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!
posted Jul 3rd 2008 12:31PM
Little hyperlink bug in your article Chris!
lol, i know, it even goes down the the read link.
I can't find the link to the tells-mobility category.
Why is half the article a link?
Thanks for the advice... I'm getting a MSI Wind and a Treo 800w
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!
I bet you get low ranked instantly.
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.
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!!
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.
@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.
zak, you're an idiot. i'd give you reasons as to why, but it's pretty evident.
@Zak: No time machine needed. LG were first and Apple copied them. It's not that hard to understand.
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?
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.
@ 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.
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.
@cockboy
You're right. LG must have only started developing the KE850 a week before it's release.
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.
@ 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 ...
@ 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 ...
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"
Ok then, my instinct is telling me to ignore desperate advertising
I'm sure this device has uncrippled bluetooth and the ability to copy and paste.....and mms
TELUS is actually offering the Instinct as well.
That would make sense seeing as how Bell and Telus share everything down to their laundry....
Any links?
Verozon - lg dare
sprint - instinct
At&t - iPhone
Tmobile - SOL.
Tmobile - HTC Dream? (hopefully)
Keep 'Dreaming' T-Mobile.
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.
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?
Yes, but Telus is the one that started charging customers $0.15 for RECEIVED text messages on July 1st.
http://exit44.wordpress.com/
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
@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.
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!
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...
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...
...and the soon-to-be AAPL fanboi posts an epic FAIL thanks to the Engadget comment system...
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..
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.
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.
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.
@ 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.
@szamot
Really well said!
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)
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!!!
....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.
@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.
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!
One reason that comes to mind is that EVDO is sometimes not available everywhere. For instance the signal in my house sucks for all carriers so without that WIFI I would never get my work email unless I go to our webmail on my comp or my iPhone, but since I do have it it's not an issue. When I first got my iPhone I was saying I would prob never use the WI-FI now it's a feature that I cannot live without on any phone. Also with the WIFI I can use Touchpad to control my HTPC right through my iPhone, what a great software, no need for a keyboard and mouse in my living room GREAT. Plus EVDO doesn't compare to WI-FI speed wise.
"Ignore the Hype" - "trust your Instinct" ROFL. I think I will thank you very much, lets go iPhone 3G!!!
No kidding! I have a friend who paid $40 more for his Instinct than the 3G will be in a few days. I've played with it a little, and I can say there's NO WAY it's an iPhone killer. I have an iPhone, and love it. The UI on the instinct is lame, the screen is not as good, and the general feel is poor. It's no more an iPhone killer than Zune was an iPod killer. I do like Samsung, as a company, but the Instinct really just isn't that cool.
@ David
How did he pay $40 more than a 3G iPhone? The highest price available is $229 - $100 MIR. Cheapest iPhone = $199.
If you have played around with the UI on the Instinct I don't know how you could claim that it is "lame". Without any help or instructions a user can navigate the entire menu system and perform any function. It is simple and intuitive. It doesn't have really "cool" motions like the iPhone but it is hardly lame.
That being said, unless they offer the Instinct on a SERO plan (read something under $50/month) this phone will be a loser. Sprint needs to give people a reason to choose the Instinct over the iPhone. Saving a few bucks every month and having a slightly cheaper entry cost won't be nearly enough.
Check out this story in the Globe & Mail - apparently, Bell is going to war with Rogers on plan prices and the one they'll offer with the Instinct looks incredible for Canada. You'd think this would pressure Rogers on their iPhone plans...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080703.wgtinstinct0703/BNStory/Technology/?cid=al_gam_nletter_techweekly
Yes! Hopefully this will force old dirty Ted to get his todger out of all of his customers.
And can you get the $7 unlimited WAP with it?
Ok i understand some of your desperate attempts to belittle the samsung instinct, i really do but for people who live in an area where having the iphone is a joke, the instinct is really a very good phone despite what you may believe.the reception is far superior, and the GPS is GPS. so get over the iphone and realize there are better products, even if you don't like it. The iphone inferiority up in the area where i live is pretty relevant considering people who were getting them free (with a car purchase) couldn't give them away.
"Ok i understand some of your desperate attempts to belittle the samsung instinct"
They do it because they despise consumer choice and believe that everyone should own product A from Company A whether you like it or not.
Thinking Different is so 20th century.
I'd hate to be around people dumb enough to blame the handset for an entirely different networks coverage, or that including a handset sweetens the deal enough to move a $15,000+ purchase makes it an inferior product (wtf). I also wouldn't want something if its going to have shitty reception, but I can't say that the Instinct is better than the iPhone in that regard. Neither can you (You do understand that, right? Handset quality != network coverage). Why are you so desperate to belittle the iPhone? Do you only want people to buy from company B as a zealot for anything not Apple? Does it somehow make consumers have more choice then? Did someone hit you with an Apple product as a child? Who fucking cares what company made the thing?
The Canadian wireless spectrum auction combined with new laws regulating it:
- The wireless spectrum auction — 60 per cent — is open to bids from anyone, while the remaining 40 per cent is reserved for new entrants to the cellphone market, which Industry Canada defines as any company that currently earns less than 10 per cent of the nation's total cellphone revenue.
- New entrants will also benefit from two other Industry Canada rulings. Existing carriers will have to rent out space on their cellphone towers at reasonable rates to new players. They will also have to sign agreements that allow the customers of newcomers to "roam" on their networks, again at reasonable rates.
This should introduce lots of other players into the market. Or at least that is the hope.
Read: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/05/26/tech-spectrum.html
Serves them right for giving us Brian Adams and Celine Dion.
How about Pamela Anderson? She can't sing but her titts talk.
True. And I did forget about Evangaline Lilly.
fvasv
Coming Soon to TELUS as well...
http://www.telusmobility.com/on/pcs/handset_samsung_sph_m800.shtml
If Samsung made a product that was the same or better than the iPhone, I'd support it. But they didn't did they? Tell me how the processing power, battery life, capacity, software and touch interface of the Instinct are superior to the iPhone. Or is it that you don't honestly know first hand what the differences are and just like to bash products you don't use or have?
They cloned the look of an iPhone for people who are too naive to realize what makes an iPhone so neat (Oh look, its a rectangle with a touch screen = same). So obviously the iPhone people will quickly point out that its not the same. Deal with it, its a fact. This isn't a different product, its a cheap forgery. The iPhone is the real thing and this is another faky knock-off that never would get more than one article if it wasn't so strongly pushed by Sprint. Good idea for them, because non-savvy consumers DO think its an iPhone for Sprint (like you probably do).
Show me an on-par product with a different design/concept. That'll be newsworthy. In the meantime, quit embarrassing yourselves by whining about how the iPhone is worse than a cheaper knock-off of an iPhone because you just don't like Apple, but can't give any technical specifics as to WHY.
Processing power is better on the iPhone, but then again it's running a slightly lightened version of a computer OS. Of course it needs 600 mHz.
Battery life? My box included 2 batteries good for 5.75 hours talk time each, an external battery charger so I can charge the spare outside of the phone and lets not forget that I can change the battery myself.
A2DP? Not exactly rocket science yet it's omitted from the iPhone. Apple probably has too many deals with iPod/iPhone dock makers to allow you to stream your music wirelessly instead tethering you to a physical dock.
Of course no one else is going to bother trying to get a license from Apple to use the multi-touch interface. If you were Apple, would you make it affordable for your competitors?
Form factor? Really? What shape should it be? Maybe if it was triangular or star shaped and poked holes in your pocket prematurely, you'd be ok with it. There's really only one way to make a touchscreen non-flip/non/sliding phone efficient to use and the rectangle is it.
Finally, i'll submit that the Instinct is more of a multimedia phone that full-blown computer like the iPhone is. It's real competition is not the iPhone, but it's cross-carrier cdma cousin the Samsung Glyde and their Korean rival LG's Voyager and Dare.
Is the Instinct better than the iPhone, no. It's different. Both phones lack features present in each other that would just about make the perfect phone if combined.
Ok i understand your argument and that in the same is mine they are on different networks the are different products so comparing them is not fair. If the iPhone was a CDMA not GSM phone it might make a difference. I'm sure if it was available in CDMA unlocked I'd be more willing to give it a long term try. As far as saying the the iPhone coming with a car sweetens the deal, that doesnt explain Ford previously giving away Dell computers. As far as you saying I'm not willing to buy from apple I'm pleased to inform you that I have been a mac owner for quite some time going as far back as the all-in-one 5400/125 I have also owned many PC's so claiming anti apple, is unfair and currently I'm posting from a Mac PowerBook G4. As far as getting hit with an apple product, absolutely it's happened. So it's not a hate for the company it more a dislike for misleading people to believe that a product it that "MUCH" better than something else. I believe there is a product for everyone, and people should accept that. I think Thunder18 has it exactly right both offer features the others don't if they could work together.... who knows.
Who are they to say "Ignore the Hype"
They must have forgotten all the money they spent on Anti-Iphone advertisements that never aired :P
It's up on the Telus website as "Coming Soon".
http://www.telusmobility.com/sk/pcs/handset_samsung_sph_m800.shtml
And to make it sweeter, Bell is offering a voice plan + 'unlimited' data plan (web access only) for $40.
Take THAT Rogers/Fido and iPhone!
Time for me to switch carriers - especially now that Bell is offering dual/access CDMA/GSM phones.
I guess I should ignore the Samsung hype.
My INSTINCT is to buy an iPhone.
Awesome! I now have the Diamond AND the Instinct to go to when I cancel my Rogers account! Telus for the longest time had a poor phone selection and now they are picking up cool phones for great prices! I was looking at either the Bold/iPhone with my existing Rogers account (I currently have the Pearl) but I HATE rogers. I canceled their Internet after the shitty caps (60 GB vs 200 GB from Teksavvy), I am canceling their TV service this month and soon I will be getting rid of their cellphone service!