Posted on Tue, Jul. 01, 2008

What: Samsung Instinct cellphone, sold by Sprint

Features: Has a 3.1-inch touch-screen display and 2.0 megapixel camera. Comes with a 2 GB microSD card and adapter, but can support an 8 GB card. Includes two batteries, a battery-charging sleeve, travel charger, USB cable, 3.5-mm headphones with microphone, and a carrying case with stylus. Weighs 4.4 ounces.

Price: $129.99 after $100 mail-in-rebate and a two-year contract.

Ups: Selecting something on the screen is confirmed with a light vibration and sound, and because the buttons are large, typing is a breeze.

The menu and interface is easy to use and well designed. It will play music in the background as you do other things, like accessing the Internet. Sprint has some great entertainment features that you can put shortcuts to on your main menu, such as Sprint streaming radio or TV stations.

Downs: It took a little time to get used to the scrolling feature. The camera doesn't have auto focus, so I ended up with photos that were fuzzy.

Bottom line: This is a well-designed phone, and the fast-responding touch screen. Considering what this phone can do and the large display, it's a good deal at $130 and worth getting if you've comfortable using a touch screen.

-- BRIDGET CAREY