Instinct -- Engadget Mobile

Instinct posts

Retailers getting meager Pre stock, Radio Shack recommending Instinct S30 instead?

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 21st 2009 @ 6:54PM

Boy Genius Report cites a source claiming that Best Buy -- the whole chain -- will be allotted just 4,250 Pres for launch day, which works out to something like 4 per Pre-selling Best Buy Mobile installation. Seems like those should sell out right quick and leave a whole bunch of folks high and dry (if demand is as strong as Palm and Sprint undoubtedly hope it'll be), and the situation isn't any better over at Radio Shack where we've learned an internal communication reads:

"Due to inventory constraints on the June 6 launch date, not all stores will be able to carry the Palm Pre at launch. To make sure we get the maximum advertising and brand benefit while still having enough inventory to meet the expected demand, we have selected key markets to receive the device at launch."

Here's the best part, though: Radio Shack locations not receiving the phone on the 6th are being encouraged to offer the Instinct S30 as an alternative. Look, the S30's a fine phone for what it is (we suppose), but something tells us that no one -- and we mean no one -- is cross-shopping it with the Pre.

[Thanks, RWS]

Samsung Instinct s30 review

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2009 @ 2:30PM

Once assumed to be a physically smaller version of the original Instinct (affectionately referred to as the Instinct Mini), the Instinct s30 is actually not an Instinct Nano. Sure, it's trimmed up and a bit more curvaceous, but those accustomed to the original won't notice a great deal of weight loss here. Unlike the original, Sprint's (smartly) not pushing this handset as an iPhone killer; instead, it's letting it be exactly what is it, which is a decent featurephone with a few unique niceties and nothing whatsoever that's mind-blowing. So, is the second iteration of the Instinct worth your time (and by extension, money)? Follow us past the break to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Instinct s30

Continue reading Samsung Instinct s30 review

Samsung Instinct S30 now on sale at Sprint: $129.99 on contract

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2009 @ 11:42AM

Right on cue, Samsung's retooled Instinct (that'd be the Instinct S30, if you had any doubts) has gone on sale at Sprint. You'll also notice that the $129.99 on-contract price we heard about is completely in tact, despite the fact that Best Buy Mobile could be selling this same handset in stores later this week for $80 less. At any rate, those champing at the bit to get one headed their way can now do so after choosing between Cobalt Metal and Touch of Copper hues, and if you're looking to snag one with no strings attached, you'll be paying $449.99 in order to do so.

[Thanks, Mike]

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 now at sale at Sprint: $129.99 on contract

Samsung Instinct S30 coming to Best Buy at $49.99

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 16th 2009 @ 9:48AM

You never really know what to expect when fishing for a new phone at Best Buy Mobile. Go in one week, and you'll see a strikingly pink Instinct for a strikingly large amount; go in next week, and you'll see the miniaturized version of the original Instinct for under 50 bones. If a new flyer is to be believed, the Samsung Instinct S30 will be offered up for just $49.99 on contract at Best Buy, which is a whopping $80 less than what Sprint itself will supposedly ask for it on April 19th. Too good to be true? We're hoping not.

[Thanks, Kenny]

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 coming to Best Buy at $49.99

Sprint's Samsung Instinct S30 hands-on with video

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 1st 2009 @ 10:02AM

We had a few minutes with Sprint's Samsung Instinct S30 at CTIA this evening and while we couldn't dive in to find its deepest darkest secrets, we did get in a quick tour. This handset is well balanced in hand, perhaps even a tad on the light and "plasticky" side for our taste, but hey, we only had scant minutes to tour before the mob descended. The touch screen seems up to Samsung's "Please Touch" theme for this year's CTIA, the haptic feedback adding nice, ah, feedback when in use by reassuring the lab mice in us that our input was doing something. Follow on for a gallery and a quick video tour of the UI and a 360 view of the set proper.

Gallery: Sprint's Samsung Instinct S30 hands-on with video

Continue reading Sprint's Samsung Instinct S30 hands-on with video

Samsung Instinct S30 now official, coming to Sprint on April 19th

by Ross Miller, posted Mar 31st 2009 @ 9:31PM

That didn't take long. After Samsung showed off its Instinct S30 (a.k.a. Instinct Mini) last night with some official imagery -- and less than an hour after we spotted it in the wild at CTIA -- Sprint's gone ahead and made it official with a press release. The carrier-exclusive touchscreen phone features a 2.0 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, and virtual QWERTY keypad, along with Opera Mini 4.2, Sprint TV, and Sprint Music Store. It's also got a Speech to Action function for controlling the phone by voice and allegedly more access to the core Java API for development. Color options include Cobalt Metal or Touch of Copper. Launch date is April 19th, which is exactly what we saw in that leaked Sprint playbook, and price is $129.99 with a two-year contract.

[Via Gadget Review]

Samsung M810, red LG Lotus found in Sprint's playbook?

by Ross Miller, posted Mar 20th 2009 @ 2:53AM

We can't really be sure this is really a page from Sprint's playbook or something craftier, but according to the above screengrab, the carrier's set to launch the Samsung M810 / Instinct Mini in Graphite and Bronze colors on April 15th for partner Birghtpoint and then 19th for everyone else for $450, which matches up quite nicely with some earlier reports from Boy Genius Report. For those wanting something more familiar, the document also notes the LG Lotus is getting a new red paintjob and will be happy to show us on the 15th / 19th of next month, respectively. Fans of the rojo phone'll be glad to know it'll reportedly be keeping the current $300 price tag.

Samsung Instinct S30 (alias "Instinct Mini") in the wild, now with more pink

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 12th 2009 @ 10:44AM

The Instinct S30's back in the news again ahead of an official announcement, and we've got to say, Sprint: great call staying away from the rumored "Mini" label. The S30 looks like a straight-up upgrade from the original Instinct -- not merely a miniaturized version of it -- mainly on account of the smoother chassis that seems to give the phone a more finished look. Like the Sanyo 2700, it seems the S30 will be available at least in blue and pink, and the form factor certainly lends itself to a whole palette if Sprint thinks it can push 'em off shelves. As you might recall, the first Instinct was announced nearly a year ago at CTIA, so it'd be kind of appropriate of the S30 bowed at CTIA this year, wouldn't it? We'll know in just a few weeks' time.

[Thanks, RWS]

Update: Our tipster tells us that this color is actually "copper," not pink. The camera sure plays some nasty tricks, doesn't it?

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 (alias "Instinct Mini") in the wild

Samsung Instinct Mini spotted by Mr. Blurrycam

by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 5th 2009 @ 4:01PM

Samsung may be cranking out all manner of new TouchWiz phones and Sprint might be Pre-occupied*, but nothing can stop the Instinct... from getting smaller. Yep, images of what's claimed to be an Instinct Mini have popped up on the SprintUsers forum, and while there are no hard details available, we're guessing Boy Genius Report's April 19th date is close -- we just saw a handset labeled SPH-M810 hit the FCC, and the original Instinct is the SPH-M800. Next up: Instinct Nano rumors. More photos at the read link!

*We're sorry. It won't happen again.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Pink Samsung Instinct now available on Sprint for $99.99

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 13th 2009 @ 2:52PM

Best Buy jumped the gun by a few days, but the pink version of the Instinct is now totally official and totally ready to buy. Even better, Sprint is promoting a limited-time price drop to $99.99 on contract after rebates, making full touchscreen fashion just about as affordable as it's ever been. The Instinct's firmware has been getting pretty decent lately, so maybe it's worth a shot, eh?

[Via phoneArena]

Sprint's pink Instinct shows up on Best Buy's site for outrageous price

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 31st 2008 @ 3:31AM

We'd pegged early January for the release of a pink Samsung Instinct on Sprint's airwaves, and Best Buy's doing everything it can to help us hold the line on that with a new "Coming Soon" page advertising just such a product. Unfortunately, they're asking a whopping $599.99 for the pleasure of being the first kid on your block with this thing, but the off-contract pricing in Best Buy's system is usually way out of whack -- we wouldn't worry about paying anything close to $200 on contract by the time you actually step into the store.

[Thanks, Emilio]

Samsung's Android phone hitting Sprint and T-Mobile by June

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 19th 2008 @ 5:21AM

Without a doubt, 2009 is destined to be the year of The Android. Samsung just announced its ticket to the party with a Q2 launch of its Android phones on both Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in the US. Apparently, the touch-screen device will be an adaptation of the Omnia (Korea's 800 x 480 pixel version please) and Instinct. In other words, a rectangle with a full-screen display and minimal set of buttons just like every other touchscreen device out there. In case you missed it, this game is no longer about the hardware.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks Neerhaj]

Sprint's Treo Pro coming in January along with a pink Instinct

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 14th 2008 @ 8:52PM

Say, remember how there was supposed to be a Treo Pro coming to Sprint? Yeah, well, the time is drawing near for that to go down; odds are it could've happened sooner, but Sprint probably wanted to give its fairly fresh 800w a little breathing room before getting sunsetted in favor of the significantly more attractive Pro. The carrier is currently targeting January 25 for the model to be available in all channels for $549.99 -- which we're guessing (hoping) will come down to $249.99 or so after rebates, subsidies, and all that jazz. Also launching in January should be the Motorola i365IS -- an even more rugged model of the already beefy i365 -- and a pink version of the Instinct. If that's not a veritable potpourri of phones covering every corner of the market, we don't know what is.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Sprint's Samsung Instinct offers corporate calendar access, likely mocked by BlackBerry-toting coworkers

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 4th 2008 @ 12:40PM

As part of an upgrade to Sprint's Mobile Email Work package -- which already offers corporate email access for those who refuse to capitulate and buy a stuffy BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device -- the Instinct is now capable of synchronizing work calendars with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino servers. It's pretty comprehensive, too; users can accept or decline invitations, shuffle appointments around, change details, and delete stuff when that 7AM "status meeting" just feels totally unnecessary. The support is included at no charge for Instinct users, though a software upgrade is required -- which, because you're not at the mercy of Tommy the power-tripping BES admin, you can download and install at will. Imagine that! Oh, and if you don't own an Instinct, Sprint plans on filtering the support down to some of its "non-PDA" phones down the road, so hang tight.

Latest Samsung Instinct firmware update looks promising

by Chris Ziegler, posted Nov 23rd 2008 @ 10:38PM

They may not have come as quickly as anyone would've liked, but hey -- let's give Samsung and Sprint some credit here for keeping their noses to the grindstone, listening to customer complaints, and making the Instinct the device it probably should've been at launch with a series of major firmware updates. The latest update could very well be the most important to date, making text input possible from Opera Mini and other Java apps (we can hear the cries of joy all the way from here) and promising viewing capability for Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF files once a Sprint Mobile Email Work update hits early next month. Instinct owners, care to chime in with your experiences?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]