Samsung Instinct PDA Phone - Do you know?

At $ 130 a year or two contract, it is a good instinct and many mobile phone. But this iPhone look-so-unlikely orcs Apple's forthcoming 3G phone.

If nothing else, Samsung's Instinct shows just how disruptive an influence the iPhone has become in cell phone design. From its spare black packaging (everyone is copying Apple in this regard) to its slim, glass-encased industrial design and fingertip-friendly interface, the Instinct pays homage to Apple's iconic creation while one-upping it in several respects.

If the next-generation iPhone weren't about to address some of the very same weaknesses the Instinct seeks to exploit, Sprint and Samsung's creation would look a lot more appealing. But while the Instinct is a solid effort in its own right (and one worth considering if AT&T's service and rates don't sit right with you), it still has a Brand X feeling to it. My review unit, though generally feature-rich and very capable, also had a few noteworthy glitches.

Let's start with the strengths. The device felt good in my hand. It's narrower and somewhat thicker than the current iPhone, but close enough to the general profile for that not to matter.

Things start off promisingly when you power the Instinct on and unlock the screen by pressing firmly on a hardware button on the top edge (somewhat similar to the way the iPhone gets going, although without the finger swipe). You see a nice-looking starlit sky on the 3.1-inch display, with the current time at the bottom.

But then the device switches to a rather lackluster Favorites screen--basically an empty grayscale screen that invites you to populate it with your most frequently used applications. Though this screen seems intended to show off customization capabilities that the iPhone lacks, it isn't particularly attractive; Samsung would have done better to have the unit default to the Main screen, which is filled with iPhone-like icons for sending messages and e-mail, as well as for GPS navigation.
Solid Touch Screen

Overall, Samsung did a pretty good job on the touch screen. It's a resistive touch screen, so if you prefer you can use the little enclosed stylus instead of your fingertip. (But then you'll have to worry about where to store the thing--the device has no place for you to slide it. All you have for it is a slit in the rather cheesy plastic case that's included.)

I had no difficulty getting along with only my index finger, however. I was happy to find a setting to optimize the touch screen for southpaws, along with adjustments for calibration and touch sensitivity. I also liked the unit's haptic feedback, small vibrations in response to touches (something the original iPhone didn't offer). And wherever scrolling was possible, the unit was responsive.

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