Samsung bringing the Instinct to Canada next

Fired up to capitalize on some of the hype Sprint has managed to drum up for the Instinct down in the States, Samsung's taking its iPhone fighter north of the border for a promised intro later this summer. Bell Mobility is the lucky partner (seriously, Telus, you probably should've hustled Samsung a little harder for this one), launching at price points ranging from $149.95 up to $449.95 for a three-year contract all the way down to zero commitment. Features and software look like they're all carrying over from their stateside cousin, although the UI's looking just a little bit less Sprint-ified (read: no yellow tinge). Nice.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Update: There are rumors that Telus is slated to pick it up, too, but we haven't seen anything solid just yet. We'll let you know.

Update 2: Yep, Telus is down with it -- exclusivity be damned! Thanks, howi!

[Mic2000 @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:37PM]

Little hyperlink bug in your article Chris!

[jason @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:41PM]

lol, i know, it even goes down the the read link.

[linkied @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:43PM]

I can't find the link to the tells-mobility category.

[JAmerican @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:38PM]

Why is half the article a link?

[JAmerican @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:47PM]

Thanks for the advice... I'm getting a MSI Wind and a Treo 800w

[Twan @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:42PM]

Hmm...funny how that looks exactly like an iPhone. I guess no one is innovative anymore. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to act like my iPhone is still the best by pulling it out on the buses and subway, fanatically scrolling with my finger, then rotating it while on the glorious internet to IM a friend with Meebo. LOL!! :)

Go head Samsung -- darn copycats!

[natels @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:44PM]

I bet you get low ranked instantly.

[fred @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:57PM]

You do know that both phones are based on prior devices like the LG Prada, right? Or did you really think Apple invented the rectangular, touch-screen phone?

Based on the way you worked every cliche that Apple fanatics put into post about this, I'm leaning towards you just trying to be funny.

[Twan @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:03PM]

Actually, I was just being funny. I just totally give up. I can't keep up with all this stuff.

Damn this Digital Information Age!!

[Zak @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:22PM]

Fred, maybe you can explain how the iPhone is based on the Prada when the Prada launched what, 2 months before the iPhone did - and it's a well established fact that Apple was working on the iPhone for three years prior to its release.

Can you explain that please? Does it involve the use of a time machine of some sort? Inquiring minds want to know.

[cstarbird @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:28PM]

@Fred

You know, you can still do a rectangular touch screen phone without making the corners rounded and giving it a chrome bevel, home button at center bottom, and dock style interface. I agree the iPhone wasn't the most original design... but the Instinct is a blatant copy of the iPhone. Stop being a blind Apple hater. Your more blind than a fan boy.

[sinai @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:31PM]

zak, you're an idiot. i'd give you reasons as to why, but it's pretty evident.

[Argot @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:39PM]

@Zak: No time machine needed. LG were first and Apple copied them. It's not that hard to understand.

[Zak @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:42PM]

Sinai - Actually, unless you have an explanation for Fred's claims that the iPhone is based on the Prada, I don't think it's very evident at all. Maybe you should explain it to me. Also, name calling? Really? How old are you?

[Zak @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:45PM]

Argot: Maybe you're bad at reading, or comprehending linear time. I'll say it again, just for you. Apple started work on the iPhone 3 YEARS before the Prada came out. Now explain to me how Apple could possibly have been copying the Prada without the use of a time machine.

[alex @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:06PM]

@ Zak

Um yes 3 years. Unfortunatly all products require development time so either :

1. The prada copied the iPhone 2 months before it was released.
2. They completely randomly developed very similar designs.
3. The iPhone which was released 2 months later copied the Prada.

Hmmmm. Time machine jokes aside, I'll guess 3.
YOU FAIL.

[Osiris @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:09PM]

Or maybe you're all to simple to understand that an obvious design such as a rectangular touchscreen device really isn't that difficult to come up with.

Whether or not someone was copied, it was bound to happen eventually and it just so happens LG released their model first.

[Mark Anderson @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:10PM]

@cockboy

You're right. LG must have only started developing the KE850 a week before it's release.

[Zak @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:11PM]

Alex and Mark: Prove that the Prada took as long to develop as the iPhone. If you can prove that, then you'll need to prove Apple had some spies at LG, because how else would they be able to copy it if it were still in development?

You can call me names and insult me all you want, but none of you have been able to prove me wrong yet. PROVE that LG was developing the Prada BEFORE Apple started developing the iPhone, and PROVE that Apple somehow knew about it and copied it. If you can't do those two things, then you don't have a leg to stand on. Do it, prove it, back it up. Don't just flap your gums.

[axemt @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:28PM]

@ Zak

The fact that neither LG or Apple have sued each other is proof enough that they were working separately, don't you think?

I mean, who's going to believe Apple needed to take anything from anyone for their cell phone, oh wait, wasn't Cisco ...

[axemt @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:31PM]

@ Zak

The fact that neither LG or Apple have sued each other is proof enough that they were working separately, don't you think?

I mean, who's going to believe Apple needed to take/steal anything for their cell phone, oh wait, wasn't Cisco ...

[atomas @ Jul 4th 2008 4:18AM]

Put LG aside. In spring 2006 there was a mobile phone concept by BenQ which also was quite similar to that what LG and Apple brought out later.
http://www.slashphone.com/104/4188.html

In my opinion everyone is copying from everyone anyway. There are only a few really innovative things, most stuff is just improvement or "using something already present in a new way"

[Mike @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:42PM]

Ok then, my instinct is telling me to ignore desperate advertising

[Dyranios @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:45PM]

I'm sure this device has uncrippled bluetooth and the ability to copy and paste.....and mms

[Torontodude @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:49PM]

TELUS is actually offering the Instinct as well.

[Vito @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:12PM]

That would make sense seeing as how Bell and Telus share everything down to their laundry....

[Minilap @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:47PM]

Any links?

[DefPo3t @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:51PM]

Verozon - lg dare
sprint - instinct
At&t - iPhone
Tmobile - SOL.

[Matt @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:10PM]

Tmobile - HTC Dream? (hopefully)

[natels @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:25PM]

Keep 'Dreaming' T-Mobile.

[potato @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:55PM]

Sad :( Telus is the only provider in Canada with anything approaching "reasonable" prices and good customer service. My gf had some billing issues with Telus, which was sorted out *immediately* (we even got some credit!) when I phoned them.

Compare with Rogers and Bell, neither of whom have ever willingly fixed any billing error I've had with them. I'm still raw about how Rogers dealt with my cell phone issues. My contract is expiring in a few months, and I'll be jumping ship immediately for sure.

God, I hate Rogers and Bell.

[Vito @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:11PM]

You know, I've worked at The Source dealing with Rogers activations. The kicker is my location was right next to a Telus mobility booth (we could see the entire booth from any part of the store), and I've had plenty of customers coming from Telus, angry at the poor quality of customer service and horrible reception. I even had a Telus employee who gets his phone completely free sign a contract with Rogers just to make a point of how horrible Telus is.

I've been with rogers for 5-6 years now and while I've had some quarrels with them, they always resolved my issues and the reception is better than any I've tested.

I live out in Vancouver, so maybe the quality differences are based on geography?

[Mike P. @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:19PM]

Yes, but Telus is the one that started charging customers $0.15 for RECEIVED text messages on July 1st.

http://exit44.wordpress.com/

[Ace b @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:36PM]

Is it possible to technically get this working on verizon's network?Cause sprint was allowing you to unlock their phones or something?I heard that earlier this year on engadget which is why i ask

[BoxOfSnoo @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:57PM]

@Mike P.

UNBELIEVABLE. Thanks for pointing that out. I will be looking for a new carrier I guess. PC Mobile or Virgin looks not too bad right now.

I've emailed Telus telling them I'm shopping elsewhere... Hopefully many others will notice and complain too.

[rlb @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:06PM]

I've been a Sprint customer for 10+ years. Right now I have a family plan for my wife and I for about $50 a month. I called telling them I'm interested in the Instinct...they said I had to upgrade my plan to the Simply Everything plan which starts at $69.99 for my individual plan...I can't add my wife to the plan to share my minutes but not use data. She needs to get her own plan for $30/month OR I can get the talk/data/message share plan for 2 phones to have unlimited data on both phones with 1500 minutes for $130 a month. I can't just add data to my existing plan...you have to upgrade in either manner adding either $40 all the way up to $80 a month just so one of us can use this phone. No thanks. Thanks for rewarding me for being a customer for over 10 years. Awesome tactic. ARGH!

[whatishalo? @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:06PM]

Our situation exactly with my wife and I.

For the same price I think I'll get an iPhone. Not that I am a fanboi, but after trying both out extensively (I do have an ipod touch and have been to the Sprint store many times) AAPL still beats the instinct in the UI.

I DO like the on screen keyboard for two finger typing on the Instinct better but as far as browser and phone navigation, the iphone is more to my liking.

I hate to jump ship from Spint, but if the 3G speeds end up being reasonbly close, my have to...

[whatishalo? @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:07PM]

Our situation exactly with my wife and I.

For the same price I think I'll get an iPhone. Not that I am a fanboi, but after trying both out extensively (I do have an ipod touch and have been to the Sprint store many times) AAPL still beats the instinct in the UI.

I DO like the on screen keyboard for two finger typing on the Instinct better but as far as browser and phone navigation, the iphone is more to my liking.

I hate to jump ship from Spint, but if the 3G speeds end up being reasonbly close, my have to...

[whatishalo? @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:09PM]

...and the soon-to-be AAPL fanboi posts an epic FAIL thanks to the Engadget comment system...

[tyler @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:14PM]

Can someone elaborate on how cell phone contracts work in Canada? From what I gather it seems like they are mostly 3-year deals. But do they offer 1 or 2-year deals as well? Just curious..

[Richard @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:20PM]

Uh, yeah. You can get a 0, 1, 2 or 3 year contract. The longer the contract, the lower the price of the handset. Pretty simple.

[Craig @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:28PM]

You can get 1, 2, and 3-year contracts. You can also get pay-as-you-go and have no commitments.

Other than that, the other requirement to have a cellphone here in Canada is to bend over and grab your ankles and allow the companies to rape you. We don't have enough competition here, and we have a weak regulatory body (CRTC) that is the lap-dog of the telcos.

[szamot @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:37PM]

Well all contracts are evil. All advertised prices in Canada are based on 3 year contract. What is not advertised in the prices are the extras like 911 fee, network access fee one time set up fee, network set up fee etc.. and most regular plans do not include VM CD, etc... which is extra. On the top of this heap of crap you get evening and weekends that start at 9 pm unless you pay extra which it then brings it up to 6 or for a bit more 5pm. Also most unlimited incoming calls simply means someone calling you from the city you live in. If you get a call from outside of your calling area that counts against your outgoing minutes.

In short what this amounts to is:
1 year contract - you get screwed by a whole gay pride parade with no dicker shlider in and out everyday, night and day for 3 years
2 year contract - you get screwed by your dedicated 5 or 10 lovers
3 year contract - you still get screwed but they provide some grease to ease the pain.

on top of all that, if you are not signing a 3 year contract you don't have access to all the best plans available. So you get screwed yet again. Apparently Aug. 24 brings in charge for incoming SMS - so now we are going to be paying Telco's for spam. Sweet.

Canadian cell contracts in a nutshell.

[tyler @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:56PM]

@ szmaot :: your 'amounts to' explanation cracked me up lol..

But seriously, I had no idea it was that bad. Hopefully things will change for the better soon because that is pretty much ridiculous.

[Leggi @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:29PM]

@szamot
Really well said!

[Vito @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:18PM]

completely and totally agree

however the pricing really isn't likely to be getting any better. the three year plans are here to stay, sadly, and extra features are going to be even more extra as can be seen by the future incoming SMS charges.

on the upside, data seems to be getting a little more reasonable, but only past 300MB (what happened to those $5/$10 5MB/10MB plans, they were great!), and now we are getting decent phones in a relatively timely manner, mind you smart phone selection is still crap (especially symbian)

[Fernando @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:24PM]

The Instinct "iPhone Killer" is a POS it can't even compare to the current iPhone locked, forget it unlocked. And as far as a comparison to the 3G iPhone there isn't even any at all, PLEASE. Call me a fan boy but common sense is just there and if you are into technology as I am, you cannot possibly say that the Instinct is a better device. It doesn't even have built in WI-FI come on now!!!

[schmitty338 @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:34PM]

....Why do you need wifi when you have rev.A EVDO?

I have an HTC Touch with Bell and I pay $7 for unlimited data with a cheap voice plan and I regularly get over 1Mbps down and around 500kbps up....stream music, movies, TV over orb, youtube, etc and it's all fast no need for hotspots.

That said, I doubt they willl offer the $7 data deal on the instinct...as such, wifi would be a nice addition since Canada's data rates are ridiculous except for the Touch deal from Bell.

[Antemeridian @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:39PM]

@Schmitty

The Globe and Mail had an article on this as well, apparently it'll be unlimited on-device data (No tethering) for $10/mo added to any voice plan.

[schmitty338 @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:44PM]

Okay, I just looked it up and Bell is classifying the instinct as a smartphone, just like the Touch, hence $7/month unlimited non-tethered data....Noice!