A Canadian alternative to iPhone?

Canadians may soon have an alternative to the iPhone. The Samsung Instinct, sometimes referred to as an iPhone Killer. The big news for Canadians is that the Samsung Instinct while similar to the iPhone in features will be CDMA. This means that it will most likely be on the Telus and Bell networks.

My first thought was; with all the noise about Rogers iPhone prices this could be a real chance for the Samsung Instinct to shine. If Bell or Telus were to set competitive prices that beat Rogers then people may flock to the Instict—sadly, I doubt this will be the case. If Bell and Telus do set a similar price scheme I doubt people will care much about it. There is a prestige that goes with Apple products regardless of how similar other products are. If prices are the same as the iPhone I doubt we will see online petitions like ruinediphone.com. A more reasonable data plan may however lure some of us towards the Instinct. I want an iPhone, but at the end of the day I’ll settle for web access and a reasonable data plan.

One of the interesting features that the Instinct has is haptic technology. This allows the screen to actually vibrate once you have hit the keys. One of the things that has bothered me about touch technology to date is the lack of tactile feedback (and grimy screens). That’s why the phone that stands out the most for me right now is the HTC Touch Pro with Android.

The instinct should be available sometime this summer in Canada. For more details read Is Samsung Instinct really an iPhone killer?