Sprint's iPhone-killer: Hardly a killer Instinct?

why would somebody want an instinct over the iPhone? Sprint's customer service is very bad compared to Cingular. I'd much rather have the customer support of Cingular.

Written from my iPhone.

probably because sprint has a much faster network--no comparison to EDGE. that was a deciding factor for me, and i have no complaints with sprint's network, plus sprint's voice and data plans are much cheaper than at&t's slow network with iphone and way too expensive plans. it is a no brainer.....

So how is your Instinct working out for you? I love my Aqua di Gio vaporisateur, too!
Cheers,
No-Brainer

I would rather be with a company who gives you the store and has bad customer service than a company with expensive phone plans and slow data browsing. Go ahead to Sprints site all you procrastinators and see who the leader is in productive phones and cheaper plans loaded with too many (included)s it will make you cry like an onion being placed under your eye! Sprint is making a comeback - Give them a chance!!

Did they have to steal the icons too??? Hard to believe that upper level management at Sprint does not realize that there is zero “cool” factor to being a copycat, let alone a wannabe copycat..just shameful.

The Instinct is yet another clownish attempt to imitate the real thing. The only ones that will be taken in by this are those that are too lazy to actually go and try out the iPhone.

There is simply no comparison.

The above poster is correct. If you actually use any of these devices and then use an iPhone, there is really no comparison to the iPhone. It wins because of the elegance of it's software. When the 3G versions are released, why buy anything else if you're on Cingular?

As others have implied, the imitators are just mere shadows of the iPhone. I have not seen the Sprint but I did see a mockup of the Verizon competitor at a store. Looked nice, but not the real deal.

This is a common thread with Apple products. Competitors tout that they have matched Apple because their feature lists are identical or maybe even a bit longer. But the attraction to Apple computers, software, iPods, and the iPhone are in the elegance of the device and the software, in the experience, in fluidity of the interface. It not merely the sum of its parts. A friend bought a laptop with more processor speed, more memory and more storage than in my MacBook Pro at a lower price. However, what he also has is Windows and that lacks the user experience of the Mac.

Whether it be computers, phones or MP3 players, the same idea holds true, IMO. A Ford or a Chevy can have a CD player, leather, sunroof, navigation and will get you nicely from point A to point B but a lexus takes that experience a notch higher.

When did AT&T switch it's name back to Cingular?

Shameful? Faster network and LBS that's not included with the Apple device? What's shameful about that? I'd say all of you Apple clones are the shameful ones - who'd want to pay an extra $300 for a 'cooler' phone that runs slower and doesn't know where it's located - sounds stupid to me.

i agree--sprint is making a comeback. Much better rate plans, fast network that is reliable. i had t-mobile previously, and while their customer service was nice, the network was so slow, just forget using edge (which is what iphone uses...). the switch to sprint was painless and believe it or not, their customer service was great. no complaints.

I think Sprint like any other wireless company at this moment wants to get their customers back due to this iPhone deal. ATT at the moment is untouchable with the iPhone, their service sucks, but the iPhone makes up for it. In my opinion seeing all these reviews of the Instinct i think its really going to be a good competitor. Seeing that it has Visual Voicemail and GPS built in it's going to be preety good. Lets hope it's priced good and customers don't get hooked on some lame mail in rebate.

Someone in an earlier post hit the nail on the head....iPhone is more of a fashion statement, and for the fashion-minded, a high price is all part of the attraction, and any competitor will fall short in their minds, just as Hanes tighty-whiteys fall short of Calvin Klein's.

As for form, function, and price, I've known many a Blackberry or Treo user who got an iPhone then sold it on Ebay to go back to a real smartphone. The Intrigue knocks iPhone out of the park...a USABLE data network that supports music downloads and a multitude of applications available across Sprint's network, navigation being just one of the many.

I suspect the anti iPhone posts above are from Sprint retail employees sitting in their lonely stores waiting to see if any customers visit today. The iPhone's UI is the closer, nothing else comes close to being close. It just works. As to quality of service and quality of care--don't judge AT&T based on 2-3 years ago---they've come a long way particularly with their network and are now truly a peer to Verizon and superior to those other 2 or 3 companies that will all be answers to trivial pursuit questions 15 years from now. PS--As to cost/price--you get what you pay for and a few $s more for VZ or ATT is a few dollars well spent.

All the Steve Jobs groupies are probably getting their hackles raised by this.

The bottomline is this,
"No matter how big the "coolness" factor a product / service has, if someone can provide it cheaper, faster and better, consumers will gravitate towards it." (except for the groupies offcourse).

Being a "copycat" has nothing do with it. This is pure business. In the long run, Cheaper, Better & Faster will almost always beat, expensive & slower. No matter how "cool" it is, for the time being.

If it helps you relate, then just see the examples below,

1) What Internet Explorer did to the "Netscape Browser". (free, better, faster)

2) What Google did to Yahoo. (both are free, but google is better & faster)

3) What Charles Schwab & Co. did to traditional brokerages in the 70's. (cheaper commissions, better products, faster executions)

4) What cheap chinese products are doing to the US economy, just check your local Walmart, Target. (cheap goods, not always better & faster).

5) What Japanese electronics & cars did to the US Electronics (remember RCA?) & Automotive industry. (cheaper, better, may be not faster, since most designs were copied from the US).

and so on and so forth.......

Given that, I think instinct might have the "killer" in it. But time will tell........

Those are a lot of brand names no one cares about, and hence are looking for the cheapest.

In the first or second week of June, Steve Jobs will be announcing the new iPhone with 3G capabilities and likely GPS functionality. It will therefore likely be available BEFORE the Instinct...

By the end of this month, AT&T's 3G network will be in 350 cities. This will make it the largest 3G network in the US. It will also be able to roam, for an arm and a leg, in well over 100 cities (3G service specifically).

I have actually "tested" the Instinct and own an iPhone. While what I tested was a Beta version, safe to say that the Instinct was not quite as intuitive or cutting edge as the iPhone user interface.

Still, all this is a matter of taste... I know blackberry users who have switched to the iPhone and vice versa. No denying that the iPhone is making other device manufacturers rethink their approach to mobile data and ultimately that bodes well for us customers...

I'll tell you why. Even if the iPhone runs on 3G, Sprint has WiMax rolling out soon which will blister 3G. So you haven't closed the gap on network speed really.

I'm sorry Apple groupies. For the sake of argument, the iPhone is a superior phone running on an inferior network. Dealing with Verizon would have been much better for them, then they'd have been untouchable. Verizon is comparable to Sprint in network speed, with better rated customer service.

Apple went with AT&T because they would play ball. The apple juggernaut will come rolling to the other providers soon enough.

i guess all this people that have iphone have enought money to pay for the expensive att plans. after a couple of years with sprint, i switched to att a couple of years ago just to find out that my pocked was emptying every month from a cell phone bill so i moved to sprint... and no... im not a sprint employee, im just a normal hard workin individual that doesnt have enough to pay high cellphone bills