Sprint is listening to its customers!

I had called Sprint Tech support a few days ago (see my earlier post) and I had great experience with the support lady. After 2 days, I even got a call from Sprint to do a quick customer satisfaction survey on the phone. At the end of survey, they even gave me the option to record a message for the Sprint management! So I have no complains with their customer service. I think they are working very hard to change the perception that some disgruntled people have tried to create.

Want Java Apps for your Sprint Instinct?

Hello Friends,

I have received a note from Bill Scott of GetJar website http://www.getjar.com (it has a collection of Java applications for various phones). With the popularity of Sprint Instinct, we should see many compatible applications on the Getjar website in the future.

Here is Bill's note in response to one of my previous posts:


Hi, this is great news. At the risk of sounding like a plug for GetJar, I'm adding some info here that might be useful for Sprint users who are interested in getting involved in mobile apps in a deeper way.

We at GetJar are looking forward to supporting more US mobile phones, and Sprint in particular. Until recently, US operators have taken a dim view of free applications, but recently downloads from GetJar from phones in the US are growing a lot.

We've always been big in Java, have started supporting Flash Lite, Blackberry, Windows mobile, palm, and Symbian, and will support Android soon. The only major OS's that we don't support are BREW and iPhone (need a bit of a revolution here for something to happen...).

One thing that Sprint users should know, is that if they develop a Java app, they can upload it to GetJar for free, and then use GetJar to distribute the app to all of their friends on Sprint for free.

Also, we're happy to have Sprint users participate in the GetJar Beta Testing community, that tests new apps before they go public. Anyone can sign up on the Beta Testing link on the GetJar site.

If you have any other comments or suggestions, please post on your own blog. If you want more info, we have recently launched the GetJar Forum, that can be accessed via the GetJar home page.

Regards,

Bill Scott
GetJar

Sprint Instinct Breaks BestBuy Sales Record!

Source:
http://bestbuymedia.tekgroup.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4576
http://www.bestbuynewscenter.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4576

Samsung Instinct™, Exclusively from Sprint, Sets New High for Device Sales at Best Buy

Customers Embrace ‘Walk Out Working’ Promise

July 9, 2008 (Minneapolis) - Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) today announced that early sales results are showing the Samsung Instinct™, exclusively from Sprint, to be the retailer’s best selling handset in the past two years. Best Buy Mobile launched the Instinct nationwide June 19, as Sprint’s exclusive national retail partner. The sleek, highly touted Sprint multimedia phone produced record sales in its first two weeks at Best Buy, which has seen its sales of higher-end, multimedia phone increase 10x in the past year since Best Buy Mobile began its national roll out.

Best Buy Mobile is the wireless retail experience for North America’s largest electronics retailer, and offers customers one of the widest selections of wireless carriers, phones and accessories in the U.S.

“Customers can choose from up to 95 different phones at their local Best Buy Mobile, and – increasingly – our customers are gravitating toward feature-rich handsets that let them do more with their mobile device, including e-mail, web browsing, and GPS navigation,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. “Phones such as the Samsung Instinct from Sprint have helped Best Buy deliver the latest and greatest in technology to our customers.”

As part of customers’ purchase, Best Buy Mobile is extending its unique Walk Out Working™ program exclusively to all Instinct purchases in July and August. Walk Out Working provides multimedia and smart phone set up and personalization – such as e-mail and data transfer -- ensuring that the technology will be ready to use immediately.

“We have a winner in Instinct,” said John Garcia, President of Sprint’s Wireless Division. “Current customers are spear-heading the demand for this innovative device. Our customers are recognizing the convenience of Instinct’s user interface, the intelligence of integrated GPS services and the terrific speed and reach of our national mobile broadband network.”

Instinct maximizes the user experience by combining full touch screen functionality with fast speeds available on the mobile broadband network. This revolutionary device speeds up the user experience and brings the customer’s most-used applications and contacts within a single finger tap.

Instinct has a high-tech look with a large, vibrant touch screen featuring localized tactile feedback, called haptics, which allow the virtual QWERTY keypad and other operations to become a sensory experience. The device also offers a Speech to Action button providing many functions using voice activation including call, text, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news and search. Instinct allows the user to quickly browse the Web, access business or personal e-mail, share pictures, listen to commercial-free radio and more, all at broadband speeds.
...

Missed the Sprint Instinct developer webcast? No problem

The actual webcast will be archived in a couple of days and I will post a link to it.

In the mean time, check this out for details (courtsey DanGJavaGeek):

http://wikis.sun.com/display/SPRINT/Sprint+Samsung+Instinct+2008+07+09+Webcast+1+of+2

Some highlights of the Sprint Instinct Developer Webcast:

OptRocky: Will there be some sort of update today for the phone itself? Raymond_Reeves_ADP> We are looking into areas that may need over the air (OTA) updates, however, we may not presently release specifics on scope and schedule for these. Please stay tuned to the ADP Portal to learn when these become available.

robinShazam: Could a techie please confirm the formats of audio supported for MMAPI recording? For example AMR (wide or narrow), WAV, etc
Jay-Sprint> Instinct supports widely adopted and efficient encoding formats AAC, AAC+ as well as AMR, QCELP, MIDI

Fontano: In the API, will there be access to the Video playback features of the instinct. So applications can be developed that can access Internet/Data based video streams. We are developing native applications for the various top of the line mobile phones to access our video streams and we are trying to identify if this will be an option for the Instinct and the Sprint network.
nathan_sprint_adp> Yes, Sprint has built out full video playback capabilities through JSR 135. We provide support for RTSP. You can look at the handset specs online to see all of the video codecs supported but a summary is h.264 video encoding with aac, aac+, mpeg3, mpeg4, etc

ilovecontrol: can you guys create some of the transitions they have. like flipping pages etc? I have seen something like this in other apis.
Jay-Sprint> We are looking at offering transitions, fade-in/fade-out features on future versions. Developers can create their own transition effects within their apps but no APIs available within the current Widget Library.


OptRocky: Will we see Sprint Devs releasing Theme packages for the Instinct in the future?
Raymond_Reeves_ADP> These are potential directions to take with this platform, however, it will require additional internal evaluations and no decision or commit exists as of yet.

CRiley570: I know there's no definite date, but any general feeling on release of that maintenance update besides in "months"?
Raymond_Reeves_ADP> We are looking to release identified updates at the earliest opportunity, however, due to the complex nature of the several items being looked at and feature interactions, while we are expeditiously working to have required updates released at the earliest, we are yet committing to a specific date.

OptRocky: When do you guys think we will start to see companys such as Time Warners AOL and Microsofts MSN release there Instant Messaging services on the Instinct?
Raymond_Reeves_ADP> Unfortunately we can speculate on the product development plans of these other companies. We may have to listen to the media and their individual postiions.

k_mehr: Will we have an app which will allow us to view PDF, DOC, XLS, PPT Files? Also what about a file explorer?
AMBREEN> Currently there is no such application available for this purpose. Integration will require custom development on the developer's part. We have noted down this request and will keep you updated via ADP website as we add new features and upgrades.

sprint4400: I'm sure many here are looking for answers as to how/when we'll be able to use already existing MIDP2.0 apps, like every other java enabled phone.
Jay-Sprint> Definitely understand your position and actively working on an update that will allow current MIDP2.0 apps to run on the Instinct. The Instinct Java platform is based on CLDC/MIDP2.0 with the UI model supported via the Widget Library.

OptRocky: Will there be any updates in the future to enable Flash (ex, .swf) files on the Instinct?
Jay-Sprint> There is no plan to support flash on current generation of Instinct.

InvisibleSHIELD to Be Available in Best Buy Stores Nationwide

Source:
http://networking.itbusinessnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=447685

ZAGG Inc. announces they have signed a distribution agreement with Best Buy Co., Inc. Beginning in July 2008, Best Buy, the largest specialty retailer in the United States, will now sell ZAGG's invisibleSHIELD(TM), an ultra-thin impenetrable clear film that protects personal electronics from scratches and dings.

ZAGG's invisibleSHIELD offers consumers an alternative to bulky cases with thousands of precision-cut designs for a multitude of gadgets, including cell phones, digital cameras and laptops. Some of their most popular designs, including custom-made shields for Apple's new iPhone 3G, the Samsung Instinct, and BlackBerry cell phones, will be the first available at 300 Best Buy Mobile stores across the country.

Sprint CEO reads daily summary of customer complaints!

Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/08/business/sprint.php


"..Hesse's first order of business was to make sure customers knew that someone was listening. Hesse, who once ran AT&T's wireless unit, ordered new commercials - starring himself.

"We needed to put a face on the company, let customers know someone was accountable," Hesse said, adding that he reads daily summaries of those complaints. "I'm too busy to read every one," he said, although notable messages make it to his desk."

"Sprint has hired enough people to answer 80 percent of the calls in 30 seconds. And Johnson wants to encourage more helpfulness with every call."


I have been with Sprint since 2000 and my personal experience with their customer service has been positive. And Sprint has consistently offered the best voice/data pricing plans among the leading mobile carriers which is important to me!


You can read about my recent Sprint customer service experience here (it was very positive even though the call wait time was about 15 minutes. But then again, it was Sunday night):
http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/2008/07/solution-for-sprint-instinct-browser.html

Great News - Sprint plans on implementing Standard JVM UI

According to the latest post made in Sprint developer's forum, Sprint plans on implementing the MIDP 2.0 standards compliant UI (things like Text Entry via keyboard).

This is a great news for all Sprint Instinct users. If they can accomplish this, we will be able to use a large number of freely available Java mobile applications (such as the ones from http://www.getjar.com/) on the Instinct phone!

Here is the copy and paste of response from Sprint's developer forum:

"nathan_sprint_adp

Subject:re: MIDP UI support on Instinct
Date:2008-07-08 at 11:20 AM CDT

Want to update a posting we made yesterday - there ARE plans to provide a JVM that will support LCDUI so most of the MIDP 2.0 apps (opera mini, google maps, etc) will port to run on the instinct.
The plans are to make this an OTA upgrade (so users don't have to go to the store for a software reflash) - Timelines are TBD based on when we can get this implemented, certified and ready to deploy (our hope is within a month - but trust us, we understand the urgency and appreciate all the feedback/posts) Please join us for our webcast tomorrow at 12:00 AM noon on wednesday.

thanks Sprint ADP "

Hopefully this will bring even more users to Sprint Instinct phone and the larger the user community, the more third-party applications we will see on the phone!

I would like to thank everyone that read this blog and communicated our request to Sprint in their developer forum.

Sprint team even mentioned Opera Mini and Google maps (also mentioned in this post http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/2008/07/sprint-instinct-owners-action-needed.html) in their response!

Sprint Developer Forum Link:
http://developer.sprint.com/show_thread.do?forumId=378&searchBy2=MSG_PARENT_ID&searchValue2=-1&searchBy3=MSGFORUM_FORUMID&searchValue3=378&ps=10&pn=1&threadid=26040&sortDirection=0&sortCol=MSG_AUDIT_CREATE_DT

Latest update from Sprint related to Keyboard (text entry) issue

Here is the latest update from Sprint related to non-standard keyboard (text entry) issue and the lack of standard UI class implementation.
(If this post makes no sense to you, don't fret. Basically, it is related to an issue with phone software whereby a lot of currently existing free Java mobile phone software would need to be customized for Sprint Instinct phone. As a result. we can't just download apps from the web and start using them.)

I am glad that we are getting feedback from Sprint developers so we know their limitations and where things stand. I am not sure if they can update the MIDP JVM using over the air (OTA) updates. Hopefully they will be able to come up with something.

-------------------------------------------
"nathan_sprint_adp
Subject:re: Onscreen Keyboard in Java apps
Date:2008-07-07 at 05:27 PM CDT

Thanks for everybody sharing their feedback. The Instinct supports a new UI model built by Samsung utilizing their widget set. We have definintely taken your feedback about the lack of LCDUI support being frustrating and hampering your development/porting efforts - however with the current software java environment, there isn't a solution to address this right now.
We are going to have a webcast this wed at 12:00 CST noon, where we would love to hear all feedback.
We are also going to have some of our partners who ported their apps from the existing MIDP 2.0 UI framework share some of their learnings/best practices of porting to the Samsung UI Widget library. This might provide some guidance with your development.

Thanks
Sprint ADP team "
-------------------------------------------

"k1
Subject:re: MIDP UI support on Instinct
Date:2008-07-07 at 10:41 AM CDT
Touch enablement was not added to the device for high level LCDUI. Though technically compliant as the classes are supported, the touch is not. The JVM vendor Qualcomm did not have this ability and with tight development timelines on this device, this was not added. This is being investigated for OTA updates.
"
-------------------------------------------

And here is a post related to the developer toolkit update (so that the toolkit has more Instinct specific widgets; it is somewhat generic in the current version):

"nathan_sprint_adp
Subject:re: Word on Updated Sprint WTK ?
Date:2008-07-07 at 05:30 PM CDT
Our goal is to have a WTK posted by COB central time Tue, July 8. We will also spend time in our webcast, this wed July 9 covering features supported in the WTK (and also items not supported in the WTK). Would love to hear any feedback on the WTK, so please feel free to download the Sprint WTK 3.3.1 when made available and join our webcast on wed. thanks Sprint ADP "


-------------------------------------------

How to use camera button to pop-up the keyboard (text-entry) in your custom Java MIDP application:

"Assuming that your MIDlet is running and wants to invoke the keyboard when the user presses the camera hardkey.

In your Canvas extended class, the keyPressed(int keycode) would return a value at which time you can invoke the com.sprintpcs.lcdui.widget.EditableText class (see Javadocs for configuration data) "



Here are the discussion forum links:

https://developer.sprint.com/link1

https://developer.sprint.com/link2


https://developer.sprint.com/link3


https://developer.sprint.com/link4


NOTE:
LCDUI is a feature of phone software (mobile Java compliant phones) that provides developers the ability to program the user interface (such as List, Alert, TextBox, Form and Canvas). Here are list of classes and interfaces provided by LCDUI:
http://www.j2medev.com/api/midp/javax/microedition/lcdui/package-summary.html

Solution for Sprint Instinct Browser Crash problem

UPDATE: The solution described below is only a temporary solution as the browser crash problem could return after a few days (could be a few days to weeks) of Master Reset.

I finally found the solution for Sprint Instinct web browser crash. The browser would work some sites but it would crash on a number of websites (like http://www.wsj.com/, http://www.nyt.com/, http://www.imdb.com/, http://www.wikipedia.com/).

I tried clearing browser cache, cookies, history and updated data profile without any luck. I even reset the phone which deleted all my contact information and email accounts and custom settings. Almost everything was reset except the browser which still maintained bookmarks confirming that phone reset doesn't reset the browser.

So I called Sprint's tech support number (888-211-4727, you can't do *2 from your phone because it will be restarted during the following process). After 15 minutes of hold, I spoke to a real nice lady. She tried updating my data profile from her end but that didn't help. I asked her to reset my phone to factory settings because I wanted the browser to be reset.

So here are the steps to fix the browser crash. You have to do a Master Reset on your phone

(CAUTION: your phone will lose everything and it will be back to manufacturer's default settings).

• Enable mobile sync on your phone and verify that all your contacts are backed up on Sprint's website. You can check this by logging into your Sprint account on the website. This way you will not have to load them again manually.
• Call Sprint tech support (888-211-4727) and explain that your Instinct browser crashes on some sites and you need to do a master reset (RTN) on your phone.
• They will ask you to dial ##786# on your phone and will give you a six-digit code to enter.
• You need this six digit code to do the master reset.
• Then follow the instructions on the screen and it will reset your phone and power cycle it.
• It will then activate your phone (mine only took a few minutes, the tech support lady mentioned that it could take upto 4 hours!)
• I then tested the web sites and browser was no longer crashing!
• I then enabled mobile sync on the phone to download all the contacts automatically from Sprint's website to the phone.

• After this, many of your applications like TV, Visual Voicemail, etc. will upgrade on first use (this is not new upgrade, you already had them before the reset).
• Interestingly, the phone maintained my Weather locations and the first item in the Navigation favorites list even after the master reset! But it did lose my browser bookmarks confirming that the browser was reset.

During the conversation, the tech support lady mentioned that Sprint employees can't buy the Instinct phones yet so they are learning from customers because they don't have the phones to try out on! She also offered me 10% service discount OR one time discount of $70 (I have been with Sprint since 2000!). She was very patient and I asked her to put this solution in the system for Instinct browser crash so hopefully others won't have to go through the struggle of figuring out the solution.

UPDATE: It has been 6 days since then and the browser hasn't crashed yet! I have tried decent amount of browsing to test it out. The slow load on some sites is still present though (processor might be the bottleneck here in rendering the web page but who knows)

UPDATE2: On 7th day, the browser crash problem has returned. This confirms that Sprint Instinct's browser is buggy!

UPDATE3: I did a master reset again and this time it is going strong even after 2 weeks. I have made sure that I don't download any Java apps (other that Opera Mini 3.1 and Google Maps) on it this time. My phone shows memory used as 6.4M (6.6M after July 30th software update) at the moment.

Samsung Instinct Frequently Asked Questions

This page has a list of Samsung Instinct FAQ's (remember to scroll down!):

http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp?isREL=Y&SITE_ID=22&AT_ID=128397&ARS_ID=7141529#Using

Samsung Instinct - Doesn't have an operating system???

According to this story:
http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/GAM.20080704.RBCE04/GIStory/

"Early indicators show the Instinct to be a "phenomenal success" in the United States, where it was launched less than two weeks ago, with Samsung struggling to meet demand, said Marwin Al-Najjar, product marketing manager of handsets at Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.

But Mr. Al-Najjar was quick to acknowledge the Instinct is not trying to be an iPhone. Samsung's device lacks an operating system and does not include software for push e-mail - the feature that allows real-time delivery of messages.

Push e-mail must be added by the phone company using third-party software, and so far Samsung and Bell have not finalized such a feature, he said."

I think it runs on the BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) Platform.

So who supplied the J2ME (Java) virtual machine for Instinct - Sprint or Samsung?? Because it needs to be fixed for MIDP 2.0 standard keyboard implementation.

Sprint Instinct vs. AT&T iPhone 3G Family Talk Plan Price Comparison

Sprint Instinct:

2 lines, 1500 minutes talk time, unlimited data, UNLIMITED text messaging, unlimited Picture-messaging (MMS), unlimited TV (live TV and on-demand channels), unlimited streaming radio, unlimited Turn-by-turn Voice command GPS Navigation with real street name announcement, push email from Outlook/Exchange (no contact/calendar sync however): $129.99 per month

Unlimited Night minutes start at 7:00pm on Sprint's plan

AT&T iPhone 3G:

2 lines, 1400 minutes talk time ($149.99), unlimited data, Unlimited text messaging ($30 EXTRA), no TV, AOL radio, Google maps with GPS, Mobile me email ($100 per year to Apple): $149.99 + $30 = $179.99 per month + ($100 per year for mobileme push email!) Also, the picture-messaging (MMS) might or might not arrive on iPhone...

Unlimited Night minutes start at 9:00pm on AT&T's plan

Verdict: If you have extra $50 per month to spare for iPhone, go with AT&T. Otherwise, Sprint Instinct is your best bet! Feature wise, iPhone is still the best but with a very expensive carrier and Instinct comes close except in the browser department (this might change next month with Opera Mini 4.1 for Instinct which would likely run faster than iPhone's browser!) ! If AT&T were to include unlimited text messaging in the data plan, I might have considered switching to iPhone 3G.

NOTE: Text messaging takes tiny amount of data and AT&T would simply be robbing their subscribers with iPhone 3G text messaging prices!

AT&T pricing source:

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=25883

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/att-iphone-3g-plans-70-130-single-130-360-family/14614

Sprint Instinct Owners - Action needed!

Hello my fellow Samsung Instinct owners! Please read and spend 10 minutes doing what is requested below.

You all are currently paying hefty fees to Sprint for this phone and still it seems that Sprint developers are unaware of serious limitation of missing J2ME (Java) MIDP 2.0 compliant keyboard on the phone. Google maps for mobile and tons of other FREE Java mobile (J2ME) applications don't work correctly on Instinct because Sprint/Samsung guys forgot (or maybe intentionaly) to implement the MIDP 2.0 specifications for the Keyboard.

Therefore, I urge you to contact Sprint directly in the Sprint Intinct Developer's forum to implement the standard MIDP 2.0 compliant keyboard so that all the existing Java mobile applications like Google Mobile Maps, Opera Mini 4.1 browser, Teashark browser, UCWEB browser, etc. can work on your lovely phone.

Please contact Sprint directly to implement standard MIDP 2.0 compliant keyboard here:

http://developer.sprint.com/show_thread.do?forumId=378&searchBy2=MSG_PARENT_ID&searchValue2=-1&searchBy3=MSGFORUM_FORUMID&searchValue3=378&ps=10&pn=1&threadid=26008&sortDirection=0&sortCol=MSG_AUDIT_CREATE_DT

(We are paying customers so they need to listen to us! The more of us contact Sprint, the more likely they are to pay attention.)

Thanks to all!

Another Java Browser that Doesn't work on Instinct

Here is another Java browser that doesn't work on Sprint Instinct because of missing J2ME (Java MIDP) standard keyboard:

http://www.ucweb.com/English/index.shtml

Samsung Instinct phone coming to Canada as well!

Looks like Samsung Instinct phone coming to Canada this summer!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080702.wgtdatarates0702/BNStory/Technology/home

http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=49004

"What might change the prices being asked for 3G cellphones in Canada is the arrival of the Samsung Instinct, which some online pundits have called a potential “iPhone killer.” That phone, already released in the United States, is due here “later this summer,” according to a company spokesman."

UPDATE:
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/340/C15679/

Set to launch on August 8, the Bell Mobility version of the Samsung Instinct will be much the same as its Sprint counterpart.

Exclusive: Opera Mini developers working on Instinct version of browser?

Here is the official statement from Opera on a version of Opera Mini for Instinct:

http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=235427

"As I already mentioned, one of our guys is moving to the US. We will buy the phone, and we will look into this. As usual, we can't make any promises. There will not be a special version of Opera Mini for the Instinct, but hopefully we can implement some fixes into already existing versions. So, no promises, but we hear you guys, and we understand your frustration. "

Here is the Unofficial information:

I have been able to identify an Opera Mini developer (I am not going to name names, sorry! It doesn't matter, what matters is that we get Opera Mini 4.1 working on Instinct!) on Sprint Instinct's developer forum researching Sprint's missing implementation of standard mobile Java Keyboard. Sprint says Instinct is MIDP 2.0 compliant but they left the standard keyboard implementation (that works on most phones that support Java) empty and only provided their custom keyboard widget.

This is a great news for all the Sprint Instinct users. Hopefully Opera will be able to make it work for all of us. Thanks to everyone that worked on the cause of "politely" requesting Opera to make a version for Sprint Instinct! You can still make a request if you would like.

UPDATE : Below is the content of a forum post in the Opera Mini forum which confirms what I said earlier:
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=235427&t=1215059664&page=3#comment2638240

"this below message is straight from lunkwill who is a member of the opera staff, i sent him a pm asking about this and this was his response,
We are working on it, but I can't give any promise of a timeframe when a fix could be released, if ever. This is mostly due to that Samsung made some very poor decicions when integrating the JVM into the Instinct, one was removing the (probably mandatory) default method of text input in Java ME...
But keep your hopes up, a lot of us here at Opera would like this to work on the Instinct as well... =)"

UPDATE 2: Below is the latest response from lunkwill (Opera Developer):

Please note the "if ever" part in my answer to you. I did not give any promises that we can fix this issue at our end.

Does Sprint Instinct support Phone as Modem (PAM) option?

There are a large number of Sprint users that have become accustomed to occasionally using (under their normal data plans) their Sprint PDA phones as a modem (also known as phone tethering) in case of emergency or when their broadband connection temporarily goes down. This was one of the primary reasons for these users to stay with Sprint instead of switching to other providers.

However a small number of users used that option indiscriminately to download tens of gigabytes of data. This could have possibly resulted in the occasional users getting punished because the Sprint Instinct phone in its current firmware incarnation doesn't work as a modem over USB or Bluetooth. If you test it, it does appear to connect momentarily but disconnects immediately with a warning message that disappears so fast that you would need a high-speed camera to capture it.

So the million dollar question asked hundreds of times in the user forums is:

Question: Does Sprint Instinct works as Phone As a Modem (PAM)?
Answer: It varies. Some users have reported success because they had a phone as a modem plan with their previous phone and when they switched to Instinct, somehow, that option survived even with the new plan! Then there are a select few that took the risk of damaging their phone and went through the complex and technical process of enabling it on their Sprint Instinct phones. Some have reported success (do a search or see here). Their success implies that the phone is capable of being used as a modem but if Sprint catches you, you might end up paying a penalty.

But here is even better confirmation. The specifications of the phone clearly state this:

Phone as Modem (PAM): Yes
Sprint PAM AT Commands (v1.0) v1.0

Source: General Information section of http://developer.sprint.com/view_devices.do?device=79542

But apparently this feature is disabled in the current software intentionally (maybe they were too worried about heavy traffic on the network?) or unintentionally (maybe they didn't have enough time before the rushed release to enable it?).

Some users have reported that in the future, Sprint might offer this option on top of their talk/data/share or simply everything plan at a price of $15 per month. But this is no confirmation. I think Sprint might even be able to snatch customers from Verizon and AT&T if they offered PAM option on all plans over $99 per month with a download limit of 5GB per month including the phone data and web usage. But this is unlikely based on current trend in their pricing.

So if PAM option is a must for you, stick with your older phones and cheaper plans such as SERO or vision data plans until Sprint announces otherwise.

Here is a screen print from Sprint's Developer website confirming that Sprint Instinct is capable of being used as a modem:

Another Good Java Browser that Doesn't work on Instinct

Here is another good Java based browser that installs fine on Sprint Instinct but doesn't work because of non-standard keyboard:

http://teashark.com/index.html

Please contact them to make a Sprint Instinct version available.

(Their new beta server is based on WebKit3, the same engine used by Safari 3 in Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard"!)

Exclusive Video - Opera Mini 4.1 on Sprint Samsung Instinct Phone "EMULATOR"

Here is an exclusive Video of Opera Mini 4.1 on Sprint Samsung Instinct Phone "EMULATOR" from Sprint. The browser works on the emulator but there is no keyboard to enter text (just like the "actual" phone).

However the browser hangs on the actual phone on second and subsequent runs! Hopefully this will be fixed soon by Opera. It is uncertain if the problem is with Opera software or with Sprint Instinct's Java MIDP implementation. My hunch is Sprint because this device doesn't seem to be fully compliant (just look at the missing keyboard option in Java forcing you to rewrite every MIDP compliant Java application to use Instinct's keyboard widgets). Also note that when this video was created, even the emulator was missing Instinct's keyboard UI (which is likely to be available in next release of Sprint Toolkit).

Please be patient and watch the full video to see Opera Mini running (on the emulator, not the actual phone):



If you would like to make a request for Opera Mini on Instinct phone, please make a "polite" request to Opera here:
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=235427&t=1214773766&page=2#comment2633301

Faster Browsing on Sprint Instinct's default browser

These work good with camera scrolling:


http://www.skweezer.com/


http://mowser.com/


http://www.quickbrowsing.com/

How to Sync Outlook Contacts with Sprint Instinct

Simple Steps to Sync Outlook Contacts with Sprint Instinct:

1. Enable Mobile Sync on your Sprint Instinct Phone (Go to Settings screen from the Main screen).
2. Log in to your Sprint account on Sprint's website.
3. Go to the link that says "My Online Tools".
4. Then click on the link that says "Open Sprint Mobile Sync" and wait for it to load.
5. Then click on "Download Desktop Sync " on the top right of this page.
6. Click on Run to install it (or save and then install it).
7. Now on your PC, go to Start --> All Programs -->Sprint Desktop Sync Settings and enter your sprint account information.
8. Then run Start --> All Programs -->Sprint Desktop Sync Synchronize.
9. This will upload your outlook contacts to Sprint's website (you can even set up a schedule).
10. Go back to the Sprint web page in Step 4.
11. Click on "Sync now!" at the bottom of this page.
12. That's it!

Exclusive - How to use Opera Mini 3 (older version) on Sprint Instinct

Opera Mini 4.1 doesn't work properly on Sprint Samsung Instinct phone at the moment (hangs on the loading screen).

In the meantime, here is a way to make Opera Mini 3.1 (version 3.1.10423) work on the phone (even WITHOUT THE KEYBOARD):

• Switch the Instinct's browser to mobile mode and go to Operamini.com and select the option to install older version. After a few clicks, you should be able to download and run opera mini 3.1
• The keyboard on Opera Mini doesn't work (it will work after Instinct's java update in a month or two) so you can not enter any text or web address. But if you look at the bookmarks of Opera Mini, you will notice it has a book mark to ESPN.com website.
• Go to ESPN website on your PC and look for the section that says "Fan Favorites" and under it, you will see most commented and click on it. Then click on the first link under it.
• Then create a Fan profile from your PC so you can post a comment.
• Once you are logged in from your PC, post a comment on that (ESPN's) site with text containing the following URL (see if you can find one already created by someone else) : http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/
• Now get back on your Sprint Instinct phone and start Opera Mini 3 from Games and Apps.
• Go to Opera Mini's bookmarks and go to ESPN. ESPN page will load. Find the most commented section and locate your post from earlier. This will have the URL to click on. Click on this URL and the page will load. Then you book mark it by doing Add bookmark on Opera Mini.
• From now on, you can go to http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/ from your Sprint Instinct in Opera Mini 3.1.
• To add more bookmarks, get back on your PC and post a comment on this (the one you are reading from) site with the URL that you want (make sure that your URL's start with http to make them clickable in Opera mini).
• Then come back to http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/ from your phone via Opera, click on your comment URL and open that site. Now you can directly book mark that site!
• You can bookmark any site you want this way!

NOTE:

• Opera Mini 3.1 is an OLDER version and is not nearly as good as Opera Mini 4.1. But until that time, you can get decent browsing speed and portrait view browsing using Opera 3.1 Mini!
• DON'T Forget: In the Opera Mini 3.1, go to Menu-->Tools-->Settings and uncheck "Content Folding" for better browsing. It will be difficult to tap on tiny checkbox but you will get it after a few tries. And I like the font size of Large from the settings.

Enjoy and spread the word!

UPDATE: Since this workaround was first provided here, hundreds of people are using Opera Mini 3.1 on their Instinct and it has been covered well in most other forums. If you don't want to use the ESPN site to generate bookmarks, you can also use the Opera Mini forum to post your links (bookmarked in Opera Mini 3.1 browser as My Opera--> Forums --> Opera Mini and then you add your bookmarks from this site after you add your links from your PC to this forum)

Don't forget to bookmark this link below on your Opera Mini:

http://instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com/2008/07/some-popular-websites-for-browsing-in.html

Some Popular Sites for Browsing

URL Keyboard:
http://www.proceemo.com/bookmarks/urlkeyboard.php


http://news.bbc.co.uk/

http://www.bloomberg.com/index.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/

http://www.foxnews.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/

http://mobile.nytimes.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

http://www.reuters.com/

http://online.wsj.com/public/us

http://www.economist.com/

http://www.economist.com/printedition/

http://www.newsweek.com/

http://www.businessweek.com/

http://businessweek.mobi/

http://money.cnn.com/

http://www.wired.com/

http://news.cnet.com/

http://slashdot.org/

http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1001

http://www.forbes.com/

http://www.time.com/

http://arstechnica.com/

http://www.eweek.com/

http://mobile.eweek.com/device/html_sections.php?id=1&mdpg=A

http://mobile.informationweek.com/

http://www.usatoday.com/

http://news.google.com/