Bell today announced it will introduce the Samsung Instinct to Canada on August 8.
Already a hot seller in the United States since its introduction there last month, the sleek and slender Samsung Instinct offers easy touch or stylus navigation on its full QWERTY touch-screen keyboard and extra-large high-resolution display.
The Samsung Instinct will also be available with a wide range of voice and data plans, including the $10 Unlimited Mobile Browser add-on data plan that allows unlimited Internet access.
"We are thrilled to offer Canadians this beautifully designed and intelligent device. Accessing the Internet, listening to downloaded music or satellite radio, watching TV or using it as a GPS system, it's all a real pleasure with the Samsung Instinct thanks to its powerful touch screen and easy interface," said Adel Bazerghi, Vice President, Products for Bell Mobility. "Data pricing plans available with the Samsung Instinct will offer also exceptional value and let clients take full advantage of Bell Mobility's wide range of data services."
The Samsung Instinct will be available for as little as $149.95 on a three-year contract, $249.95 on a two-year contract or $399.95 on a one-year contract. Clients can buy the Samsung Instinct without a term contract for $449.95.
It may have taken a year for Canada to get the iPhone, but Canadians will not have to wait much longer for the Samsung Instinct. Samsung has confirmed via their website that the Instinct will be available in Canada this summer.
Millions of people around the world own Samsung wireless handsets. Our company is known for its innovative, stylish and reliable wireless products and now, with the upcoming launch of INSTINCT, we're rasing the bar higher in terms of the ultimate mobile experience," said Paul Brannen, General Manager, Wireless Terminals Division, Samsung Electronics Canada.
Both Telus and Bell offer EVDO Rev A which is listed as one of the features of the Instinct in Canada, as well as in the US. Both will be looking for devices to compete with the iPhone 3G, set to debut on Rogers this summer.
In this video, we take a look at the email application on the Samsung Instinct.
Setting up email on the Instinct couldn't be easier. Samsung (and Sprint) have included all the major email players (Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL Mail, AIM Mail, Gmail) providing for a smooth set-up process. If you scroll to the bottom, you can also add your personal IMAP or POP account by selecting Other. All in all, setting up a Gmail account on the Instinct was a breeze.
The email application itself has an iPhone-esque feel to it. Using your finger, you can scroll up and down. The motion of your finger (as well as speed) will scroll through your messages. When scrolling, it's sometimes difficult to stop. Let's say you are looking for an email from Michael Smith and you've got say 75 or so messages. When you stop from scrolling, the application will sometimes open the email you've stopped on, when your intention was to simply slow down. It would be great if there were a scroll bar, so when browsing your inbox, you wouldn't accidently open an email.
Email acquisition was peppy over EVDO. Email display lacks HTML, which pales in comparison to the iPhone. If there is an achilles heal to the Instinct, it's the handling of HTML both in the web browser and mail client.
Creating new messages, replying was easy enough. There is nice integration with contacts and even a recent contacts tab let's you address messages to previous contacts whose emails you've opened.
Overall, this is a nice first effort from Samsung.
