Calendar syncing comes to the Instinct
The Instinct adds a handy new feature.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)When we reviewed Sprint's Samsung Instinct earlier this year, there were several things we liked about the device. Naturally, we had a few complaints as well, not the least of which was the lack of corporate calendar syncing. The Instinct could get some Outlook e-mail, but without calendar syncing it had a limited appeal as a business handset.
Yet, starting Thursday, Instinct owners can get calendar syncing through a software update to the device's Mobile E-mail application. The new feature will be free of charge (provided you have a Sprint "Simply Everything" plan) and will work with Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, 2003, and 2007 accounts and IBM Lotus Notes. People will be able to see daily, weekly, and monthly views of their calendar and details of specific appointments and meetings. You'll also get meeting reminders, the ability to accept or decline new appointments, and the ability to edit or delete current meetings. All changes will be synced automatically with the user's desktop calendar. What's more, Sprint says it plans extended calendar syncing to other non-smartphones in the near future.
The calendar syncing comes from Seven, a company Sprint partnered with to power the Instinct's e-mail capabilities. We returned our Instinct review unit but we've asked for it back to test the new services. One we get it, we'll add an assessment to our Instinct review.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent. 
