Samsung Instinct SPH-M800 Phone, Black (Sprint) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used many mobile "smartphones" / "featurephones" in the last year trying to settle on something that meets my needs. The list includes iPhone (1st gen), HTC Mogul, Q9C, Palm Treo 755p, Treo 800w and the Instinct.
My needs and expectations might be different from the reader's, so let me lay them out in advance:
* A decent web browsing experience for regular "desktop" sites.
* Sufficient music capabilities to replace my iPod for most purposes.
* Basic email and calendaring capabilities (Outlook "PUSH" is not one of them).
* An easy-to-use and "fun" interface.
* A reliable phone, with good battery life.
* Navigation, if I can get it.
* MMS capabilities, if I can get it.
Here is where the previous devices have fallen short:
iPhone - Bad AT&T service in my area made it challenging to use as a phone. At the time, EDGE data was too slow to enjoy surfing the web. Pages look great once loaded, but who has 3-4 minutes per page to surf. If I am using WiFi, I might as well have my laptop. No MMS offered. Why?
I know the 3G version improves on this, but AT&T 3G coverage is still not up to par with the EVDO offered by Verizon/Sprint. This is simply the case of a good phone on a bad network.
Mogul - Poor reliability with many bugs that have not been fixed with several firmware update releases. This makes it unsatisfactory to use even for basic voice calls. Who can cope with a phone that reboots during a call? Not a good iPod replacement because you have to use the USB jack or an adapter to hook up a good pair of headphones and bluetooth stereo quality was not good enough to replace wired headphones in my experience. No MMS (can't send pictures of kids to my parents while out-and-about without using email).
Q9C - Almost good enough. Just too darn slow. Too little memory. It does run Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone with some UI enhancements, and includes a 2.5mm headphone jack for audio. A good choice for anyone willing to live with performance drawbacks. Good voice quality and reasonably reliable for a Microsoft-powered device. My back-up device. No MMS (on Sprint).

Treo 755p - Simply not able to get a decent web browser on the device. It does almost everything else OK, even if the interface is a bit too simplistic. The included Blazer browser has difficulty digesting most modern web sites, runs out of memory and is too slow. Although there are J2ME runtime engines that can be used to run Opera Mini, it frequently crashes the phone.
Treo 800w - Does everything, just not that well. Makes a pig of itself with battery use (see my review elsewhere on Amazon). The phone really falls down as an iPod replacement because it does not have an audio jack, only a microUSB connector. Hard to find good headphones for this jack. Stereo bluetooth on the device with my Moto S9 headphones introduces alot of noise. Still no MMS (on Sprint).
Now we come to the Instinct:
WEB BROWSER:
The browser has been greatly improved by the latest MR-3 firmware update, and Samsung/Sprint does seem inclined to continue to roll out improvements. I think the record sales of the device serves as an incentive to continue offering updates to the software. An MR-4 firmware is slated that is supposed to add keyboard support to J2ME applications that should allow the device to run Opera Mini and many other programs. The browser is not perfect, but it is fast enough to surf the web and get a reasonable approximation of most pages I visit. With the latest update you can take advantage of the entire screen for the browser, hiding all controls. Panning is simple with fingertip swipes. Zoom is still a bit clunky but reasonably fast.
A few "web applications" are present under the web tab that offer an attractive interface to some features you would normally use the browser for such as: weather, news, movie times and sports scores. Much better than using any browser to access this data. I would like to see more of these offered, in fact (how about a YouTube front-end?).
You will also find a version of Microsoft's Live Search to use speech to find local business found with the assistance of the built-in GPS. A very nice touch. Once found, you can call them up or get turn-by-turn directions to get there.
MUSIC
Ahh... finally, a phone with a 3.5mm headphone jack. This allows you to plug in standard iPod-like headphones and enjoy music. Bluetooth playback on the S9 headphones is also very good. The music application is nice, and you can use up to an 8GB SD card to store songs. You can buy music over-the-air from the Sprint Music Store which is integrated into the music application. Still not an iPod touch, but plenty good enough for my uses.
EMAIL AND CALENDAR
The email is simple and easy to use. It offers enough features for a mobile device, although a few options such as a custom signature would be nice. It does not render HTML email, but does help you along by including any web links that might be embedded in an HTML message. For my use, this is a faster alternative than asking the phone to download and render a full HTML version with images for my email on the go.
I would appreciate the capability to view some simple file formats, particularly PDF. I understand this is slated for the MR-4 release and the fact they recognize this need placates me for the time being.
Calendering, on the other hand, is the Achilles Heel for replacing a typical smartphone with this device. There is no provision to sync your calendar with the web or desktop. Accordingly, while there is a calendar app built in, I don't even use it. For the present, I muddle through accessing the mobile version of Google Calendar. Sprint needs to do something to fix this. Maybe a front-end to Google Calendar. If not, it is my hope that a more complete Java stack will open the door for third-party solutions. (See more about Java on the Instinct below).
INTERFACE
The interface is attractive and easy to use. Much better than poking around menus with the tiny stylus on a Windows Mobile device. I know about keyboard shortcuts, but I am more of a point-and-click kind of guy. Just personal preference.
The touch screen is very responsive for a non-capacitive sensor, much better than say the Treo. Not as good as the iPhone, but nothing has a better touch interface than the iPhone.
The Instinct does have "haptic" (vibration) feedback that makes it feel almost as if you are touching physical buttons and makes the phone very satisfying to use.
PHONE, NAV AND MMS
The phone sounds great. Call options are right where they should be, with easy ability to add a conference call or mute the microphone, for example. An in-call menu allows you to access common functions such as the address book or notes while in a call. Photos linked to contacts show up during income/outgoing calls.
The phone also has very good "speech to action" capabilities. You can use this to quickly dial a number or call one from you address book. No voice training is necessary and it is very accurate and usable.
Navigation is simply second-to-none. Tell it where you want to go by talking (through the Live Search discussed above) or type an address, intersection or business name and you are off with turn-by-turn directions and an animated moving map. You can also search for close by businesses and the like (such as the closest gas station or fast-food joint while on the road). Easily meets my navigation needs. Apple should take note and try to put something similar on the iPhone. Google Maps is good, but not like this.
MMS is the cherry on top. You can easily send and receive pictures and short video clips. I use this all the time to send quick snapshots to my wife's phone (a Centro) or my parents. The Treo 755p is the only phone listed above that has this capability. Why such a common innovation is left out of Sprint's smartphone lineup is simply beyond me. There are hacks to do it on Windows Mobile, but it is not the same as having it built into the phone's UI.
MISC
In terms of other attributes, I find the phone has enough battery power for my needs. It is attractive and easy to slip in/out of your pocket. Bluetooth pairing is simple (Widows Mobile -- take note). The speaker is loud enough for ringers. Physical controls are easy to understand. Sprint includes a generous accessory package with the phone: Music syncing application (Windows only), USB cable, wall charger, 2 batteries, a spare battery charger, a handsfree stereo headset, and a 2GB SD card.
The camera is perfectly fine for a phone. Nice pictures and a simple interface. If I want something better I'll use my Nikon dSLR. It records video and the quality is actually surprisingly good for what it is. I always wished Apple would put this on the iPhone, but they just don't want their customers to have it for some reason.
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CAVEATS
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Now the downsides, many of which I hope to see remedied:
JAVA
This phone is advertised as being based on an "open" platform in that J2ME applications can be run on the phone, opening the door to many third-party applications. The problem is that Sprint inexplicably does not offer the standard text input libraries developers expect to have present on a J2ME device. This means you can load Opera Mini, but you can't use the on-screen keyboard to enter a URL. Sprint knows this was a gaff, and they assure that a fix is in the works...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Samsung Instinct SPH-M800 Phone, Black (Sprint)

The Samsung Instinct takes touchscreen phones to the next level with a 3.1-inch touchscreen with haptic feedback, advanced features including Visual Voice-mail, and access to Sprint's EV-DO 3G network--perfect for surfing the Web as well as downloading music and video from Sprint's Music Store and TV service. It also includes GPS capabilities for turn-by-turn navigation provided by the optional Sprint Navigation service. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for hands-free communication and stereo music streaming, microSD memory expansion up to 8 GB, voice dialing capabilities, and up to 5.75 hours of talk time.
Sprint Service Options Supporting the EV-DO Rev. A high-speed data standard, Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network provides blazing fast speeds on the nation's largest mobile broadband network (based on covered square miles), covering more than 15,000 cities and 1,400 airports. With EV-DO Rev. A, peak download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates increase to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds improve to 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps and average uplink speeds increase to 350 to 500 kbps.
The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song--one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that's right for you. Use the Sprint Music Store to listen to music while sending text messages, browsing the Web, or playing a downloaded game. And get over 30 channels of music--Hip Hop, Top Hits, Latin Pop, music videos and shows from NPR, Sporting News and more--treamed to your phone.
With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.
This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone--by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, "Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street." As you approach the turn, you will hear, "Turn right on Elm Street." Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it's easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.
With Sprint Mobile e-mail, you'll get easy access to your favorite home e-mail services including AOL, Yahoo!, Gmail, and MSN/Windows Live Hotmail and more. And Sprint Mobile e-mail Work enables you to access e-mail from corporate servers, including Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, 2007 and Lotus Notes Domino versions 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0 (with the latest software update).
Phone Features Named "Best in Show" in the third annual Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award competition in April at CTIA Wireless 2008, the innovative Samsung Instinct speeds up the user experience like no other touchscreen phone and brings your most-used applications and contacts within a single finger tap. With the Instinct, you don't have to listen to voice-mail anymore. Just one quick glance at the Visual Voice-mail display and you'll know who called and when--and even delete messages without having to listen to them first. The device also offers a Speech to Action button providing many functions using speech activation for calling, texting, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news, weather and search.
It has a high-tech look with large, vibrant touchscreen a 240 x 432-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors for excellent depth. And whether you use your finger or a stylus, the Instinct responds to every touch with a slight vibration. This localized tactile feedback, called haptics, transforms the virtual QWERTY keypad and other screen interactions into a sensory experience.
This sleek, stylish device offers three dedicated keys on the lower portion of the device to make operation of the device very straightforward and easy to navigate--phone, back and home. The phone key always takes you back to essential voice calling and features including speed dial, visual voice-mail, contacts and the dial pad. The back key is a consistent way to take a step back in the operation. The home key provides quick access to the four menus of functionality included in the user interface:
Favorites provides one-touch access to the things you do most, making customization and personalization extremely simple. Web sites, TV channels, text messaging friends and much more can be saved in the Favorites menu so the items used most are always at the user's fingertips.
Main includes applications such as Messaging, Voice-mail, GPS Navigation and more.
Fun takes you to Music, TV, photos, games and more.
Web provides a fast, real Internet experience and all things Web-related, including weather and news.
This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, audio/video remote control, and printing. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. When connected to a Bluetooth device, caller information for incoming calls will be spoken through the Bluetooth device. Decide to answer the call without ever looking at your phone.
The 2-megapixel camera can capture images up to 1600 x 1200 pixels for prints up to 8 x 10 inches. It features a 2x digital zoom, "fuzzy picture" warning that lets you know if you're about to take a bad picture, and easy viewing of photos by simply swiping your finger across the screen to move from one photo to the next. It also includes a video camcorder function that lets you record video clips up to 2 MB (approximately 6 minutes) for sending via messaging or for as long as you have space on an inserted microSD memory card for saving.
The music player is compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+, and KOZ digital audio formats, and it will play in the background even while sending text messages, browsing the Web, or playing a downloaded game. This phone is also compatible with 72-chord polyphonic ringtones, and it includes a vibrate silent mode.
The phone is compatible with text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messaging, as well as POP3 personal e-mail accounts. It includes XT9 predictive text entry (the new version of the T9), with such features as a word prediction list and spelling correction that spots transposed letters and missed keys, as well as instant integration into all applications on the device.
Other features include:
Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, provides easy access to directory information on-the-go, GPS-enabled directions, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access
Store up to 600 contact entries, each with fields for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, a web site, and notes
Organizational tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm clock, world clock, stopwatch and notepad
Speech to Action feature let's you place calls using your voice, store voice reminders, and record voice memos right on your device
Sprint Mobile Sync: Load contact info to your phone and sync with PC, any time you add, edit or remove contacts it auto updates the back-up PC contact list.
Speaker-Independent Voice Dialing: Say the name of any entry in your phone book and the number is dialed automatically without using the keypad. This feature is speaker-independent, so there is no need to train the phone to respond to any one person's voice. Receive an audible status report of your phone's coverage, signal strength, and battery strength.
Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3/T3
Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts)

Vital Statistics The Samsung Instinct weighs 4.4 ounces and measures 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.5 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.75 hours of talk time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

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