Sprint’s Samsung Instinct and Treo 800w: will you be a customer?
Filed under: Cell Phones, Handsets | By: Daniel
Posted on: June 23, 2008 | 5 Comments
The cell phone market is a busy one and today nearly everyone has a cell phone, from your children to the oldest person in your family. Technology is really moving ahead and the biggest brands are launching high-end handsets full of the best gadgets, this means you got to be extra good to attract consumers. It’s been reported that Sprint has lost many customers for different reasons but now we see two new phones hoping to get users back.
The Sprint Samsung Instinct and Treo 800w could help bring people back to Sprint; will you keep being a customer or become a new customer thanks to these two phones on Sprint?
Today we are hearing that the Sprint Treo 800w will be released a week before many previous rumors, the date is said to be July 13th. The Treo 800w features Live Search for Windows Mobile, Built-in GPS functionality that will allow points of interests searching and mapping, WIFI, EVDO Rev A data speeds and Windows Mobile 6.1. The unsubsidized price is well over $500, making this phone far from cheap unless you get a good deal.
The Samsung Instinct seems to be the popular of the two phones and has even been matched up to the 3G iPhone, the phone features a 3.5mm headset jack that means you can connect headphones without the need for any adapters, the Web browser is excellent and has some cool browsing features.
The call quality and navigation is very good but on the downside you get no tethered modem support, onboard memory is lacking and the Samsung Instinct has no IM client, which is a great feature in this day and age of keeping in touch with Wi-Fi.
The Instinct was released this month for $230; you can see the full features on both these phones on Phones Review. Let us know if you are a Sprint customer and if not would the Samsung Instinct or Treo 800w make you turn to Sprint?
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I’ve been using the Instinct for a few days and I like it. I do see some problems with the touch, sometimes it does not respond, I have to click like 7 times for it to go back or to close out of a screen. It’s good. I’m just testing it. I don’t like the fact that it does not sync with Outlook calander. Good competition though
$249 for a TREO is too much. Maybe $149 I would consider. Come on. This is old hat.
The Instink has minimal calendar options, will not sync with a computer and has no groupings for phone contacts. It also will not back up notes. When they correct this I might purchase. I am wondering if the Palm 800 will allow for screen cursor input? I currently have a Palm 700p and it does have cursor input. Several generations back I looked into this for the Windows Palm version and it did not at that time.
Picked up the Instinct a day early (being an existing Sprint customer) and can say it’s a good phone. Decent camera, music player and a removable battery. The best phone as far as voice quality I’ve had to date. I’ve had the phone a week and I’m still learning new things about it. Overall a good effort by Sprint.
With the rebate, the $129 price for the Instinct makes it highly attractive… coupled with a buffet option service plan…. yes, it is enough to keep me on the Sprint network. I am tempted to leave ad get the 3G iPhone. However, either way you go, there is a high probability that you will upgrade your phone again in 1-2 years (either to a good WiMAX and Google Android phone if firmware upgrades on the Instinct don’t cut-it) or to a 4G/LTE. There is no doubt that the networks are nearing a big pivotal period. I can’t wait more than 2-3 more weeks to upgrade my old cell phone. I’ve been debating over the Instinct, new Iphone (hard to compare when not out yet), and the Glide. I must say, I’m looking to spend as little as possible and the Sprint package seems the best way to go. The voice and data plans with Verizon and AT&T are more expensive. Plus the GPS feature on the Instinct is outstanding… I think Apple has the best user-experience offering with the iPhones, but given that I have a nice new video 80G iPod, I really don’t mind not having the best music/video player on the Instinct. SprintTV is really stupid (I will never use it and the blocky appearance is too annoying). When mobile broadband technology and streaming digital video downloads is even more advanced, then I’ll worry about having that feature on my phone. For now, it is simple enough to load a movie, show, or video on my ipod separately and the speed and quality is better. The features I’d use regularly on the phone are voice, text, GPS, quick email scans, quick web surfing. Mobile versions of websites are still OK for me right now (though iPhone’s full browser display is awesome). I just wish that multi-touch was on the Instinct… but that won’t deter me from getting it now. If I save 30 or more bucks a month on the monthly service withth Everything plan, then in 2 years that will more than cover the cost of the latest and greatest phone at a time when mobile networking will be more advanced.