Meet the Instinct
June 25, 2008
Sprint recently launched their biggest competitor to the iPhone -the Samsung Instinct. I’ve been one of the lucky ones to have been playing around with the new device over the past week and I have to say it’s one pretty solid phone.
As you can see the slim, sleek touchscreen design is very similar to the iPhone and just like the iPhone, the Instinct packs a lot of features.
The Instinct has a simple menu that is actually very easy to use. This makes it great for people who want a cool phone, but aren’t tech geeks. 
At the very bottom of the phone you will find the back arrow, home button and the phone function. At the bottom of the touch screen you’ll see four menu icons: Favs, Main, Fun, and Web.
Obviously, the Favs menu is reserved for your favorite functions. The Main menu is for messaging, organizer, and Sprint’s GPS feature (which I love and will talk more about later). The Fun menu holds games, multimedia options, and the camera. The Web menu contains all the web applications.
For the email function you will find integrated support for AOL, AIM, Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail.
Honestly, I was nervous to use the Instinct at first because I have gotten so used to a QWERTY keypad with my Centro. I was excited to see that the keyboard on the phone comes up in landscape as the default! The texting feature even has a spell check feature built in. A nice touch because it took me a while to get used to the sensitivity of the touchscreen letters.
But I have to say; by far the best feature I used was the Sprint Navigation. I used it to go from Pittsburgh to Delaware and back this past weekend. It worked perfectly. The screen is large, making it easy to read the GPS direction. The phone will also talk to you, turn by turn. There is also a Live search feature to find things like coffee shops, restaurants, gas stations, etc. All you do is give the phone a voice command and it will find what you’re looking for. This is a great function and way better than buying a $300 GPS device that has to be installed in the car.
Another feature I really liked in the Instinct is the visual voicemail. It is very similar to the iPhone. Your message is displayed in a list form allowing you to choose which message to listen to.
Now for the functional downsides to the phone: First there is no Wi-Fi. Instead you must rely on the Sprint Network, but don’t worry. Here in Pittsburgh, it’s pretty solid. There is also not an option for instant messaging and another downside is the phone quality when talking to someone. It’s just OK, not great.
The Instinct is $129 with a mail-in rebate and a two-year contract. The “Simply Everything” plan runs $70 per month. I’d do it so you get all the flashy features and applications.
The Instinct does come with some cool extras in the box. You’ll find a charger and headset, USB cable, a software CD, and a stylus (special touchscreen pen). There’s even an extra battery.
Sprint has put together a site comparing the Instinct and the iPhone (Nowisgood.com). They’re videos you can watch that compare the speed and functionality of the two devices. Below you will also find a list of extensive reviews on the phone, much more detailed than my blog.
Cnet.com: Samsung Instinct Review
PCMag.com: Samsung Instinct (Sprint)
Sprint Samsung Instinct vs LG Vu vs iPhone
Overall I really like the phone. I’m by no means saying the Instinct is better than the iPhone. Many of you who are iPhone owners would kill me for saying something so ridiculous.
The Instinct is definetly a good competitor. If you are one of those people who are under a contract, or just like your current wireless provider and don’t want to switch just “to say” you have the iPhone, then the Instinct is an affordable alternative through Sprint that will probably make you very happy.
The New iPhone 3G
June 10, 2008
It was just a year ago, the first iPhone hit stores.
It changed the cell phone market–combining a cell phone, iPod and wireless Internet device.
The world was wowed and now less than a year later, Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has done it again.
On July 11th Apple will begin selling the latest version of the iPhone.
The new iPhone 3G will run on a speedy “3G” AT&T wireless network.
The price will please a lot people. Just $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for a 16 GB version. That’s some BIG savings.
The current iPhone costs either $399 or $499. You unfortunately will still have to sign a two-year contract and the phone is only available through AT&T.
Corporate email users get excited–you’ll finally be able to link up with Outlook messages at work.
This is a big step for Apple as it looks to compete with the freakishly popular, business friendly Blackberrys.
The new 3G will come with an enhanced, five megapixel camera along with GPS capabilities.
But the biggest buzz around the new iPhone may be in the new applications.
Those applications include video games that use motion-sensing technology, as well as a program called Loopt, which allows iPhone users to look on a map and see which of their cell-phone-carrying friends are nearby.
Let’s be honest, I love the new iPhone 3G, but I refuse to pay to get out of my current wireless plan in order to switch to AT&T. When is this darn thing going to be available across multiple network providers…..COME ON!
Although it would be nice to have the new 3G iPhone, I do really love my $99 Palm Centro.
New Flip Camcorder
June 5, 2008
You may remember this little guy, the flip camcorder. I have featured several times in the past. It’s (in my opinion) a great, easy to use, AFFORDABLE camcorder. There are no fancy settings or buttons to get lost in, and believe it or not, it records pretty good-looking video.
And I’m not the only one who seems to like the Flip. According to market tracker NPD Group, it has become the No. 2 best-selling video camera (after the Sony DVD610).
So now Pure Digital has introduced the new Mino (pronounced like the little fish). It’s a slightly smaller version of the Flip. It works exactly the same way and can record up to an hour of video.
The difference really comes down to the price. The traditional Flip runs $149. The new Mino will cost $179.
I’m talking about Walmart’s new Classifieds website. The site carries 30 million items that have been posted through oodle.com, including Madonna concert tickets, foreclosed homes, an absolutely adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, an ATV and the kitchen sink.
The service doesn’t charge the seller or the buyer and is accessible through Walmart.com.
It seems like a pretty cool concept and definitely worth exploring.
