When it comes to innovation, functionality, wow factor, and technology, the Samsung Instinct takes top honors at CTIA Las Vegas 2008. Of all the handsets on display at the mobile industry tradeshow, a panel of 31 judges has proclaimed that the Sprint-bound Samsung Instinct is the most innovative and “coolest” device at the show.
I've mentioned the Samsung Instinct a few times already, so suffice it to state that the 2 megapixel camera, full-body touchscreen, microSD, Bluetooth 2.0, and GPS-toting Samsung Instinct is getting prepped to take on the iPhone. And, with Visual Voicemail, the Sprint Samsung Instinct should do quite well for itself.
Press release after the jump.
Samsung Instinct™, Exclusively from Sprint, Wins Big in Vegas with Coveted CTIA Wireless 2008“Best in Show” Emerging Technology Award
Also honored as “Most Innovative” in LAPTOP’s Ideal of CTIA Wireless 2008 and “Best Cell Phone” in CNET’s Cream of the Crop at CTIA 2008
Providing instant access to Sprint’s fast network speeds, GPS navigation and Sprint Television, Instinct combines speed and simplicity with a dynamic touch-screen experience
CTIA Wireless 2008
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE:S) and Samsung Mobile’s newly unveiled Instinct was awarded “Best in Show” in the third annual Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award competition during last week’s CTIA Wirelss 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The E-Tech awards honor the ideal products and innovations in a number of categories representing the wireless ecosystem, including mobile consumer electronics, consumer mobile applications, enterprise solutions, network infrastructure, and 4G.
Instinct was named “First Place” in the Mobile CE – Phones/Smartphone category by a panel of 31 judges who evaluated each entry on innovation, functionality, wow factor, importance of technology and ease of use and implementation. “Best in Show” was then chosen by CTIA WIRELESS 2008 attendees via text messaging during the conference. Nearly 300 submissions were received for this year’s E-Tech Awards.
Instinct was also honored as “Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008” in the Ideal of CTIA Wireless 2008 competition judged by the Editors of LAPTOP, a leading mobile technology magazine. In selecting award winners, LAPTOP selected innovative products announced at the show that enrich the mobile lifestyle of business users and consumers and improve the way users communicate, work, and stay entertained on the go. More details on this award can be found at: http://blog.laptopmag.com/category/best-of-ctia.
CNET recognized Instinct as the “Best Cell Phone” in its annual Cream of the Crop CTIA 2008 awards. “Not only does it offer a boatload of features, but also it offers a sleek design with a full touchscreen and an attractive and . . . user-friendly interface,” according to the announcement. Sprint and Samsung won this honor together last year with UpStage by Samsung. More details can be found at: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-9911644-51.html.
Announced during Sprint CEO Dan Hesse’s keynote address on Tuesday, Instinct offers consumers an industry-leading user experience by combining full touch-screen functionality with fast speeds available on the nation’s largest mobile broadband network. This revolutionary device speeds up the user experience like no other touch-screen phone and brings the customer’s most-used applications and contacts within a single finger tap.
“We are extremely honored to receive these accolades for Instinct and we’re confident that it will provide our customers with a great way to experience Sprint’s fast NOW Network,” stated John Garcia, senior vice president of Product Development and chief marketing officer for Sprint. “Instinct is representative of the innovative portfolio of products Sprint offers to our customers. We are excited to add it to our dynamic line-up this summer.”
“Winning these awards is a giant boost for the Samsung Instinct and a tremendous honor for Samsung Mobile,” stated Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile. “The Samsung Instinct is a powerful device that is simple and fun to use. These awards reinforce Samsung’s best-in-class leadership in innovation and design.”
Instinct has a high-tech look with big, vibrant touch screen featuring localized tactile feedback, called haptics, which allow the virtual QWERTY keypad and other operations to become a sensory experience. As Sprint’s first EV-DO Rev A consumer-centric device, Instinct provides the capability to swiftly browse the Web, access business or personal e-mail, share pictures, listen to commercial-free radio and more at broadband speeds.
Instinct boasts many advanced features including Visual Voicemail allowing users to listen to messages in their order of preference and manage them with a easy tap of the screen. This device also provides support for corporate and consumer (POP3) email, multitasking capabilities that grant the user to play music in background mode while surfing the World wide web, texting or playing games, a 2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder and expandable microSD memory of up to 8GB. Additional features include advanced stereo Bluetooth® 2.0, integrated world clock and picture caller ID, along with the ability to access services such as SMS voice and text messaging with threaded text, Phone as Modem, and Sprint Mobile Sync.
Instinct comes with virtually each accessory the user needs to like the device’s full abilities right out of the box. Contents include a 2GB microSD™ card that holds approximately 2,000 songs from Sprint Music Store, two standard 1,000 mAmp batteries offering up to 5.75 hours of continuous speak time each, battery charging sleeve, travel charger, USB cable, 3.5mm headphones with built-in microphone, and leather case with stylus.
Customers can go to www.nowisgood.com to register to be among the first to own this innovative device. It will be available in June in all Sprint retail channels including www.sprint.com and 1-800-SPRINT1. Pricing for Instinct has not yet been determined. In order for customers to experience the full abilities of the device, Instinct requires activation on a Sprint Everything pricing plan offering unlimited data starting at just $69.99 per month.
Two other products available exclusively from Samsung and Sprint received honors in the CTIA 2008 E-Tech Awards competition – Samsung ACE received third place in the Mobile CE – Phones/Smartphone category and Airave won first place in the Networking/Infrastructure category. For more information on the 2008 CTIA E-Tech Awards visit: http://www.ctiawireless.com.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving approximately 54 million customers at the end of 2007; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsungwireless.com.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007 consolidated sales of US $103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Business and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital Televisions, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
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