPhone 1 showed up without it. Until they have that, I stick with the Treo 755. Still the fastest, best connection to Exchange.
The phone has a flip around for the keyboard, so you get much larger keys than the iphone. If you dont like the flip around, you can set it to be the regular way.
Well heres the best thing yet….i bought my first instinct 2 weeks ago and since then ive had to exchange it 3 times. It freezes all the time. the internet is horrible. there is no instant messaging and despite what people are saying there is nothing u can do about it. Believe me! this phone was one of my biggest mobile dissapointments! i do NOT in no way reccomend it for anyone who wants a good quality buy. stick with the iphone…
going to the sprint store tomorrow for my fourth one…maybe ill get lucky since i am no longer able to return it….
There were a few OS upgrades issued – look under settings and push the UPDATE button. Remember, the instinct does NOT run on that Windoze Mobile piece-of-shit – Samsung has their own O/S and like anything else, there is always a tweak or two after-market. I saw TWO update install and now – perfection :-)
The iphone is slowwwwww. The Instinct is fast. I love watching YouTube quickly and easily on my Instinct. I like using AIM and not praying that it will be available someday down the road like the Iphone.
The Instinct doesn’t have Outlook sync b/c it is not made for the business class. It is made for the 16-30 yr old demographic. Most people over 30 want a cell phone they don’t want a gadget.
Bottom line is the Instinct has more features, more options with battery’s and headphones that the iphone doesn’t.
The price is better with the Instinct both in the cost of the phone and the plan that you get with Sprint. Who wants to pay an extra $20-30 a month for unlimited text messaging with AT&T. F that junk. They are making a killing off that and its BS.
phone wise i think the instinct is better. Web browsing wise, the iphone is just in a different class.
Who says business people over 30 don’t want or deserve the new, trendy gadget?? It’s common sense that any phone nowadays – especially with the technology that’s out there – should be able to sync the calendar and an unlimited amount of contacts onto the computer, as well as do all of the cool things the Instinct can. I’ve had mine a week. While loading my events into contacts, I only made it to October before the phone said “no more empty space”. That’s insane, when an outdated phone like my old Palm Treo 700 held years worth of data – and could sync to the computer!
I am also receiving the “no more empty space” error when attempting to add new events to my calendar. I’ve only had my phone 2wks! I spoke to a Sprint Rep and they said this issue isn’t on the list of “known issues”, so go figure. I have plenty of memory left in my phone and on my card. Seems that the calendar application is limited to it’s own memory that cannot be changed. What a terrible design!!
I really like the phone (other than the calendar issue). If they could resolve this issue I would keep the phone, but I need a functional calendar!
I’m very disappointed. Guess I’ll have to go with a blackberry even though a blackberry for me is overkill…*sigh*
> “also receiving the “no more empty space” error when attempting to add new events to my calendar”
Yeah, me too. When I fist saw this it pissed me off. But here’s the workaround.
1. DELETE YOUR PAST, this is NOT a “business-class” device. The only appoitments I’ve entered, are Birthdays, Dental Appoitments etc. Then I erase them as they happen.
2. SNEAKY but effective, USE GOOGLE CALENDAR. They have an APPLICATION extension called TASKS – access that shit across your UNLIMITED Browser. A few times a day or more – STAY SIGNED IN.
3. Start Drinking. Watch TV LIVE! on your Instinct.
4. Call your Mom! (Bastard)
Back to the “Outlook calendar sync” lack of functionality. This is a requirement in the business marketplace. The addition of this one function could wipe out a great deal of future blackberry and iPhone sales.
SAMSUNG and SPRINT keep fighting the good fight. WE are all behind you and are willing to help. However the window for this critical application – calendar sync – is limited. Get creative! You know like Apple; your main competitor for these types of appliances.
I have the iphone as well as the instinct. I have to say, there really is not much to compare. These phones both have their strengths and weaknesses in their own right.
The iphone is still ahead of the game when it comes to touch phones. The Instinct is the closest competitor, but still not the winner. I think the screen on the Instict should be upgraded to glass and the scrolling is a little choppier than the iphone. There truly is a lag in typing with both.
My opinion, which ever company is your provider, get that company’s phone. Either way, there will be an upgraded model before you know it, and all phones will still suck. The only thing that matters is, which one can you put up with for the longest.
Well, I have had the instinct for about two weeks and I’m a lil disappointed. I roam most of the time and hardly have a signal where I used to have six bars on my old sanyo flip phone. Text messaging can be quite frustrating as my small female fingers press multiple buttons at a time in both horizontal and verticle keyboard. Camera needs a lot of natural light to take quality pics. I do like the visual voicemail and the active voice search. Navigation is okay, only got lost once. The next touch from samsung should be pretty good. :-(
I have had the Instinct for a month now. At first, I absolutely loved it. Now, it is driving me insane. It constantly gets stuck, flips to different screens when you get call waiting, and it is so scratched that it is impossible to see it. Lastly, don’t even bother going outside with it, because you can’t see anything on the screen. I completely regret my purchase and can’t believe that I become a traitor to Apple.
Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has them, They smell like bad, And no one wants to hear them. That is my two sense on the whole “I hate anything not iphone” and ‘iphone sucks’ people. Get a life. A phone is a phone and the companies are out to make money. For everyone that has bought an iphone in 3 months you’ll have to buy a new one and shell out another couple hundred bucks to be hip, not ot mention hte old one just won’t work good becuase they have devoted all the time to the new one. ATT service sucks Period!!! this is a fact not opinion. now on the other hand Verizon and sprint are on the same network CDMA. right now the best out there for cellphones. The Instinct is a cool phone I compare it to the iphone. each are good in their own way. hopefully samsung will have made this to be software updated and not a “hey chump we made a new one come get ripped off for the sixth time in a year” type of deal phone. whatever. if that is the case then I am an idiot just like every Iphone user that has to have hte new one. Basicly we are all idiots for even trying to keep up with it and buying into all the new ways to make money in a fucked off economy. you are all chumps. Oh and please let me know that I offended you in any way. I am hoping I did. WAKE UP AND QUIT GETTING RIPPED OFF!!!!
I was wondering why no one had mentioned a palm product. I have a 755p and have played with the instinct and iphone and am amazed that people think they are so perfect. I think they are good offerings but not the end to anything. I even want palm to make a phone that’s all touchscreen and no keys. To anyone on either band wagon I say play with them all then pick the one you like and let everyone else do the same.
MOSTLY because PALM’s are fucking UGLY and so OLD SCHOOL, I can’t believe thay aren’t DEAD yet… Oh, and did I mention UGLY? TODAY’S CROWD demand STYLE when they lay down the greenbacks…
I personally think this phone is pretty good. I’m not saying it’s better the iphone, and i’m not saying the iphone is better than the instinct. Personally, I think anyone who says iphone is the best and bashes the instinct is completely wrong. The iphone doesn’t have gps, haptic feedback, video recording, the back isn’t removable, you can’t change the amount of memory, it doesn’t have live TV or radio, a landscape qwerty keyboard and the back of the phone gets so crapped up. Now to people who say the instinct is the best and crushes the iphone, you are also incorrect. The instinct does not not have as pretty web browsing area as the iphone, the iphone has a larger screen and better resolution, it has stock viewing capabilities and the iphone can hold more contacts.
I will probably end of getting the instinct. Where I live the sprint connection is perfect, so the phones never drop calls. Sprints data plan beats any service provider out there. My families current plan is 3 phones with unlimited everything except for voice calling is about 160 a month. Which is pretty cheap. Plus the qwerty keyboard on this phone attracts to me. PLUS, A STYLUS! I feel like a stylus should be placed with every touch screen phone. Many touch screen phones don’t put a stylus in the box, so you are forced to use you finger causing you to get icky fingerprints on your phone. So the stylus is a plus for me. The instinct also has the ability to change the amount of gb it can hold. I know the max at a time is 8gb, and the ipod goes to 16gb with no charge, but if you think about it, if you bought 3 8gb memory cards, that’s 24 gb. Of course you’d have to swap them all the time, but atleast you have the choice.
But all and all, it’s up to the person and the person lifestyles. So you can’t have extreme bias opinions. I will get the instinct because it fits my lifestyle, fills my need for a good phone, and it’s in a reasonable budget. The iphone and instinct are both great phones. They are very different even though sharing similar like qualities. So don’t shove your opinions down someones throat. Let the buyer make the decision according to their life. Not to yours or your specific preferences.
there is a product called Invisible Shield that applies to the screen and also the whole body of the instinct. it keeps everything from being scratched. it’s a great product and my screen is as pristine as when i first got it out of the box. this is a great phone, but with a few limitations. all phones have some limitations. if you can live with the limitations that the instinct has, then it’s your phone. it really does do everything i need.
I HAVE OWNED THE INSTINCT FOR 2 MONTHS NOW AND HAVE HAD 2 REPLACEMENTS ON IT ALREADY…LUCKILY INSURANCE DOES COME IN HANDY…HOPEFULLY SPRINT WILL DO SOMETHING BECAUSE I’M TIRED OF HEARING PEOPLE COMPLAINING THAT EVERYTIME THEY TALK TO ME THEY HEAR THEMSELVES ECHOING..I DID SOME REVIEWS ON IT AND MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THE SAME THING ABOUT THE ECHOING PROBLEM..BUG OR NOT AS NICE AS THE REST OF THE PHONE IS I’M TIRED OF GETTING REPLACEMENTS THAT TURN OUT WITH THE SAME GLITCH IN IT…YOU WOULD THINK IF THEY WERE GOING TO TRY AND MIMIC THE IPHONE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD THESES BUGS SORTED OUT BEFORE RELEASING IT:(
the instinct is a good phone has more features
but the iphone is better just becuz the quality
not in the service but the phone itself like web browser to the multi touch screen pretty much the hardware…
but the iphone is a rip off so if u want to geta phone just like it just a little weaker get the instinct
is there aim and yahoo apps available?
Not a bad review but he should have played with the phone maybe a week or so longer. Since I bought it in the beginning of October I have put 800 songs, 100 music videos, and 200 pictures on it. Not on the supplied 2gb micro sd card but on a 8gb micro sd card I picked up for $39 .I still Have 2gb free space remaining on an 8gb card. So Now I can compare my $149 cash money, with no rebate to mail in from Radio Shack Instinct to an 8gb iTouch. Oh did I forget to tell you that the steaming TV and Radio are a nice touch if you get tired of your personal music/video collection. How about the Awesome voice turn by turn GPS that never gets me lost. Messaging and Texting are a breeze with Qwerty keyboard or you can write or print what you want to say with the supplied stylus that conveniently stores in the leather carry case thats included. The web browser is not that bad,I can surf the web, watch YouTube,check email, and do most basic things from the web browser. Sprint is working on an JAVA based browser so expect it to be allot better in the future. The Video camera takes pretty decent videos. The 2mp camera takes decent pictures for a phone. I like the calculator / Unit Converter/ Tip Calculator. Non stop multitasking because the Instinct has (2) two batteries and a separate battery charger so you will never be without juice. Oh Yeah, I almost forgot, it is great phone too. I have no problem with hearing or talking on it. The voice quality is very clear. The only real gripe I have with my phone is the radio/TV skips a beat hear and there, but Sprint has GENEROUSLY credited my account until the problem gets resolved.
All in all i feel the Samsung Instinct is a very well made piece of multimedia hardware that should be on your wish list if you plan on getting a new Power Vision phone from Sprint.
The reviewer does hit all the points with a truthful and exact assessment. This is definitely not the Iphone but I’m extrememly satisfied with Samsung and Sprints collaboration. The Haptics fuction is great as the feed back helps you in a big way during navigation. Many of the other features like the email and navigation are great additions too. On the downside, the reviewer is correct in saying that the web browser should be tweaked and I would have liked to have been able to have instant messenger abilities as well. I upgraded from an htc touch to the instinct and the sync ability was very useful, so the Instinct could benifit from it. I’m not completely sure if uploading music to the device will allow you to use said music as ringtones but I’d like that feature as well. Overall the phone has a nice interface and a great design plan. I can’t wait to install the new updates as they tweak and better this phone.
I’ve had the Instict for 6 months. I like it, and I hate it. I like it because it has all the functions I need…GPS navi, TV/radio, memory card, cam and video cam, news, weather, live search (kinda like yellowpages.com), voice dialing. Sprint radio is super cool because i get sick of the LA stations…so i’ll tap into the San Fransisco station every now and then.
but the things i hate: it DOES lag! it didn’t at first…but by now it does. It’s annoying because when it loags too much, the screen freezes. The calendar item is stupid because it only holds so much memory. my old flip phones never had that problem. after a while…sliding everything gets annoying. someone i just want to push a button…not slide it (also b/c of the lag). Worst of all…..one day, out of the blue, my phone’s mic and speaker stopped working! So i can’t take any calls unless i use my handsfree set or blue tooth. And there are days where I don’t want to carry that around…esp if i’m going to a restaurant, club or bar. I have yet to take it into a sprint retail store to get it fixed..and gawd knows how much that will cost. Here’s the weird part…my mic/speaker doesn’t work, but when my alarms goes off or when a phone call comes in and the ring tone goes off via speakers…THAT works!! It’s weird…
Sometimes i wish this was a flip phone….because when i am using my handfree set, i have the urgency to want to put the phone in my pocket…but i can’t because their is no “lock” while you are on the phone…so i’ve accidentally touched the mute button, or hang up on my calls…and my screen is completely scratched up.
The article was ok, but ,my son has an Instinct or what I call the “Extinct”. He has had the phone 7 months now and went through 5, yes 5 phones. The touch screen has a flaw and locks up. The provider just cannot imagine what could be the problem. No one can fix the flaw to my knowledge, just keeps getting the phone replaced until the contract is over, but, hey good luck to anyone who uses this phone maybe you will have better luck.
LET ME BE THE FIRST TO SAY I AM TIRED OF HIGH TECH PHONES THAT DONT ALLOW YOU TO PERSONALIZE IT OR MAYBE ITS JUST SAMSUNG I HOPE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE PHONES READ THESE REVIEW….so i just got the Instinct i am very disappointed things i do like about it are the internet kind of, the touch screen is cool, and the spell check . And all the basic camera video camera music ect.
what i dont like….
you have no instant messager, no signature on ur text, i hate the way it alway locks and u have to push that button just to check the time, the number one thing is hate is that you cant personalize you text messageing ringtones everyone who texts me is the same ringtone ridiculous. The internet cuts on and off and sometimes very slow.
I just dont get why cant there by a phone wit all these high tech qualities and the ability to personalize and customize features. My rumor had more option than the Instinct. I already looking into getting another phone
I can not believe that there is so much hype surrounding these two phones. on one hand the iphone is cool and has much more to offer then the instinct but I picked the instinct not only because its cheaper by over 150 dollers just to buy the iphone in canada but also the old problem of having to pay another 50-60 dollars to have the battery changed by somebody else turned me away from wasting money on something that is just a ipod with the added feature of connection. I like most wanted the iphone when it came out but in reality isnt it just a phone?
i dont have either, but tried both. and i have sprint used to have att and att is horrible! horrible everything and THE WORST costomer serviece. in fact they care so little for their costumers they sent me a broken phone, 3 and almost a 4th time! and they told me that i have to pay yet another 80 dollars [more then that] for another phone so thats about 200 [more then that] for broken phones. and begged me not to leave then didnt care, they are too much $$$$$$ too. I have sprint now and its more then i can ask for, better EVERYTHING.
And Instinct VS. Iphone? Instinct hands down, not just because Im a Sprint costumer because it is naturaly BETTER. Iphone is hard to figure out, and slips and slides . It is easily breakable,starchable and battery dies quickly. Instinct is very easy, more features and tougher
it also depends on where u r, if u live in certian states Sprint may be worse then it is in New Jersey or New York. so i plan on getting the Instinct
btw, dont believe everything, people lie all the time. They maybe havent even tried either, or are in fact workers.
i have a LG Rumor, yeah its OK but isnt as good as Instinct and i plan on convicing my mom [who was the broken phone getter] to buy me one.
People just like Iphone Because it has an ‘I’ infront of it, and think that they are the first with the ipod and iphone but really there were MANY others BEFORE them so think about it…
Can anyone help me convince my Mom to buy it for me, like tips and tricks. haha
Hmmm… maybe start calling her ” iMom ?”
Ijust order my instinct phone and i heard it was a really good phone my best friend owns a iphone and he said it was the biggest waste of money for the iphone he wish he went with the instinct phone He had his phone for 3 weeks and got 7 replacment for his iphone so im going with the instinct phone ill write a review on it when i get it tomarow 4/10/09
btw i got the phone cheap 59.99 + shiping from radio Shack with a upgrade when the sprint store wanted 229.00 + tax
two things questions…..how do you send ringtones from instinct and how can sending be done through bluetooth from the instinct???
Err… Ah… have you READ the MANUAL? – MAYBE a litle resource called GOOGLE? (Everything you wanted to know about “BLUETOOTH” but were too fried to ask…?)
wow – some pretty raw nerves here :-)
NEWSFLASH – it’s just a fucking PHONE people. GET A CLUE. Really… a bit too much posing. I own BOTH an iPhone AND and Instinct and I love em both for different reasons. 1. the COMPANY pays the $1,000+ PLUS annual use for the iPhone and I pay for the Samsung. I get LIVE TV on it, SIRIUS Radio, a shitload of games i hacked and inserted from some site, YouTube and Facebook and (wait for it…) HAPTIC feedback (fucking AWESOME:-)
My point is, IF you want to pay for the extra mileage [$$$$$] then the iPhone beats the Instinct hands down. But if you want a PERSONAL phone (NOT A FUCKING PORTABLE PC) that is slick, sharp, fun and functional, the Instinct does a fine job.
Oh, did I mention my Instinct ALSO came with GPS navi, video cam, unlimited browser, news, weather, Windoze live etc. – but again the kicker is the price – CHEAP vs the iPhone, I pay about $40. mth for all the toys. That’s HALF what the company is paying for all that (expensive) data plan. I like my iPhone, I LOVE not paying for it :-)
I bought my Instinct “used” on the local classified ads board – a disgruntled iPhone wannabe who let it go for $100. – THINK for a minute – this is a FULLY (voice) functional GPS DEVICE – what a steal at 1/2 the price. It was in mint condition.
i have the instinct n im havin this hardest time finding the signature line … does this ph not have tht as an opt…whereas i love my ph, but its driving me crazy tht i cant find the signature info…plz help ..kwebb7991@aol.com/…thanks