Samsung M800 Instinct

Last updated
Samsung M800 (Instinct)
Samsung Instinct.jpg
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Availability by regionJune 20, 2008
Successor Samsung Instinct s30
Form factor Slate
Dimensions11.61×5.51×1.24 cm (4.57"×2.17"×0.49" in)
Weight4.4  oz (127.4  g)
Removable storage 2 GB MicroSD (included)
Battery Lithium-ion polymer battery with 2nd battery included
Rear camera2.0 megapixel
Display240 x 432 px, 3.1" LCD
ConnectivityDock connector, Headphone jack, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Data inputs Haptic touchscreen

The Samsung Instinct (SPH-M800) was an Internet-enabled smartphone designed and marketed by Samsung Mobile. It uses a Haptic touchscreen interface, and three touchscreen buttons (pictured at right, from left to right - [back], [home], [phone]). The Instinct, in addition to being a mobile phone, also functions as a camera phone, portable media player, text messenger, and a complete web browser and e-mail client. The email client allows for access to only the main inbox of any associated account – not to any subfolder. The folders for "drafts", "sent", "deleted", and "outbox" represent only messages originating from the phone.

Contents

The MP3 player allows users to listen to music while they exchange text messages. It pauses music when the user answers a call. The Instinct supports uploading music into the music library. The phone does not come with MP3 ringtones.

The Instinct was initially available only in the United States through Sprint. It was announced in early July 2008 that the Instinct would be available in Canada from Bell Mobility, starting on August 8, 2008 and from Telus Mobility on August 19, 2008. It became the second fastest selling phone in Sprint's history (the first being the Palm Pre). [1] [2]

Specifications

The specifications as listed on the Samsung Instinct website are:

Sprint advertising against Apple iPhone

When Samsung first introduced the Instinct, its marketing campaign imitated some methods that were employed by Apple. One of these was using side-by-side comparisons in a teaser website for Instinct, presenting a breakdown of all features that were superior to, insufficient, or wholly missing in what was then the first-generation iPhone (as listed byTG Daily) [3]  

Samsung also had a fictional film trailer produced, featuring the device in a clip fashioned after Hollywood blockbusters.

The ad campaign utilized negative language with the words "kill" and "defeat" toward the iPhone. The campaign was criticized by TG Daily as "bad marketing," specifically for negative language and pitting the Instinct directly against the iPhone, thereby offering Apple's product additional exposure. [3]

At the time, the iPhone 3G was known to be less than two weeks away from being introduced, with the launch date for Instinct set to 20 June 2008, the day the new iPhone was speculated to be released. [3] The iPhone 3G was subsequently released the following month, on 11 July 2008.

References

  1. "Samsung Instinct From Telus". Telus Mobility . 2008-07-09. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20.
  2. "Bell undercuts iPhone plans with unlimited Instinct". The Globe and Mail . 2008-07-03.
  3. 1 2 3 Zibreg, Christian (2008-05-29). "Samsung Instinct: How bad marketing could cripple a great product". TG Daily. Velum Media. Retrieved 2014-02-13.