InstinctHd
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Screen Grabs: Instinct HD captures evidence in NCIS: Los Angeles
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. It seems that LL Cool J is still too hip to be seen rockin' the latest and greatest from Samsung, but evidently Chris O'Donnell had no qualms doing the honors. The recently loosed Instinct HD was recently spotted handling all sorts of detective word on this week's episode of NCIS: Los Angeles, with the famed HD movie mode showing itself on a number of occasions. Truth be told, though -- we get how a guy of O'Donnell's affluence could swing $250 for a new featurephone, but is the average agent seriously in the same tax bracket?[Thanks, Josh]%Gallery-74430%
Instinct HD hands-on
So, we got this little guy in the mail today and naturally cracked it right out of its box. We have to say, we're impressed with the feel of the phone and the general responsiveness of the touchscreen, though the software seems to be biting off a lot more than it can chew when it comes to getting around. We noticed more than our fair share of lag when jumping from screen to screen, but there were times when the Instinct HD actually felt really snappy. We still can't say you'd be justified in dropping a cool $249.99 on this phone (especially with choices like the Pre, Hero, Tour, and forthcoming Pixi), but if you're an Instinct enthusiast, the photos below should get you properly hot and bothered. %Gallery-74018%
Samsung's Instinct HD lands itself a quick video hands-on
At this point we're a little bored of the Instinct HD leaks, especially now that it's been saddled with that hefty $250 pricetag, but how about a detailed video hands-on for olde tymes sake? Interestingly, on video we're shown the location of the mythic HDMI out port, though it's covered up by a flap, and we'd say that in motion the phone doesn't look as terribly chubby as those blurry photos made it out to be -- who says TV adds 10 pounds? Video is after the break. [Thanks, Taylor]
Sprint temporarily loses its mind, wants $250 for Samsung Instinct HD
And you thought T-Mobile and Sprint were sniffing the good stuff when they demanded $350 for the HTC Touch Pro2. Shortly after Instinct HD boxes began showing up at select Sprint stores, the flagging carrier has finally come forward with an official ship date (9/27) and price. Try as we may, we still can't figure out why exactly "HD" is tacked on the end of this thing; the 480 x 320 display is decidedly average, it can't play back high-def content on the device itself, and the "HD" video output is a feature that approximately 3.8 Earthlings will ever use (on a phone like this, anyway). Compounding the problem is the remarkable lack of detail in the specifications -- Sprint simply swears that its 5 megapixel camera and video record mode are HD, but it fails to provide any elaboration whatsoever. Other specs include WiFi, EV-DO Rev A support, Opera Mobile 9.7, an ambient light sensor, haptic feedback and an accelerometer, but even those can't help justify the $249.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement) asking price. Hey Sprint -- we thought you guys were actually looking to gain subscribers. Right?
Instinct HD spotted with box, looking chubbier than ever
Look, we enjoy a bit of excessive caloric intake now and again ourselves, but the much-leaked Instinct HD really seems to have let itself go. We just got pics of the device up against a box, and the word is it "feels like a bloated s30 in your hand... and that is not meant as a compliment." Ouch. The instructions apparently say that you can plug an HDMI cable into the phone somehow, but so far all that's been discovered is the standard proprietary power jack -- so that's odd, but at least we have our first hint at some sort of "HD" functionality. %Gallery-73840%
Instinct HD gear starts turning up at Best Buy
A funny thing happens when a major new handset's released on a big carrier: matching accessories come along for the ride. Cases, chargers, armbands, screen protectors, you name it -- anything to get you to double your spend before you walk out of the door with your multi-hundred-dollar phone. Of course, those accessories frequently aren't perfectly synced with the phone itself -- they ship a few days beforehand or after the fact, so stuff like this is bound to happen. In this particular case, the upcoming Instinct HD is getting some silicone protection ahead of time courtesy of Best Buy, which should go well with those invisibleSHIELDs you picked up a few weeks back. Meanwhile, the phone itself is expected just a handful of days from now, so at least it's not totally insane to start stocking up on accessories now. [Thanks, Matt G.]
Samsung's Instinct HD launching on September 27?
The long-rumored Instinct HD ranks extraordinarily high on our "man, we really wish this thing ran Android" list, but at this point, we just sorta want to get it out of the way so we can move on to the InstinctQ. How do we do that? Well, getting it released is a good start -- and PhoneDog has it on good authority that we can expect to see it on the 27th of the month for somewhere between $99 and $149, presumably on contract after rebate. The 5 megapixel cam and huge touchscreen are both great -- but with a variety of smartphones now available at the $99 mark and the 5 megapixel Hero just around the corner, it'll be interesting to see how this actually fares in Sprint stores.
Sprint newsletter lets slip Instinct HD
Samsung still hasn't come completely clean with its forthcoming Instinct HD, but it might as well. A recent Sprint Premier Connection newsletter not only introduced the Any Mobile, Anytime plan that was detailed this morning, but it also let slip a staggeringly pixelated image of the Instinct HD. Sprint tells us a few things we already knew -- like how the phone has a 3.2-inch display that's decidedly not high-def, a 5 megapixel camera and an improved web browser -- while leaving us to wonder about things like price after rebate. We'll take "Coming soon!" to mean "within the next month or so." Right, Sprint?[Thanks, Ellis]
Samsung Instinct HD spotted in the wild, powered on
We've already seen one exceedingly blurry image of Samsung's Sprint-bound Instinct HD, and one seemingly official image courtesy of Best Buy, but Phone Arena has now gotten its hands on what looks to be the most complete set of pics to date. That includes a peek at the phone's mostly familiar-looking interface, a quick comparison with some of its predecessors, and a look at some curiously repositioned Sprint and Samsung logos, which now match the Instinct S30 (whatever that may signify). Hit up the link below to check out the whole set for yourself.
Samsung Instinct HD pops up on Best Buy's website with 5 megapixel camera, TV out
As it turns out, Instinct HD really was the final name that Samsung decided for its Sprint-bound S50 / m850 Dash, at least as far as Best Buy is concerned. The "Weekly Ad Specials" listing confirms that the smartphone really does handle HD video, both recording and playback, with a 5 megapixel camera and a TV out connection for sharing. It's also got visual voicemail, WiFi, and corporate calendar (likely Exchange and Lotus Domino) support. No price listed, but whatever it is will be effective from today through September 26th, so using our great powers of logic and deduction, we're gonna predict it'll hit stores sometime within the next month -- bold assumption, we know. Don't let us down, Sammy. [Thanks, Benny L]
Samsung Instinct S50 now reportedly the Instinct HD, 'HD' officially the new black
It's already gone through more than its share of name changes, but it looks like Sprint's upcoming Samsung m850 Dash, most recently known as the Instinct S50, has now apparently found one that's stuck: the Instinct HD. No word if that means it'll actually handle HD video in one way or another, of course, nor is there any word on anything like a price or release date -- although with the FCC business out of the way, it seems like this one could be getting fully official sooner rather than later.
