Video: A look at the Samsung Instinct
Samsung has been enjoying some positive buzz over its smart new handset, the Instinct (available through Bell and Telus), and in this informal video blog we outline a few of its interesting features.
Samsung has been enjoying some positive buzz over its smart new handset, the Instinct (available through Bell and Telus), and in this informal video blog we outline a few of its interesting features.
Great concept and cheaper than iphone and ipod of Apple. One caveat; samsung brand products not as reliable as other name brands of electronic products and assume worse from cameras to dvd recorders as examples..
I can't speak for many other Samsung products but I've had three different Samsung cell phones over the years and have had absolutely no problems with them. That's why I had no problem buying the Instinct and so far it's the right choice.
It needs WiFi.
i want one of them plez i want one plez
I thought this is a video review of the phone?
If you were planning on just holding a phone in your hand and talking for the rest of the video then consider posting an article review instead.
When people hear "Video Review" they expect a close-up video of the phone while navigating the phone's menu and executing different tasks.
The Instinct has software problems relating to the web browser. MANY common sites cannot be accessed due to the browser software being corrupted. There is no way to clear the browser. Sites like Kijiji.ca cause the phone to reboot and others like MLS.ca cause the web page to freeze.
The Bell techs have the same problems on their Instincts yet are not able to offer any assistance. The phone was bought for the web access. Since it cannot access the websites it is useless. As a phone, it is not that good. It has poor reception and the microphone is not very sensitive. The documentation included with the phone is limited and detailed documentation is not available on the Bell or Samsung website.
There is no back up software or any software included with the Canadian version (unlike the US version which comes with back up and other utilities).
Bell is trying keep the software away from the user yet is not solving any of the problems or addressing the issues. The back up software that Bell is charging a monthly fee is limited to basic name and number information. All other information, such as the contact picture, is lost.
There is no software available for the Canadian version to back up/transfer/update the contacts and calendar functions.
Another software issue is that the Instinct apparently has a size limit for utilities which is the explanation given as to why Google Mobile Maps cannot load.
If email is used from the contact list it is a text message, not an email. Email can only be accessed through the Hotmail function on the main page or the web browser.
The user must sign out of one application to access another. This is very annoying. For example, if you are in the Hotmail function and want to find a contact’s email address, you must sign out of Hotmail to go to contact list and then sign back in to email.
The only email that can be used is Hotmail and it is much more limited than the desk top version. There are no utilities to view attachments.
There is insufficient information and documentation on the Canadian Instinct phone. Even something as simple as changing the font for the contacts can't be done by the store staff (who have no training) or the techs. Saying it is a new product doesn't help the user. Basically, they sold a product that they don't understand and now are pleading ignorance. For a highly promoted product that has been in other countries for a year or more, these problems should have been solved before Bell released it in Canada. The team that is responsible for the Instinct needs to get up to speed and get the product working like it should and does in other countries.
It would be appreciated if Bell could address these issues and provide software to fix them.
In the mean time all Instinct owners should be allowed to return their phones or exchange them for another model with no penalty.
ps: the GPS only works when the network can be accessed and needs ideal conditions to work. If you are on a trip to the US where a GPS might be of use, be prepared for data and Roaming fees.
Talk about a rip-off from the iphone. Looks almost the same. That's not to say competition is bad, but man, at least try not to make the copy cat clone so obvious.
I bought this from from Telus a little more than two weeks ago after some pretty extensive research that culminated in a call to their customer service centre to confirm that the functionality they advertise is indeed available.
I got the phone home only to find out that the email and messaging functionality (the stuff that I was really interested in) doesn't work and has not worked for Telus at any time since the phone was released (5 weeks). I am pursuing this with management, but the information I received last week was that this problem has no anticipated resolution date and it could be as long as 5 – 6 months before "My Email" and "MSN Messenger" are available. The irony of it is that they are not communicating this failure to their front line staff or the consumers in general. The day after I spoke with the Office of the President at Telus about this problem, I walked into my local Telus store and asked if I could get email and messanger on the Instinct and was told "of course" and given information on the rate plan for it. They also still advertise it as functionality on their website.
So, my review is this. If you are looking for a cool looking phone that sounds… ok… and that does about 60% of the things Telus markets it for, go for it. Shame on you Telus for selling devices and plans that you know to not work. I agree with the previous post – people who bought this phone under promise of functionality that does not exist should be allowed to return the phone and cancel the contract with no penalty.
My husband just got this phone after i had done some research on it-the people at the store told me I could do everything I do with my computer on my hotmail with the phone-guess what, we can't
I bought this phone about 2 weeks ago. I love it. My msn works great, hotmail is great… I've had a few issues with accessing certain websites, but other then that I love it. Mine is through Bell and I can't complain about the reception at all. I love having the GPS, very handy indeed and texting is a breeze. I really don't have anything negative to say.
I recently purchased a Instinct and I have had nothing but problems with it. I live in Winnipeg and use the phone with Telus….but my phone is stuck in the MTS network and will not go into the telus network. Telus has had thier engineers work on my problem and come back, saying they can not fix the problem. The problem is a software problem not a device problem. So I can not send pic/video messages, I drop calls on a constant basis and the reception is not clear. Telus has told me this is a problem only within winnipeg and they are not sure when it will be resolved or if it ever will be. I have recently bought a Blackberry and I am very happy with my new choice. Other than the problems the instinct is a fun, attractive phone.
well i bought an instinct from bell in canada. love my new phone. however if one reads the cnet reviews it clearly states that the phone comes in the box with an extra battery and charger. i talked to samsung and they said its upto the provider. so as a canadian it seems i am being either ripped off by bell or samsung (perhaps both) with regards to the extra battery. i really dnt see why this should happen. maybe bell and samsung in canada are just being cheap. i will be sending this comment where ever i can on the net. people should know about this. on th other hand maybe i should have gone to a Blackberry.
In general, I'm pretty happy with my INSTINCT. The main complaint I have is that its calendar only allows a limited number of entries, so once you've hit the max, you have to delete entries before the calendar will accept any new entries. This limitation is really quite annoying – particularly since it's not related to the amount of memory I have left on my phone, nor on my memory card! I am hopeful that this "limitation" will be short lived, and hopefully will be eliminated and/or at least addressed in future firmware updates.
OK, I decided to switch to the INSTINCT because I missed the calendar and basic organizer functionality of a "smart-phone". I've used a Motorola Q, Blackberry and others in the past. I went with a basic phone last year and I really missed the extra organizer functionality that a "smart-phone" offers. Well, I have to say I am VERY disappointed with the INstinct on a number of levels. The first thing that I was BLOWN away with was the fact that you cannot backup or sync this device. That is a HUGE issue. Secondly, when you enter a calendar event, you have limited amount of characters you can enter. This makes it difficult to enter and event with an address for example. The Notes function is limited to 9 notes and then you have to delete one to enter another. The calander seems to have a "limit" as well?? What the hell – you have to go back and delete calendar events to enter more….NOT good. These are all very important function issues that need to be fixed, but a new one has started over the last two days. I am on the phone with a client; another call comes in and a message is left; the phone tells me that I've missed a call and it HANGS UP on the first caller. This is not a "random" event, as it has happened 3 times now. I am on the fence still as to whether or not I will return the device or not. I am not very impressed and I'm not even sure if I can return it even if I wanted to. I am with Bell and the dealer said that if there is more than 15 minutes on the phone it cannot be returned. There is definitely more than that on it. Anyways – it is a cute phone and it gets lots of attention. It has a lot of "neat" functions, but the ones that are most important are definitely lacking – in my opinion.
After years of waiting, I finally made the switch from Bell. I saw the Instinct and wanted one immediately. When I found out that Telus carried it, I switched over. With the unlimited Internet that came with the Student Plan I thought this would work out great. The phone is decent, but iPhone competition? It is not even close. My biggest complaint is that while watching several reviews on the phone I couldn't understand why I can't stream online video from YouTube, etc. Then I find out that the phone does not have a video player. The only video you can watch on the phone is Telus' Spark mobile TV product. I've spoken to various salespeople and was told that the Instinct can stream and play video. Today I found out from a Mobile Manager at BestBuy that Telus decided not to release the software that allows the phone to play streaming video. What is the point of having unlimited internet? It is a nice looking phone, but mine also has the tendency to randomly contact people in my Contacts list, even when it is in supposedly "locked". Overall, I am disappointed in this phone and am looking to change it out already. Too bad, Telus won't help me out in that department.
I am kinda mixed with my instinct … video clips play but the volume is so low you cant hear it. My big problem is the mp3 player. The last time I loaded up the sd card with 396 songs but the player only reads 237 of them. Everytime I sync songs to the card, I lose about a third of them when the media player imports them from the sd card … it is not an issue with licences for the music, it will load some "boughten" music and some "shared", but no pattern as to why it wont read all the songs synced to the memeory card … any ideas … anybody???
Bell should have provided the extra battery my local ( Belleville Ontario ) bell store is useless. They do not know how to order or get spare batteries or spare usb cables … they will tell you to look it up and order it online, or "try future shop" … but this store has had a bad customer service rep for a very long time.
all in all cool phone but it would be nice if it worked properly … oh yea three times now it has locked itself in "emergency usb mode" and you cant turn it off unless you remove the battery ??? My media player freezes up like that too … actually the more I type the less I actually like this phone.
I purchased the instinct for my daughter but can’t get the phone to read the sd card when inserted which means she can’t take pictures with the phone