This is a review of the 3G iPhone. No, not the one Apple announced on Monday. The other one. You know — the one from Sprint and Samsung?

Amid the buzz surrounding Apple Inc.’s new iPhone model, coming out July 11, it’s been easy to miss the news that Sprint Nextel Corp. is bringing out a phone on June 20 that is the closest thing so far to an iPhone made by someone else.

The Samsung Instinct is, like the real iPhone, a slab with a large touch screen and few buttons. There are other touch-screen alternatives, but the Instinct’s the only one that does what the iPhone does: wrap a wealth of features into a package that’s easy to use.

that is a remarkable achievement, mostly on Sprint’s part. The hardware, made by Samsung Electronics Co., is available overseas. Sprint commissioned its own software to run on it, working very closely with an outside design house on

The aftermath is a lucid, logical interface. It’s not as pretty as the iPhone’s, but it allows the user to quickly use e-mail, Web browsing, GPS navigation and text messaging; watch videos, live TV and photos; and listen to music and online radio.

Of course, Apple should get much of the credit for inspiring competitors to come up with phones like that. But the Instinct is more than a copy: Sprint pulled out all the stops when it came to adding features, resulting in an nearly absurdly capable phone that outdoes the first-generation iPhone in many ways.

whether that were the only competition, the Instinct would look very good. But a fairer comparison is with the upcoming 3G iPhone, so called considering it will use AT&T’s third-generation wireless network.

To start with the similarities, the Instinct’s price will likely match that of the 8-gigabyte iPhone model: $199…

Orginal post by Top Tech News