Sprint's Instinct ships June 20, clashes with iPhone

Sprint today gave the Samsung Instinct its official ship date. The phone is now due to launch on June 20 and will represent Sprint's first attempt at a direct competitor to the iPhone, with a custom-designed interface that emphasizes media playback. Sprint also touts the device as its first non-business phone to support EVDO Rev. A Internet access and integrates GPS, on-demand voicemail, and access to Sprint's Internet video streaming services.

The cell carrier has stopped short of providing a price for the Instinct but is now timing the launch of the Samsung phone near that of an update to its Apple-made challenger from AT&T. An upgraded model of the phone with 3G support is believed to be ready for introduction at a Steve Jobs keynote on June 9th and is now expected by many to ship in mid-June.