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I recently came across a review by Walt Mossberg of the Sprint/Samsung Instinct.  I’ve admired Mossberg for years, and always found his reviews to be insightful, but his review of the Instinct was a disappointment on many levels.

First, Mossberg spends most of his time (in both a blog post and video review) lauding the yet-to-be-released iPhone 3G.  While the Instinct is clearly positioned as a iPhone competitor, I think a product review should focus on the merits of product under review.  That review can include a comparison of a market-leading product, but in my view, it’s bad form for the entire review to be such a comparison.

Mossberg, by writing his review entirely in the context of the 3G iPhone, misses several strong selling points for the Instinct including:

1. GPS with turn-by-turn directions,
2. Streaming media (TV and radio)
3. Voice Command for local GPS-assisted search and voice dialing
4. Ability to shoot and playback digital video

The Instict also gives users software for transferring music, photos and videos from a pc to the Instinct.  Mossberg dismisses the Instict’s digital music playing features, saying they are incompatible with Apple’s format.  Isn’t every other media player on Earth incompatible with Apple’s format?

You can read Mossberg’s review on Allthingsd.com and watch is video below:

I updated my iTunes today and saw the new App Store — and was ready to write a post saying how cool it could become as it grows.   Then I heard about the iPhone 3G launch.  Ouch!  I guess heads are rolling in Cupertino tonight.

Here’s a summary of some coverge:

C|NET: iPhone glitches derail Apple’s launch event magic

Apple’s singular ability to whip up consumer frenzy might be in trouble after the debacle that was Friday’s iPhone 3G launch.

Server problems turned this year’s iPhone 3G launch into an exercise in patience for Apple fans and employees, as eager buyers faced waits of up to two hours to get their iPhone 3Gs activated in Apple stores, and many left with iPhone 3Gs in hand but the activation process incomplete. The same problems affected original iPhone owners trying to install the iPhone 2.0 software, turning their handsets into “iBricks.”

Read full story

SciFi.com’s DVICE Blog: Apple’s disastrous iPhone 3G launch, and why it matters

It is impossible to calculate the long-term damage the monumental f-ups of Friday’s iPhone 3G inauguration – the inability of AT&T and Apple’s systems to sync up to upgrade and activate current customers, of turning original iPhones into iSlabs when installing iPhone 2.0, of iTunes playing hooky when millions tried to sync their new iPhones 3G – will have on Apple. In a day, the most spotless and sterling reputation in high-tech, years in expert caressing and molding, gone like a rainbow at sunset.

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Wired: Network Glitches, Delays Mar iPhone 3G’s Debut

In reality, the glitches plaguing the launch of Apple’s iPhone 3G were not earthshattering. AT&T’s servers were unreachable for about 30-40 minutes immediately after the iPhone 3G went on sale on the West Coast, meaning the very first customers (such as Larson) had difficulty even beginning the in-store activation process. After that, the deluge of traffic to Apple’s servers prevented most customers from completing the second step of the activation process. But phones are available, and customers are able to buy them.

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Gizmodo: Apple Cancels All iPhone 3G Orders, Releases iBrick 3G

In a surprising move that is set to stun consumers all over the world, Apple has cancelled all orders for the iPhone 3G today. People who already bought the phones will get them replaced by Apple’s new wonderproduct, the iBrick 3G.

Read full story

Last year, the iPhone changed the way people think about mobile phones.  As Steve Jobs said, it was a great phone, an amazing Web appliance, and the best iPod ever.

The iPhone delivered what the Treo should have become (if Palm had any imagination left).

But that was last year.

Jobs’ 3G iPhone announcement at this year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference seems to have received a rather lukewarm response from much of the tech media.  C|Net’s coverage touted the 3G speed and games, but even iPhone fan Tom Merritt seemed unable to work up much enthusiasm.  Over at Leo Laporte’s This Week in Tech (TWIT) podcast, the gang treated the new phone was a non-event.

The air seems filled with disappointment, or at the very least, a bit of malaise.  The new phone has a GPS, but not turn-by-turn directions.  There’s no video capability, just still photos — and no Multimedia Message Service (MMS), so you can’t send photos to friends, except through e-mail.  It has a great new low price, but AT&T remains the exclusive U.S. carrier, and AT&T’s 3G network isn’t available outside of big cities.

Maybe the mood will change after the phone actually starts selling on Friday.  Maybe it’s just a natural reaction to a phone that’s really just a modest improvement over the original.

The good news for all of us is that, as other companies begin to sell phones that play off the iPhone experience (like the Sprint/Samsung Instict and HTC Diamond), the increased competition will only give us all better choices and more capability.  Competition will drive everyone forward.

This is still a very cool time for those of us who love mobile tech. The fun is just beginning.

(Watch for an in-depth review of the Samsung Instinct beginning in the next few days.)