Last week, Sprint announced a long awaited, much anticipated update for the Samsung Instinct. Today was the day, and around Noon, today, they post the following on their Buzz About Wireless forum here

While initial information had listed Sept. 17 as the date the firmware upgrade (MR-3) would be available, the new release date is Sept. 24th.

We apologise for this delay, but we are commited to doing this the right way and releasing a reliable, working update to our Instinct customers.

If we have any further information, we will follow up here.

Instinct Admin Team

Typical.

Signed,
The Boy Who Cried Wolf

This was posted on the Sprint Developer Forum (link) yesterday:

nathan_sprint_adp
Rank :User
Posts:226
Overall Rating:14 Subject:
Samsung Instinct Software Update
Date:
2008-09-05 at 04:12 PM CDT
Sprint will be releasing a new software maintenance release for the Instinct handset with the primary changes focused on the browser.

Version: BH29
Delivery: OTA
Projected Release Date: 9/17 (client initiated) 9/24 (network initiated) Projected Release Dates are best estimates and are subject to change with no notice.

Notes: Instinct firmware BH29 includes the resolution of 249 tickets open since the previous public firmware release, BF30. The release also marks the first public release of the updated Instinct Web Browser, version 1.1. The new browser is based on an entirely new codebase and brings an 10x improvement to rendering speed, most noticeable in the areas of pan/zoom/resize functionality.

New browser features include:
* VC Button -> Hide/show controls; browser controls can be hidden to provide more screen to webpage display
* Favorites enhancements -> Improvements to favorites UI allows for sticky mode lock
* 34 other web browser tickets resolved

Please note the information provided in this update is subject to change.

Thanks
Sprint ADP

There is a guy posting on this Instinct-Samsung.com forum thread saying he already has the update – maybe as a beta tester? He posted several photos substantiating his claim, according to other posters there, the photos are legit.

More drama can be had here on instinctbookmarks.blogspot.com. After the first hacking of the Sprint Developer forums, I understand the skepticism.

I’m glad he got a screenshot of it – something I should have done as well since posts have a habit of magically disappearing from most Sprint forums.

Signed,
Chicken Little

There was a post on the Sprint developer forum, posted by Nathan (a Sprint employee?), dated August 30, that promised an update on the LCDUI issue by the end of the day September 1st. My original thought was, yeah right! – by midnight on the 3rd day of a holiday weekend?

Every forum about the Instinct that I visit is buzzing about this and how the update hasn’t come. One post claims a Sprint rep told them the update bombed and it would take them a week to figure out why. In another, the poster says Sprint told them the reason for the delay was that because of hurricane Gustov, one of their offices in Louisiana had to be closed (no doubt, most offices did close there). another post surmises that the original post was just a hack of the Sprint developer forums.

The real kicker is that the original post (and subsequent thread) from the developer forum that started all the ruckus has magically disappeared – go figure!!

UPDATE: Sprint now posts that the original post was a fake which is why they deleted the thread.