Samsung Instinct
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Should you get a cell phone or a smart phone? That division is becoming more and more artificial these days. Today, we'll take a look at a phone that walks the line: it is as easy to use as a merely functional cell phone, but offers as many applications (if not more) as a smart phone. It's the Samsung Instinct, and it just might give the iPhone something to worry about. Keep reading to find out why.
For years there were cell phones, and then there were smart phones. This gap is closing quickly, and we are getting to a hybrid device that is both very cell phone friendly, but also packs the power and applications of a Smartphone. We usually see smart phones getting more user friendly, and cell phones staying cell phones.
Recently Verzion Wireless has tried to put MP3 playing capabilities onto cell phones. This is working all right, but it's far from the kind of all-in-one device you see in something like the iPhone. We have seen smart phones go from business users to consumer-friendly in the past few years, but the cell phone side hasn't really done much to become more versatile. The iPhone started out near the middle of the line, and seems to be a great phone for most people regardless of usage.
Another phone has recently come out with more features than the iPhone, and is just as hot right now. It's the Samsung Instinct, and it competes with both cell phones and smart phones. A cell phone that has more features than the iPhone, and is also adding lots of smart phone applications? There isn't any way we're going to miss looking at this phone.
Phone Specifications
The phone is a simple bar style with a 3.2" touch screen. It has a resolution of 240 x 432 pixels; this compares reasonably with the iPhone, but frankly, the iPhone wins here. I don't mean to judge it too much by the iPhone's standard, but when watching videos or browsing the Internet, poor resolution makes life a little more difficult.
There is no physical keyboard on this device; it’s all virtual. It might be a little difficult for people with big fingers. The screen is resistive touch sensitive, meaning it can be used with a stylus or a finger. This is not true of the iPhone, but the iPhone features multitouch, which the Instinct lacks. Most cell phones don't have touch screens at all; we are starting to see a few trickle down, but this is one of the first and the most advertised so far.
With these all in one device, storage is a huge issue. The iPhone comes in 8 GB or 16 GB flavors; the Instinct comes with an expandable memory slot. The phone takes MicroSD cards, and even comes with a 2 GB card. It's nice that they can include a $10 card with a phone, but you're going to fill that 2 GB up quick. I paid a few more dollars for the 4 GB card to double the storage.
The Samsung Instinct has your more common cell phone connection types, such as CDMA/EV-DO, your common cell connection, Bluetooth, and GPS. These features are pretty standard with every phone made today, however, so they're nothing to write home about. The Instinct lacks some of the connections that smart phones have, such as 802.11G. While this is not a must have feature, it would be great to have, and when you're up against smart phones like the iPhone and the HTC Diamond, not having this feature when the others do is a deal killer.
Next: Specs continued >>
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