If you've been drooling over Sprint's forthcoming touch device, the Instinct from Samsung, the good news is that it is priced at $129 -- $70 less than the 8-GB 3G iPhone. The bad news is, a data plan and voice plan combo -- totaling at least $70 per month -- is mandatory. The Instinct goes on sale Friday, June 20. Is it worth it?

I've been using the Instinct for over a week now. I will say that it does most things well, but it has its issues. In case you've forgotten the details, this is going to be Sprint's flagship media phone for 2008. It has a full touch screen user interface that was custom developed by Sprint and Samsung. The UI is mostly intuitive and gets the job done. It has three permanent buttons along the bottom of the phone, and four software buttons that appear on most screens so you can always access what you want. Most applications aren't more than one or two jumps away from the home screen, making it easier and quicker to find them.

Even though the review unit I have is final hardware and software, there were still a few bugs apparent. The touch screen technology itself isn't perfect. I've noticed this on other Samsung models, such as the Glyde. There is a bit of a learning curve to get used to the manner in which you have to press the screen to get it to react. It's not as simple or easy to use as you-know-what. With that said, using the touch interface to access the phone's systems and menus feels far more natural than using hardware (read: a five-way navigational button or trackball or trackwheel).

For a phone that's supposed to be geared toward media, I wish it offered more features in the media department. The music player is passable, but doesn't let you customize the sound as much as I would like (read: no EQ). The camera software also is bare-bones. You have no ability to preset things such as resolution or white balance. You also have no ability to edit photos after they're taken. Sprint and Samsung must be assuming that you'll use a PC to touch up your photos if they don't turn out as you want them to.

The browser is decent, and works fast enough. It's not as intuitive or easy to use as other touch browsers, but it's far and away better than browsing on any standard cell phone.

Those are the basics. It also offers visual voice mail, live TV viewing, OTA music downloads, full GPS, and can support microSD cards up to 8 GB in size for storing media.

The catch? You'll have to activate it with a voice and data plan that totals at least $70 per month. This is about in-line with what Apple and AT&T are mandating with the iPhone, though the Instinct will cost $70 less ... after a $100 mail-in rebate.