Now sync your calendar on the Instinct.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)I know that it's been a while, but I did promise you last month that I would report back on my experience with the Samsung Instinct's new calendar syncing ability. I apologize for the wait, but the holidays and CES prevented me from getting an activated Instinct handset from Sprint.
Fortunately, the wait proved to be the worst thing about the experience as the new feature worked pretty much as promised. Once a review model arrived, I had to download three software updates, which took about 20 minutes, but they loaded without incident or a missed connection.
After installing the updates and syncing the phone with my CNET OWA (Outlook Web Access) e-mail, a new "work calendar" update button appeared under the calendar menu. Pressing that button synced the Instinct and my Outlook calendar in just a few seconds. The data connection cut out on my first try, but the second attempt brought success. All of my current appointments then appeared under their appropriate day with the correct time, location, and description. To get back to the calendar from the main menu, I could choose either the calendar or e-mail icons.
As Sprint promised, I was able to create a new appointment on the Instinct, which then synced back to my PC automatically. Also, I could get meeting reminders, accept or decline new appointments, and edit or delete current meetings right on the phone. Any edits made on the Instinct synced back to my PC in just a few seconds; the reverse process took a bit longer. Yet, it was a satisfying experience on the whole.
Still, there were a few quirks. ... Read more
The Samsung Instinct: good but not great.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Two weeks ago, I asked Samsung Instinct owners to tell me what they thought of their phones. Normally, I don't write blogs asking for comments on individual phones after we've reviewed them, but Sprint's Instinct had me worried. While I liked the handset when I reviewed it, I know that people who use a phone long term can develop varying opinions. After I started to get e-mails from disappointed Instinct users, I began to wonder if I had it wrong. Even now, the average user score on the review almost matches my score of four stars (or 8.0), but perhaps opinions were changing over time.
After a careful review of the responses to my blog, it's clear that the Instinct is a good phone, but it falls short of a being a great phone. Of the 67 verbose and candid comments that passed the "relevancy" test (I had to discount quite a few because they were duplicate posts, comments from non-Instinct owners, flame wars, or just off topic), opinions were just about evenly spread. The largest group (39 percent) wrote that they liked the phone overall, but they didn't shy away from registering quite a few complaints. The next largest group (31 percent) was soundly positive with very few gripes, while 30 percent were strongly negative with very few praises. So even though the majority of users like the Instinct, many of them do so only begrudgingly. On the other hand, the unhappy minority is shouting at the top of their lungs.
Let me state that this wasn't a scientific study by any means. Also, while one reader warned me that there was a "concerted effort" on Sprint forums to bombard my blog with negative comments, the results are interesting nonetheless. For the most part the "likes and "dislikes" were universal. I'll list those below. Also, while I agreed with most of the complaints, and noted them in my review, there were a few gripes that didn't occur to me before. As I said, long-term use gives a fresh perspective. So now, on to the opinions (albeit in a Zagat's Survey format).
... Read more
Tell us about your Samsung Instinct.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Owners of the Samsung Instinct, I want to hear from you. Though the iPhone rival was one of the hottest cell phones of the summer, its successes and shortcomings haven't received quite as much attention as Apple's device. Similarly, while I see tens of iPhone users every day, I've seen nearly as many Instincts in the wild.
The first time I saw an Instinct owner using his device in public, I had to ask him what he thought of his phone. He responded that while there were certain things he really loved about it, there were also things he really hated. He loved the call quality, the design, the interface, and the general features, but he hated the Web browser and the lack of wireless Outlook calendar syncing.
In the last few weeks, I've received a few e-mails from Instinct owners voicing similar complaints. Personally, I liked the Instinct when I reviewed it, but my experience will be different from a long-term user.
One user complained about the lack of LUDCI keyboard, which makes the phone not Java-standards compliant. Also, it makes it a bit tricky to run third-party applications. Sprint, however, is aiming to add a LCDUI keyboard by the end of the year or sooner.
So I ask you Instinct owners, do you like your phone? What are the high points, and what are the low points. Spill your dirt, for I'm all ears.
It's even cheaper.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Last week I told you that Sprint was preparing to offer its new Instinct cell phone for $199. But now, I have to admit that I jumped the gun just a bit. Sprint finally confirmed today that when the Instinct goes on sale Friday it will cost just $129 after a $100 mail-in rebate. You will have to sign a two-year contract with a Simply Everything plan, which starts at $69 per month. With such a hefty price drop, it's even clearer that Sprint is taking on the iPhone 3G, which will sell for $199 or $299 depending on the memory size. The new iPhone plans also start at $69 per month.
Samsung Instinct
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)The Samsung Instinct, Sprint's answer to the iPhone, finally has arrived. It's been two months since we first saw the slim touch-screen cell phone with a boatload of features, but now we've had the opportunity to kick its tires and run it through its paces. What we found is an innovative, powerful and easy-to-use device that matches the original iPhone in many ways. The Instinct's appealing design and plentiful features, particularly in the messaging and GPS areas, push it to the forefront of Sprint's lineup. Things got a little shaky on the performance side, but on the whole the Instinct is a cell phone worth knowing. It goes on sale June 20 for a still undetermined price, but we know it will cost less than $300 and it will require a Sprint "Simply Everything" plan. Until you can get one of your own, you can check out our full Instinct review or you can peruse our Instinct slide show.
Though is carefully avoiding any direct comparisons with the iPhone, it's obvious that its new Samsung Instinct (SPH-M800) is meant to compete with Apple's device. They look almost the same (our Instinct slide show has a gallery of shots), they do a lot of the same things, and they rely heavily on touch screens and unique interfaces. These comparisons are inevitable and Samsung and Sprint are doing nothing to silence them. So Apple fanboys and slamboys, just take a deep breath before the flame wars begin.
I have to emphasize the Instinct is no iPhone killer, but I don't think one device ever will be. When you really think about it, the whole concept of an iPhone killer is ridiculous. Indeed, the iPhone is a good device that does many things well, and it's going to have a genuine appeal for a long time. And no matter what the iPhone critics say, some users will continue to love it no matter what.
Samsung's Instinct
(Credit: Sprint)The other cell phone manufacturers know this, but so far their collective response to the iPhone has been simply to ignore it. But now, nine months after the iPhone hit stores, Samsung is trying a different tactic. The Instinct is the first cell phone I've seen that throws some serious competition Apple's way. Even at this early stage, the Instinct looks far superior to LG's Voyager, not only in how it looks but also in what it offers. Though I doubt the boys and girls in Cupertino will be losing much sleep over it, they shouldn't dismiss it completely. If the Instinct does everything Samsung promises--and more importantly, it does it well--it could steal away a whole class of users who like the idea of the iPhone, but don't want to switch to AT&T or fork over the cash for it. These "iPhone fence-sitters" (as I call them) appear to be the target market for the Instinct.
To the untrained eye, the Instinct and the iPhone may appear to be two versions of the same device. Both have large touch screens with few external controls and both handsets have just about the same dimensions. The iPhone is noticeably sleeker on the whole, but the Instinct is lovely in its own right. The display is gorgeous, and it has a comfortable and solid feel in the hand. Also, I liked the extra navigation controls, even if they are touch sensitive. On the downside, the Instinct lacks the iPhone's multitouch interface, but it did offer a cool panning feature in the Web browser. By tilting the phone up and down or side to side, you can move around the Web page. Also, you can also drag around a page with your finger.
It's all about the interface.
(Credit: Sprint)But cosmetic differences aside, it is the Instinct's user interface that poses the most serious threat to Apple. The iPhone's slick and easy-to-use interface is one of its biggest attractions and Samsung has taken note. I've been able to handle only an Instinct preproduction unit so far (real devices won't be out until June) but it looks quite promising. Sure, it was noticeably buggy and a bit sluggish but Samsung appears to have laid the groundwork for something cool to come. Finding my way through the menus took little acclimation; there were a lot of sharp icons and graphics and I loved the nifty Favorites menu. Though I don't think that the Instinct's menus are quite as pretty as the iPhone's, perhaps they don't need to be. Ease of use is the real key and the Instinct may just have it.
One area where the Instincts trumps the iPhone (at least for the moment) is in its feature set. It offers many goodies the iPhone lacks including 3G, stereo Bluetooth, multimedia messaging, and video recording. You can also use the onscreen keyboard in landscape mode when you're typing a message. While all of this could, and probably will, change when the 3G iPhone is unveiled, it's a mark in the Instinct's favor for now. What's more, the Instinct also has its own version of Visual Voicemail. I didn't get to see it in action but the fact that it's there is interesting enough.
Of course, only the next few months will tell just how the Instinct plays out. By introducing the Instinct so early before release and by unveiling it at a high-profile event like CTIA, Samsung and Sprint take a big risk. Though they will get a lot of positive attention for now, the two companies have to deliver on their promises. As I mentioned earlier, there's a whole crowd of people who like the idea of the iPhone, but still haven't made the jump for whatever reason. The Instinct's design and features have a lot of potential for winning them over, and the the sub-$300 price tag won't hurt. All Sprint has to do is not muck it up between now and release time.
The Instinct has one big touch screen. Click the image to view our slide show.
(Credit: Sprint)Last year in Orlando, Samsung's UpStage was one of the biggest announcements of the CTIA show. And this year in Las Vegas, Samsung may have done it again. Today the company announced the Samsung Instinct SPH-M800, which will land at Sprint this summer. The Instinct looks a lot like a certain cell phone from Apple, but Sprint (thankfully) isn't positioning it as an iPhone killer. Rather, a Sprint spokeswoman called it just an iPhone competitor. We're not quite sure what to make of that, either.
But whatever you call it, the Instinct is undeniably eye-catching. (See our Samsung Instinct slide show.) The predominately touch-screen device sports a thin candy-bar design (4.57 inches by 2.17 inches by 0.49 inch; 4.4 ounces) in basic black. At first glance it resembles not only the iPhone, but also the LG FK700 and the Samsung SGH-F490. Indeed, its strong similarity to the latter is more than just a coincidence. Except for a feature changes and a unique interface, the Instinct is a recycled CDMA version of the SGH-F490, which we saw two months ago at the GSMA World Congress.
Yes, it's another thin phone.
(Credit: Sprint)
Features
The Instinct's feature set is well stocked with a host of goodies that should make any media phone fan proud. Inside the 3G handset, which is Sprint's first device to have EV-DO Rev. A at birth, you'll find a 2-megapixel camera, access to the Sprint Music Store for wireless downloads, stereo Bluetooth, audible caller ID, voice dialing and commands, a full HTML browser, a digital music player that shows album art, support for Sprint Radio and Sprint TV, phone as modem capability, Microsoft Live Search, and integrated GPS with Sprint navigation.
Instant messaging is not onboard, but the Instinct will display the full thread of the text conversation. You'll also get multimedia messaging and access to personal and corporate e-mail. And in a surprising move, the Instinct will have some form of Visual Voicemail (yes, Sprint says it should be capitalized), which up until has been exclusive to the iPhone. In case you haven't heard (and really, you should have), Visual Voicemail allows you to pick and choose which messages you want to hear. It's quite a cool feature, but we we wonder if AT&T and Apple are calling their copyright lawyers.
The Instinct features a full alpahbetic keyboard
(Credit: Sprint)
Interface
As mentioned earlier, the Instinct relies heavily on a large (3.1-inch, 262,000 color) touch screen, which will be your interface for almost all of the phone's functions including placing and ending calls. Below the display are three separate touch controls: a back button, a Home key, and a shortcut control that will take you to the calling menu. In an improvement over the iPhone, the display gives localized tactile feedback, and the texting and e-mailing onscreen keyboard will display in a landscape orientation. The user-programmable Favorites menu looked pretty nifty, as well, and we like the multitasking capability, which allows you to move between different functions pretty handily.
But even with those features, the menu interface isn't quite as slick as the iPhone's. It's not that it doesn't have promise; it's just that it falls a bit short in both usability and beauty. That could be because we were using a beta version; we'll have to wait for a final model to give our firm assessment.
Performance
We were glad to see that the phone comes with a 2GB memory slot and two batteries, each of which promises 5.75 hours of talk time. The 3.5mm headset jack is another plus as it lets us use our own headphones without any kind of adapter. That's very cool indeed.
So on the whole the Instinct looks promising, but at this early stage it's too early to give it a thorough shakedown--it won't be available for purchase until June for a price of "under $300."
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