Sprint Announces Samsung Instinct s30 (Samsung Instinct Mini) Availability & Pricing Confirmed

Christen over at Gadget Review have just tipped us concerning a press
release from Sprint that confirms the availability of the Samsung
Instinct Mini to Sprint customers which is to be offered by Sprint under
the guise of the Samsung s30.

To be honest, this news has hit me at an ungodly hour of the morning so
you'll excuse me for offering Sprints press release in full as I
desperately need my bed (that said, we felt this needed a heads up).

Sprint Press Release:

Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today
announced the upcoming availability of Samsung Instinct s30, a successor
to the iconic Samsung Instinct touch-screen phone that made its debut
last summer exclusively from Sprint. Instinct s30 offers full touch
screen functionality and the broadband speeds of America's most
dependable 3G network.

Instinct s30 raises the bar with built-in instant messaging, an improved
Web-browsing experience through both the default browser and Opera Mini
4.2 as well as the popular games Guitar Hero - World Tour and Are You
Smarter Than a 5th Grader preloaded to keep consumers connected and
entertained while on-the-go. Instinct s30 offers a thinner streamlined
design for a smoother feel in the user's hand with two color options -
Cobalt Metal or Touch of Copper.

Advanced features balance business and personal needs

Instinct s30 is ideal for customers looking to simplify and increase the
productivity of their business and personal lives with quick access to
corporate calendar functionality via Microsoft Outlook. Sprint Mobile
Email Work provides access to corporate email, contacts and calendar
from Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, 2003 or 2007 accounts, or IBM Lotus
Domino accounts at no additional charge.

Like its predecessor, Instinct s30 has the following industry-leading
features:

Expansive touch-screen featuring localized haptic feedback giving users
a gentle vibration as they use the virtual QWERTY keypad
Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, provides easy access to
directory information on-the-go, GPS-enabled directions, interactive
maps and one-touch click to call access
Visual Voicemail, allowing users to listen to messages in their order of
preference and manage them with a simple tap of the screen
Sprint TV, with an extensive selection of channels and on-demand programming
Sprint Music Store, allowing users to browse and wirelessly download
full-length songs directly to their phone for just 99 cents each
Advanced stereo Bluetooth 2.0
SMS voice and text messaging with threaded text
True HTML Web experience from both the enhanced embedded browser and the
addition of Opera Mini 4.2 with a desktop-like browsing experience
2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder
Instinct s30 offers a Speech to Action button, which provides many
functions using voice activation including call, text, picture
messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news and search. Speech to Action
brings the user seamless integration with Sprint Navigation, powered by
Telenav, with GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving
directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local
listings.

Samsung Instinct s30 is proof that it is possible to improve on even
one of the most successful mobile phones, said Bill Ogle, chief
marketing officer for Samsung Mobile. Instinct s30 offers people a new
way to enjoy a fast and fun user experience with their phone.

More Open for Developers

Instinct S30 will also be more open than its predecessor, with access
to core Java APIs (application programming interface), including
messaging, multimedia and Bluetooth, which allow developers to take
advantage of the phone's features. By providing this open access, Sprint
is providing what developers have been seeking and making it possible
for them to create more sophisticated and innovative new applications
for customers to use on the Instinct family of phones.

Developers will have open access to the following Java APIs when
creating applications on Instinct s30:

Multimedia: recording audio, playing media files such as MP3 songs,
streaming content and using the camera to take pictures
Messaging: sending and receiving messages
Bluetooth: establishing connectivity to send/receive data with peripherals
Contacts/Calendar: reading and writing to contacts/address book, and
reading and writing to events
File Access: reading and writing to the internal file access on the handset
We are excited to introduce Instinct s30 into our portfolio in a few
weeks as we continue the tradition of innovative and easy-to-use
touch-screen devices that will appeal to a broad array of our customers,
said Kevin Packingham, Sprint senior vice president of product and
technology development. The original device surpassed our highest
expectations for both customer interest and industry accolades. The
enhancements on Instinct s30 make it even more versatile for our
customers, and access to core Java APIs, such as messaging and
multimedia, will make it even easier for more developers to create new
applications.

Sprint plans to extend access to these Java APIs to the Instinct s30's
predecessor, Instinct, within the next few months through an
over-the-air software update. The Java APIs will then be available on
all future Java-enabled Sprint phones.

In providing open access to these capabilities, Sprint is creating a
leading open software environment for developers to create innovative
applications. Sprint's industry-leading Application Developer Program
(http://developer.sprint.com/instinct) further supports development in
an open environment by providing an extensive set of free resources,
including a kit with Instinct programming templates and device
emulation, sample applications with source code, developer guides and
developer forums.

Industry-leading Value with Simply Everything

The most popular rate plan for Instinct users, Sprint's Simply
EverythingSM plan, provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting,
email, Web browsing, GPS navigation and much more for only $99.99 per
month. Comparable yearly messaging and data plans on Verizon and AT T
cost the consumer an additional $475**. Sprint's Simply Everything
Family plan, with unlimited voice, data and messaging for two customers,
is $955 cheaper per year than Verizon's and AT T's similar plans.

Everything Data plans are a great value starting at just $69.99 per
month for 450 anytime minutes of talk time with unlimited data,
including texting, email, Web browsing, GPS navigation and exclusive
content such as NFL Mobile LiveTM and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileTM.
Unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling to other Sprint customers and free
nights and weekends starting at 7 p.m. are included in these affordable
plans.

Within a few days after its release, Instinct became the fastest-selling
EVDO handset in Sprint history. Instinct accounted for more than 20
percent of all Sprint handsets being sold during the first two weeks of
availability and continued to sell at a record pace through the 2008
holiday season. Instinct users consume data at a rate of approximately
five times more than any other Sprint device, especially music and other
downloads, text messaging and GPS navigation.

Beginning on April 19, customers will be able to purchase Instinct s30
through Sprint retail stores, Web (www.sprint.com) and telesales
(1-800-SPRINT1) for $129.99 at launch with a two-year agreement, $70
instant savings and $100 mail-in rebate. Pre-registration is now
available at www.sprint.com/SamsungInstinctS30.