[jethro_static]

Originally Posted by dbigdawg

Your assessment of customer desire for GPS and internet couldn't be further from reality. Data plans and lcoation based services are being attached to domestic accounts at a record rate. Currently in Japan, 24% of the average bill is related to data/gps services. The US is behind the market at 16%, with Sprint leading the way. Interestingly, Sprint has the lowest price data/gps plans but sells more of them.

As with most of the other PPC/Smartphones, the lowest price for the device will require a certain level of plan and it is not at the $30 level. It has been that way for nearly two years with Sprint and even longer with Verizon and ATT. As always, folks who are cheap will find away to get around the system, but the rebate agreements clearly state the requirements.

Having said that, the new Sprint devices will sell very well and the Touch will continue to sell well. The iPhone success has to do with its innovative GUI and the media blitz. This next generation is going to sell well because it is finally offering a reasonable price with the POTENTIAL for improved data speeds.

Currently, ATT can cover less than 150mm population base with their 3G network. Verizon covers approximately 200mm population base and Sprint leads all carriers with over 240mm population base coverage. T-Mobile has introduced their mobile broadband network in NYC successfully, so I believe that gives them about 10mm population coverage. That means that the draw of the 2nd generation iPhone will be minimized to price only for a lot of customers because they don't live in the markets that provide 3G network coverage.

The Instinct will release on Friday, June 20th. It will be interesting to see the media hype grow and how Dan Hesse markets the largest Sprint device launch to date. The iPhone also released originally on a Friday and very few details were revealed until the days leading up to the release. Similarly, the general public has not been given any details on the plan requirements that will accompany the Instinct release. If Hesse plays his cards right, he could score a major hit with this release.

I have played with the Instinct and it is a very cool device. There are some features that could have been a little cooler, but in all it is going to appeal to much larger customer base than the Touch or Mogul. The flo interface is very smooth, screen resolution is excellent and the form factor is sleek. The only real piece that I did not love was the browser. It is very similar to the Opera 9.5 1102 beta but I did not get to play with it long enough to tell how much it resembles that browser.

As for the ROM update, there is no commitment to an upgrade date. As I stated in the thread from 6/3, I can only get confirmation that there has been development (see the leaked ROM) but there is not a release date. Again, the leaked ROM contains WM6.1 which is not set to be released until Q3 at the earliest and it may not be offered as an upgrade. That component leads me to believe that the leaked ROM may actually be a test for future devices, such as a CDMA Touch Pro.

Just my 2 cents.

Whatever dude.ROTFL!