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The Instinct's size, shape, and interface, were bogey at best-- not par for the course. And it has its holes. The one thing Sprint had a birdie for was that it was faster than the iPhone because of Sprint's nation-wide 3G network, and let me say, it is really fast! (An unsolicited comment).

But therein lies a sand trap, the mistake. And that's where awe turns to a guffaw (sorry Sprint).

Their comparison tests put the Samsung Instinct up against the original iPhone. And while those speeds are twice as fast, it doesn't take into account the new iPhone 3G, where it turns into a pretty good balancing act. Except Apple eventually tips the scales.

Granted, when Samsung created the Instinct, there was no iPhone 3G to compare it to. But Sprint and Samsung had to know that Apple wouldn't be sitting quietly, twiddling their thumbs while others copied and improved upon their design. Apple is always ahead of the game.

While the interface on the Instinct is similar, it's not like the iPhone's. Internet is faster, but the way you view the pages on it is nothing like Apple's Safari browser and the "pinch and zoom" feature. While yes, you can zoom in to full size anywhere on the page, it lacks Apple's, touch.

One thing that the Instinct has in its favor though, is a removable memory card for photos/files.

Since we are a Sprint customer, getting the Instinct was a consideration because it was very iPhone-like. (Plus, we like Samsung's products and designs, and the fact that Samsung--in our experience--is the "only" Mac-friendly phone set out there that "just works," kind of like a Mac). We wouldn't have to switch carriers or pay termination fees either.

After playing around with it for awhile, however? The iPhone killer was a good copy. Not a bad copy like the Mac OS X fake simile with Microsoft's Windows Vista, but a very comparable and even recommendable one. In the end however, we recommend using your head (smarts) and not your gut (instincts), and stray away from the Samsung Instinct.

Plus, we would never ever recommend Vista, even to a PC user!

And like we said, Sprint's ad campaign is very cool, but cool ads can't sell a product if you don't have the right combination. Apple has that combo--they got the formula down pat a long time ago--with their ads coupled with the new improvements to the iPhone.

That's where you can say that Apple is really its own competitor, its own worst enemy. They create a one-of-a-kind product, but they're still not happy with it and find ways to make it better. Of course, what else would you expect from them? Always improving what's already great!

The best thing Apple could have said, however, to really make a point and punch their competitor in the gut would have been, "Walk, not sprint, to your Apple Store this Friday to get the real iPhone killer, the new iPhone... 3G."

Now that would have been a smart, no, killer commercial / ad campaign, don't you think?

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Don't forget that tomorrow, we'll be covering the release of the new iPhone 3G at 8:00a from the Apple Store in San Francisco. It won't be a LIVE report like Macworld 2007 and 2008, but the story may be posted later that same day, so check back here for our report along with photos.

Plus, if you're a resident of the Bay Area, you might want to smile since you may find yourself on camera in one of those photos. (Or cover your face, if you're faking sickness to miss work so you can get in line for one!).

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