Samsung Instinct Store

Sprint's highly anticipated phone, the Samsung Instinct, goes on sale Friday.  Sprint has announced via a press release that the instinct will cost $129.99, with a 2 year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate.  The Samsung Instinct is Sprint's answer to the iPhone, which is slated to cost $199 next month.

There is a catch.  Sprint also announced that activation of the Instinct requires a pricing plan offering unlimited data.  Customers can choose from Everything plans for individuals starting at just $69.99 per month for 450 voice minutes or Talk/Message/Data Share plans for families starting at $129.99 per month for 1500 voice minutes to share between two lines.

The Instinct is a touchscreen device that includes EV-DO Rev. A, which is equivalent to AT&T's 3G speeds, for Web browsing, e-mail and more. The Instinct has already been awarded such honors as “Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008?, and “Best Cell Phone” by CNET’s CTIA 2008 awards. Only time will tell if Sprint has a winner with the Samsung Instinct.

Sprint has confirmed that it's new "iPhone Killer", Samsung Instinct, will go on sale on June 20th. The Samsung Instinct is Sprint's answer to the iphone. At first glance it appears to be an exact copy, but Sprint says it will emerge as the winner.

Although it has not yet been released, the Samsung Instinct is causing buzz. The Instinct has already been awarded such honors as "Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008", and "Best Cell Phone" by CNET's CTIA 2008 awards. "We are extremely honored to receive these accolades for Instinct and we are confident that it will provide our customers with a great way to experience Sprint's fast NOW Network," said John Garcia, senior vice president of Product Development and chief marketing officer for Sprint. "Instinct is representative of the innovative portfolio of products Sprint offers to our customers. We are excited to add it to our dynamic line-up this summer."

Instinct has many advanced features such as visual voicemail, haptic feedback, EV-DO Rev A 3G technology, and much more. It is also comes with extras like a 2Gb SD card, two standard batteries, leather case and stylus, and a travel charger. Sprint has yet to announce a price, but has said it will cost under $300.

Sprint this morning reported its results for the first quarter of 2008 and has revealed continued severe losses in its cellular business. The carrier says its net revenue declined nine percent year-over-year to $9.3 billion and that it lost a total 1.09 million wireless customers in the most recent period. The company says the poor results were "expected" but that it's continuing to rework its strategy, including more focused advertising, cost reductions, and larger strategic decisions. Its news last week of a team-up with Clearwire for nationwide WiMAX also points to a turnaround, according to the company.

The company's total 52.8 million customers keep it in third place among US wireless carriers. AT&T and Verizon have extended their leads with significant gains in the most recent quarter and support 71 and 67 million cellphone users respectively. T-Mobile is in fourth place at 30 million customers.

The average income per user also dropped slightly to $56 and is attributed to an increasing shift by customers from calling to data use.

Sprint's struggles in recent history have been widely credited to poor customer support, though the company itself has taken steps to attract customers. The carrier was the first US provider to offer an unlimited plan with Simply Everything and has taken to developing a custom interface for its upcoming Samsung Instinct phone, which it hopes will lure customers away from the iPhone.

(source)

Samsung Instinct™, Exclusively from Sprint, Wins Big in Vegas with Coveted CTIA Wireless 2008^® “Best in Show” Emerging Technology Award

Also honored as “Most Innovative” in LAPTOP’s Best of CTIA Wireless 2008 and “Best Cell Phone” in CNET’s Cream of the Crop at CTIA 2008

Providing instant access to Sprint’s fast network speeds, GPS navigation and Sprint TV, Instinct combines speed and simplicity with a dynamic touch-screen experience

CTIA Wireless 2008

Sprint (NYSE:S) and Samsung Mobile’s newly unveiled Instinct was awarded “Best in Show” in the third annual Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award competition during last week’s CTIA Wirelss 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The E-Tech awards honor the best products and innovations in a number of categories representing the wireless ecosystem, including mobile consumer electronics, consumer mobile applications, enterprise solutions, network infrastructure, and 4G. Instinct was named “First Place” in the Mobile CE – Phones/Smartphone category by a panel of 31 judges who evaluated each entry on innovation, functionality, wow factor, importance of technology and ease of use and implementation. “Best in Show” was then chosen by CTIA WIRELESS 2008 attendees via text messaging during the conference. Nearly 300 submissions were received for this year’s E-Tech Awards.

Instinct was also honored as “Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008” in the Best of CTIA Wireless 2008 competition judged by the Editors of LAPTOP, a leading mobile technology magazine. In selecting award winners, LAPTOP chose innovative products announced at the show that enrich the mobile lifestyle of business users and consumers and improve the way users communicate, work, and stay entertained on the go.