Ten Bucks for Being EVO-Cool
John Taylor who is a spokesperson for Sprint/Nextel on public policy has clarified through his blog that the $10 monthly charge that is on EVO plans is not because of the 4G; it's because it's the most awesome phone ever!
- "This is specific to the device. It's not related to whether you are using 3G or 4G. It is required if you have the phone." - John Taylor
Various people have been abuzz about this $10 charge and many were upset about having to pay it even though they don't have 4G coverage where they are. So now that we know it's simply a premium added because of the phone, we can all move on, or at least complain for the right reasons. John Taylor detailed, "Because the phone has a faster processor, a huge 4.3 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camcorder/camera, we expect you will be using a lot more data than you would with our other devices." So the charge is because this phone has amazing specs!
I suppose it's fair; even with the $10 charge, Sprint is still the same or better priced than competitors. For an unlimited nationwide plan with unlimited text and data is $119.98/month for a Droid Incredible on Verizon, where the HTC EVO on a similar plan will still only be $79.99/month after the ten dollar monthly charge. It's definitely not a hard pill to swallow when you look at what Verizon is stuffing down their users' throats.
The PPC Geeks user base is frothing over this long awaited phone and rightly so. This will be the first time in a long time that Sprint has the premier smartphone. I think we may grumble a bit... but not after playing with our new EVO-cool smartphone. Nobody said being awesome didn't come with a price. What do you think about the ten dollar charge? Is it enough to dissuade you from buying the EVO?
Source: John Taylor's Blog
© 2010, banden. All rights reserved.
what about family plans???
Family plans will have to pay an extra ten bucks per EVO. (It’s a coolness tax.)
Suck it up or don’t get the phone
Is it worth it if they let me stay on Sero? Yes, but having to switch to an everything plan, plus the ten bucks a month, Sprint is going to be getting money from me, I can’t lie, I want this handset.
If it isnt a sero phone, then looks like I will be waiting for something else. The extra tax would put me off from getting it. As for data usage, look carriers, all phones are in actuality data phones and you are serving DATA not analog voice bandwidth. So dont make up fake charges for a phone that a small percentage of people will get claiming some big bog to your system at the same time pimping your 4g data hotspot devices. I would have rather paid the extra 240.00 for the phone for a 2yr period than hucked out of it 10bux at a time. If the evo is that good, offer it for 450.00 with a plan and cut the 10/mo extra crap. It just annoys and dissuades customers.
the fact that sprint is cheaper in the first place is not an excuse to charge an arbitrary “cool tax” on a phone whose only real spec advantage is 4G. I would’ve been fine if Sprint had come out and said the extra $10 is for 4G data and it only applied to those using it in a 4G area (yes you can live in a 3G and travel to 4G but they can also block the use of 4G data), but the “cool phone tax” is enough to make me walk away from this phone
… its not a 4g tax theres no way they could get that to work… cryo or one of the other rom guys would make sure of that so this was there only option…
but atleast your getting something out of it. uncapped 3g bandwidth and uncapped 4g bandwidth
@drksilenc –
except that they probably have the activation system set that if the serial number is activated you have the $10 charge regardless, no hack would be able to do anything about that
and no its not a 4g but just because they’re saying the $10 charge isn’t for 4g, that doesn’t mean it isn’t
will PAM be packaged as a coolness perk too or will that be extra?
lameness on the part of Sprint. I’m dropping SERO and getting an HD2 on Tmobile to add to my current family plan $10+$25 data comes out to about the same as my SERO price.
By, by Sprint.
I must admit that I’m surprised abit at the backlash especially from the sero plan owners. I’m thinking of dropping Verizon for this phone and I came to Verizon from Sprint because of the lousy coverage and customer service.
@Aleki –
29.99/month, officially anyway
PAM = Tethering and if you wanna be legit about it Sprint charges $25 but if you get your Android Rooted you can tether FREE…
$30… My bad..
I’d still get it but I can’t stand Google so I won’t get it. I’ll be waiting for WP7.
WP7 is a joke. You might as well get an IPHONE…
I hate the idea of paying more for a specific device. That’s why i don’t own an iphone(and i hate AT&T). The plan rates should be the same no matter which phone you have. 4g costs more, so be it… device costs more… hold the phone.
a coolness tax? have they lost their minds?
I bet if sprint charged $350-400 for this phone people would pay without crying. Fact is sprint is charging $199 for this beautiful phone they need to make their $ back. Remember our TP2 cost $350 unless you were 1 of the lucky ones that got it for $199 out the door. The TP2 didn’t even come with a memory card, The evo is coming with 8 gb card.
I’m glad sprint didn’t skimp on this phone to cut cost (except the TFT screen).
Fact is to own this phone (plan not included) cost $199 + $10/24 months = $440
To me thats one hell of a deal considering the specs on this phone
For $10 extra a month, it needs to come with more cool stuff. Like 16gb card, case and two downloaded movies.
Boo!!!!!
I was really looking forward to this device, too.
I don’t pay taxes for “cool”. I pay for function.
I’ve already got unlimited data and all the minutes I need. I am against this and would now refuse to buy one on PRINCIPLE!
I believe in paying for services, and paying for phones. Tiers of service based on what handset you own shouldn’t be legal.
When they first starting pulling this shtick with the SERO plans, I called foul.
How can you justify paying more for the same services you are already getting?! Offer me something new- a service I don’t already have (like free international or multiple handsets on the same number) and I’ll pay more for it. But you can’t expect me to pay extra “cool” taxes. I’m sorry, all of you people arguing that its worth it sound like mindless drones to me… Tell me, *why* is it worth it? Explain it to me, I’d like to know what I’m missing here. Why should someone running a WM phone with WMWifirouter as his primary internet connection (I know people who do this) get to pay LESS than someone who wants to use an EVO with regular data usage?
THIS MAKES NO SENSE, PEOPLE!
I think I’m angrier at the people who are arguing that this is a great deal and we should be happy that the Sprint G0ds have bestowed this upon us.
A friend of mine on Sero bought a Pre, and months later regretted it because he’s now stuck paying $20 more for the rest of his life on Sprint, even if he switches back to his old phone. If the carrier insists on making more money with a particular phone offering, I’d rather pay more upfront than commit to paying more for the rest of my life as a Sprint customer.
Buying a Touch Pro 2 at $350 and using it on a cheaper legacy plan is better than buying a $199 phone and having a higher monthly bill forever. For starters, you can always sell the phone and make your money back, plus in the long run you save money (especially if you keep your phone for a while and don’t upgrade every time something new comes out). Not to mention IT MAKES SENSE TO PAY FOR SERVICES, and services are services.
It didn’t bother me when the rumor on the street was that using 4G would cost $10 more. Fair enough, its a different service using different frequencies… kind of like those dual mode direct-connect / CDMA phones. You pay more for the push-to-talk service if you want to use that function of the handset. But to charge people regardless of it, and make it a “cool” tax… wow. That’s the kind of arrogance I’d expect from a hot shot mogul like Steve Jobs, not the underdog carrier that is Sprint.
And before you start arguing how much cheaper they still are than Verizon… Don’t give me that. Verizon is overpriced, which is why I left them. Service is service. They should not be allowed to get away with this, but do because so many of you just go “oh, ok, its still a good deal…”
I’m just… GAH I’M SO ANGRY.
The HD2 comes with a case and both Transformers so you’ll have something to distract you from the constant outages, lol
Preordered mine already!
@dkd711 –
lol… how is wp7 a joke? why because it doesnt have useless apps?
what a clown! go ahead get the “in” device and the users of real devices will get wp7.
keep in mind it was individuals like you that made fun of Microsoft when they came into the smartphone market while palm owned 90% of it.. guess who took over the market back then?.. here’s a hint: they are coming out with the best OS in the smartphone market… AGAIN!
sprint has over 49 million clients and we have 25 comments on here…. do you really think sprint cares?
all the idiots come out and complain when the latest “cool” phone pricing is known, especially all the idiots on SERO. When will you guys understand that any “flagship” phone Sprint releases won’t be allowed on Sero? And to those other idiots that always say “I’m going to “insert phone carrier here” because they’re not doing it to my liking”…well goodbye losers…see you later…hope your crappy iphone doesn’t drop too many calls……….You know how in every thriller movie there is a scene where somebody cannot get cell phone signal? Well that’s gonna be you if you move to AT&T or Tmobile so good luck. Hasta La Vista!
Speak for yourself buddy!@shatner -
@dkd711 –
I was a bit skeptical about WP7, until I saw one working at a VisualStudio 2010 developer track. The UI is actually pretty slick, and everything is still there, its just a little different. The multitasking is an improvement, and the minimum spec requirement will make developing so much easier. My only reserve on the platform is wether or not the UI can be changed, like the older OS’s
Sprint just couldn’t help themselves. They had a good thing and then they had to make a mess of it. I will definitely not be purchasing this phone. May switch carriers as well. Absolutely not a wise move Sprint.
Why is it only the sero people crying about this? Its so ridiculous that you spoiled sero people who are getting a spectacular deal already are calling foul because your special deal goes up. the truth is even with the $10 extra charge Sprint is still way under the competition. like $500 a year under. I dont know if any other carriers have something like the sero plan but I don’t think so. Just because one person is portraying it as a coolness tax doesnt mean your not also paying for the extra features or better function like the faster processor, bigger screen, VIDEO CONFERENCING etc. You are also investing in the future roll out of 4G(faster and voice and data simultaneously). I could go on and on but the fact is if you don’t like the phone or the price dont get it!! @dishe -
@dkd711 – No you are a joke. Being able to pick up and play where I left off on XBOX 360 is a hot feature and being a gamer I like this. The OS is Slick as heck. Iwas skeptical at first but I am growing tired of WinMO 6.5. Hard to admit it but I am. I don’t see MS locking this down like the iPhone is.
Whaaaaa, A cool tax, Whaaa, I gotta pay a lil more so eight of my free loading buddies can use my unlimited data plan on a sero plan that I conned some sucker into letting me get. Whaaaa, they wanna charge a lil more to me who is paying a ridiculously low amount for what they get. Whaaa, this is so unfair that i am going to say I am leaving Sprint in hopes that they change their mind, when everyone knows I am bluffing.
They could charge you 30dollars exta a month like Blackberry. And go ahead to Verizon and get a Droid so you can pay the 30 extra a month for Android internet. And remember, most people on here are smarter than you think. Your not bluffing anyone.
The coolness tax,
as the spokes person from sprint put it sounds rather sillly.. So what big deal, I’m sure there is more to it than meets the eye.. I am curious to as how well the droid OS really performs. I have a TP2, and before this I had a TP1 and they both have their lag issues/freezes using WM.. The good thing is I didn’t pay anything for my TP2 because the TP1 was a fail on sprints behalf. The Evo looks very nice and has many great features on it, my only complaint thus far would be that “there is no hardware keyboard!” I’d say wait it out till the end of the year around Christmas time. Something better is bound to come out, and they may even waive that stupid 10 dollar “coolness” fee.. You have to remember people this 4g wimax thing is brand new, so of course there will be a premium on it.. Let it settle in and see what happens.. Patience is a virtue.
@j37hr0 –
You will probably have to change your plan to the $79.99 Everything Data
It won’t stop me from getting it. I just hope they are putting that extra $10/month/customer into ramping up their 4G deployment throughout the country, specifically Denver, CO.
Everyone here with a sero plan has a right to complain about sprint charging a “cool tax” on a smartphone that should be available to everyone on sprint as it is a sprint device just as anyone else who has normal sprint plans have the same to the same complaining. I do agree though if sprint is charging this (rediculous as it sounds) 10 dollar fee for the cool factor of the evo then if you are on a sero plan shut up and deal with it everyone has to that has sprint but then again people attacking them, this is a free speech forum and attacking someone saying they’re whining is doing nothing but stooping to their level and im not trying to attack anyone or point the finger at anyone I’m just trying to call it like i see it and i see a sero customer not happy with sprints decision of adding an odd tax to a phone with an even more odd explanation but like someone said its probably got more legitimate reasons beneath the surface of the media. and then i see someone that doesn’t have a sero plan obviously who may or may not be jealous of someone with a sero plan complaining about someone with a sero plan complaining about something that they actually have a legitimate reason to complain. you still following me smart man with the smartphone? in the end what i’m trying to say in all this mumbo jumbo is that every single sprint customer has a right to complain about this tax and this is a post about that tax so why not do it in the comment section of this post and the article clearly asks “What do you think about the ten dollar charge? Is it enough to dissuade you from buying the EVO?” so I’m saying dont flame someone for doing what was asked in the article. and every single customer that is willing to pay 10 dollars extra a month without a reasonable explanation for a phone that only has one feature that is better than other smartphones on the market in the same price range and that is 4g and the $10 isn’t supposed to be for that so then what is it for? coolness? if thats enough to make you spend that kind of money go ahead but if i was on sprint or sprint had good enough coverage in my area and i wanted that phone i wouldn’t get it for this simple fact but that is plain and simply my opinion not the general populations opinion and in the end doesn’t matter because i don’t have sprint anyway but i’m with verizon and deal with the outrageous prices because it’s the only service in my area worth a damn, tmo, att, sprint, cricket, and all the prepaid services have no reception and crappy tech support in my area therefore i’m stuck with no choice but to pay it but if you live in one of the few cities that have 4g coverage and want a cutting edge device with one feature that no one else has (except russia) then i can see going for it but other than those people why get it besides it being a 1ghz snapdragon with a nice screen and microsd cdma same damn phone as any other 1ghz htc phone (imagio, incredible, hd2, etc.) so i dont see the reason to pay the 10 extra a month because no matter which way you look at it all phones have discount pricing with the signing or resigning of a contract so you cant use the lowered price as a reason to throw that money back to sprint or their lower monthly plans than other carriers because thats their choice of pricing not ours so thats ruled out so you look at the plain hard facts their is no legit reason for americans to let cellular providers to walk all over us with bullcrap like this. this is what the sero guy meant i believe not just complaining about one thing. its all the things added up. every service provider has some kind of scam or high pricing or outrageous way of doing things and the question is not whos letting them get away with it or why isn’t anyone (like the gov’t? yeah right) stopping them, but why are we letting them get away with this and why aren’t we stopping them. the only answer i have come up with is most people in their everyday stressful busy lives would rather deal with the bullcrap that these overpayed companies feed us and pay whatever than to say no i dont need this or want this until they make their prices right and deal without a cell phone for the time being. if everyone went back to home phones to show the cellular providers that we DO NOT NEED them. Apparently everyone thinks cellular phones are necessities and in business situations mostly they are but not personal cell phones aren’t needed humans have survived for thousands of years without a damn cell phone so why are we dealing with the outrageous pricing of them? show the cell phone providers that they are not necessities they are luxuries and nothing more and maybe just maybe we will start seeing a change in the future of the cell phone industry to being about what the customer wants and deserves not what the cellphone companies think we need.
oh yeah and i know i’m in a way complaining about someone complaining about someone complaining so i’m in the same boat as everyone else but oh well this needed to be said
end of rant..
i do not apologize for offending anyone with my views and opinions on any matters discussed
t0k1n
From the jist I got, the $10 tax is to cover the massive data throughput new Evo users are going to punishing the network with. To me, thats worth the $10….no other network as of yet has 4G either…I’ve actually see results that show people do more data now, then they use voice on their phones….so do you really think $10 is something to complain about? I don’t. I can see where people are getting bent out of shape about this, because the original post on the main page doesn’t explain in detail what the charge is for. If any of you want to vent or complain, you need to complain about the $30 in taxes you are getting from your state, city and county….that to me is a joke…even my Comcast TV and Internet don’t have that expensive amount of taxes on it….So really…$10 to use 4G speeds in mass quantities..or even an enhanced 3G experince is not that bad of a deal…and for those on the SERO plans, buck up and pay it…or move to a plan that your not cheating the carrier with….stop the bitching.
I wonder if this means that the $10 fee will raise the current cap of 5GB on data. If not this is still a BS charge, but if they raise that cap to 10, 20, or even true unlimited GB then it might make sense.
I do not know why some people are saying they wish that Sprint would simply increase the price of the phone by $240 rather than the $10 a month fee? A better question would be how many people here actually keep a phone for two years in which case the $10 a month comes out to be less expensive.
for all those sero clients:
stop your bitching! you’ve been stealing this service for years now! you know as much as the next person that you should not be on that plan because you got the sero email illegaly.
for the few that got it legally:
stop bitching also! sprint cant survive on scraps when they spent over a billion on upgrading their system to 4g and not to mention the cost to roll it out.
also:
why do you MS haters give thumbs down to anyone that stands up for WM or WP?
Pathetic!
@shatner –
so what you’re saying that when ATT had to cap bandwidth in certain areas of the country for iphone users because of over usage of the bandwidth to download apps written by 2 yr olds was fake?
i oughtta!
lol @ the douche who is negative rep’ing any comment that says they are getting the phone. Downrank actual stupidity, not people who give a response to the question: “Will you still be getting the phone?”
That’s the freaking question, and they are actually answering it, as opposed to your run-on bullshit about why your principals are better then ours.
No matter the reason, this is the price to use this device Sprint has decided upon. No on else is providing this phone, so you pay for it, or you go get an Incredible(for more) or you get an iPhone(for more). No one cares, pay for it or don’t.
I personally will be getting it….why? Because my head isn’t so far up my ass that I can’t still see reason. I’ll be sticking with Sprint regardless of this phone, in the years I’ve been here I finally have a phone option I’m excited about, that’s enough for me.
Again, it’s a service they are providing to you, get it or don’t, but quit thinking others (including Sprint) care about your position.
So basically, let’s all get ready for a $10/month increase on all future smartphone. The Evo is top of the line right now, but I expect other phones to surpass it in terms of specs in the near future. All those phones will have that same $10 fee, won’t they?
Oh well, it’s not like I was gonna get it anyway (SERO).
i have to LOL @ all the people QQing over the 10 more a month !
FFS people you waste more than that on food drink P0rn etc etc a month
please stop the tears and suck it up pay the 10 or move on simple and easy
This is the stupidest excuse I have ever heard for charging extra. Is this article real? Verizon is not charging extra for owning the Incredible and it has almost all the same specs minus 4G. Maybe Sprint should pay me $10 a month because the EVO look even cooler in my hands.
FAIL.
I will NOT be buying the EVO now.
Extra monthly fees for certain hardware, no physical keyboards, censoring content: All the the above were started by Apple/Jobs.
This is why I hope Steve Jobs dies soon.
@tt C6 –
Where do no physical keyboards and censoring content come into play?
All things mandated/started by Steve Jobs/Apple that are now being adopted by other manufacturers/carriers.
Research it.
@tt C6 –
Steve Jobs has 1 phone, the fact that it does not have a keyboard does not dictate a business model, nor are others following him due to choosing to not have one when the options are to a)have one and b)not to have one. It’s not a multi-layered decision. I for one have had a keyboard for the last two years and look forward to ditching it, and my decision has nothing to do with an Apple business strategy believe it or not.
Why are you even giving him credit for having the first phone with no keyboard?
Pa0-
Do some research if you disagree with my post.
FYI: You sound like an arrogant piece of $hit.
@dishe -
I do not think it’s a “cool” tax…regardless of what anyone has said.
It exists in order to pay for the setup/cost of building/expanding 4G towers throughout the country.
$10/month isn’t gonna break my wallet, and I understand have the best of the best comes at a price.
When order plan tickets, you can pay extra for first class service, drinks, comfort, etc.
OR you can get regular seats, like everyone else.
When if you want to be ahead of the game, right when the game begins, it comes at a price.
I have NO problem at all paying $10/month to get an awesome phone with awesome features, and supporting Sprint’s endeavor in becoming the first 4G national carrier. I support them 100%.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t LOVE everything about Sprint, but I am very proud to be a customer for a company whos taking their technology to the next level.
Hell, AT&T barely has their 3G network setup correctly. In about a year, Sprint’s 4G coverage will be more reliable than AT&T’s 3G coverage.
I don’t see it as a “cool tax,” don’t assume that’s what the $10/month is for.
If I’m buying a Mercedes SLK McLaren, I plan on paying for the AMG package, Thanks.
P.S. Some of you are sayuing “I would rather the phone cost more, and the fee become nonexistant.”
In argument, if the EVO 4G ends up a flop, or the features seem unneccesary to you, you can switch phones during your contract and remove the $10/month fee; therefore saving you money. I prefer it that way.
In conclusion, don’t be so quick to judge. Not only is it the first 4G phone, but it’s from the first 4G carrier. Give them a break.
Kyle-
With all due respect, you’re missing the point.
Charging a MONTHLY fee based on what HANDSET you carry is ridiculous.
Service Plans are Service Plans.
Handsets are Handsets.
They should have NOTHING to do with each other.
How would you feel if Comcast called and said they were raising your monthly fee because you bought a new TV?
tt C6-
None taken, I love hearing all the point of views!
But in regards to your suggestion, and to turn it on you, when HDTVs first came out, everyone had to pay extra for HD channels. It’s the exact same thing!
This isn’t just any other handset, it comes with features (4G) no other phones have.
I remember the old days when you had to pay $5/month to get access to ESPN news on your WAP phone. Now it’s free.
Once 4G becomes a standard, I’m sure the fee will disappear; but as for now, it isn’t a standard, and I’m willing to pay more.
@dishe –
You Girls are soo cute with your little frustrations over a measly $10 charge.
Hey really if any of you are about what you are saying come and get my TP2.
The wall just ran into my TP2, shattered the screen and I have a new one coming tomorrow. Really with all the problems and restrictions that we have on our TP2s you will have to be a fool, or maybe you haven’t used any other operating systems, to think that Windows Mobile is worth keeping. I’m not sure Microsoft can do much to Windows 7 to persuade me to stick around. I came from Blackberry OS and my brother has an IPhone. I went to a Verizon store this past weekend to test drive the Incredible and let me tell you NOTHING compares to the Android.
Paying an extra $10 a month just means two less cheese burgers, a few less sodas, or skipping one week of your favorite comic. Whatever the cost I know this phone will be worth it. You couldn’t name a phone out there that can compete. The TP2 freezes and isn’t very responsive to a rapid texter or emailer. The Apps on any Windows mobile device SUCK!!! And on top of that its just murder to consider buying a paper weight like the TP2. If you where to buy it now you would pay $199 after the rebate.
Now lets really think about this $200 for a paper weight that freezes all the time and isn’t very responsive or $200 for the most awesome phone ever. The decision is clear. Suck in your gut fatty and get the best phone invented or be a spectator.
GOD is GREAT!!!
Sprint Everything Data 450-$59.99
Everything Plus™ Data – with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM
Introducing Any Mobile, Anytime, forget about restrictive calling circles. Our Everything Data plans give you unlimited data, messages and calls to any mobile, anytime while on the Sprint Network. That’s access to over 250 million U.S. mobile phones nationwide.
This plan includes
Any Mobile, Anytime: Unlimited domestic calls from the Sprint network to and from ANY U.S. mobile phone regardless of carrier. Any network, any time.
Data: Web surfing, email, GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS)
Direct Connect: Direct Connect and Group Connect (for capable phones)
Messages: Text, pictures and video
Talk: Night calling and weekends starting at 7 p.m., nationwide long distance and no roaming charges
ATT:
Package: Apple iPhone 3GS – 16 GB $199.00
Device: Apple iPhone 3GS – 16 GB – Black
Plan: Nation 450 w/Rollover® Minutes $39.99
Services: Data Plan for iPhone $30.00
Messaging Unlimited $20.00
AT&T Navigator(SM) for iPhone $9.99
So Thats like $100 a month. Somebody say RAPEEEEEE!!!!!!
Verizon:
HTC DROID INCREDIBLE
$199.99
Remove
Nationwide Talk
450 Minutes
$39.99 monthly Change Remove
ONLY 500 messages PLUS Unlimited Mobile to Mobile Messaging – $10.00 /month
Decline Insurance – $0.00
Unlimited Email & Web for Smartphones (personal email). – $29.99 /month
$80 a month.
All of the comp’s nights and weekends start @ 9 but Sprint’s is @ 7. Two extra hours of talk time, the lowest bills, the fastest network, the coolest phone.
No matter what way you try to slice the pickle there is nothing that comes close to this phone. Complain all you want but for the most reliable and the fastest network in the country I’ll take the EVO!!!
Ok I been with sprint for 12 years, so I’ve been waiting on a good phone from sprint for awhile. Now I will not see 4G in my area until next year..hoping, so I’m stuck with 3G but most of the time its crappy 1x where I live in this several block radius in the middle of Detroit. So for the same crappy 1x data I have to pay the same as someone who is in a 4G area and getting their 4G rich experience.
Let me get this strait, $200 to buy the phone and a two year contract(which does not seem to be good enough anymore for these greedy cell companies), and $10 a month or $120 a year lease on top of that just to have the EVO… that will only work when I am in my own wifi or a hotspot.
Now I plan to get the phone when it comes… like I said, I’ve been waiting a long time..but if my so called “EVO rich experience” is no different than my Samsung moment experience.. Im taking it back and perhaps changing carriers!
El-shoddy-
You call men little girls, then you have the nerve to end with “God is Great”?
Don’t you really mean “allahu akbar”.
The same thing cowards yell right before they kill innocent civilians?
Take you hypocrisy to where the 911 hijackers are right now and enjoy the flames.
AHAHAHAHA! Go in, activate another phone, fix ur account payment, then re-activate your damn EVO yourself. Fuggin sprint.
To all SERO complainers:
1. Wait until EVO gets hacked/rooted
2. Buy a used EVO
3. Change ESN to a SERO compatible phone (CDMA workshop, etc.)
4. ?????
5. PROFIT.
@nitussi – And that is another area where Sprint excels. If you arent satisfied within the first 30 days, you can return the phone and get your money back for the month of service as well as the price of the phone with no termination fee.
I dont see this as a “cool tax.” I see this as $10 a month for unlimited 3g or 4g data, which includes tethering when this gets rooted. Add that to the fact that this is a killer phone and froyo (Android 2.2) is going to have built in usb and wifi tethering and flash support, I’m surprised that Sprint isn’t charging more for the EVO. (See AT&T’s $30 iphone data plan.)
lol @banden -
lmao @mastahc411
thats the same stuff terrorists use to hide their identities and what cloners do as well… all which can land u in prison.
@tehdefiant1 –
No one is going to prosecute someone who clones a phone they legally own, on an account they legally own, who is not invloved in a criminal exnterprise.
To clarify: My rant above (which by the way, got 28 ‘thumbs up’ votes) had nothing to do with the fact that I currently have SERO. So, let’s just get that out of the way.
My Sero status is merely a coincidence, and I only mentioned in order to illustrate a concept. If I didn’t have Sero, I’d have a standard fair & flex family plan with data, and still have the same problem with Sprint’s policies. If all you got out of my 8+ paragraph debacle was “Oh, here comes another SERO whiner”, then you’ve clearly missed my point. Stop being jealous of other peoples’ plans, and look at the bigger picture here.
Did anyone here actually say they expected it to work with Sero? Gosh. You people have a Pavlovian response to that particular 4 letter word!
You know what, I was just going to leave it at that, but I think some folks need to hear all the details.
The fact of the matter is, many people who have decided to use Sprint (despite their period of notorious customer support a few years back) have done so because their plans were simple and affordable. Their plans all made sense, and they didn’t really differentiate between smartphone, standard phone, 3G capable, or anything like that (with the exception of Blackberry, since it requires a subscription to a BB server).
To this day (last I checked), there still remains a staggering percentage of Sprint users who are not on their new “everything” plans. This includes corporate accounts, family plans, and legacy users who have been tweaking their plans over the years until they get one that fit just right for their needs. I’m not even going to mention the tiny percentage of SERO users who really don’t even make a dent in he subscriber base. These are legitimate people with legitimate advertised plans (by the way, many people seem to have forgotten that SERO was open to the public for a while, no special tricks needed, as a ploy to bring up their numbers at the end of a quarter. Think about that before you claim so many people got it “illegally”). Then the Instinct came out and shook up everything. The phone flopped, fair enough, but it introduced to Sprint the concept of forcing users to purchase a plan that included things, even if you didn’t want them (GPS, Sprint TV, picture messaging, etc).
Then, this awful trend continued with the Palm Pre, and continued with their Android phones that followed.
Why are users complaining? Well, lets see- imagine someone who has been using Palm Treos with the standard $15 data plan for the better half of a decade. They don’t text, they don’t listen to music… they’re happy with their service, does everything they want/need, and they buy a new phone when the current model is obsolete. Suddenly, Palm OS ends with the Centro. “Ok, I’ll just move on to their cool new WebOS… Wait, what do you mean I have to give up my plan? What’s wrong with my plan? No, I don’t want to pay more for the same service! Why can’t I have my old plan exactly? Yes, I see, telenav is nice, but I my company car has a built in Nav… yes, I understand I’ll be able to send as many picture messages as I want, but I only use 100 texts a month- I just want the same service I’ve had until now!”
I actually witnessed this conversation while playing with some display models in a Sprint corporate store near me. These weren’t SERO users, or people who work the system for cheap plans. These were actually the bread and butter of Sprints’ customers (I recall hearing that everything plans made up a mere 10-20% of their subscribers only). Will these folks switch to another carrier? Probably not. Maybe. The fact of the matter is, the Pre didn’t take off as much as it should have, and I know a LOT of people who were itching to get one before it launched.
In fact, out of the 10 Palm fanbois that I work with daily, only one decided to get the Pre and switch his plan. The others just stuck with what they had. My brothers are on a family plan with unlimited data, and stuck with the Touch Pro and Treo Pro because to switch the whole family to an Everything plan would cost significantly more (and only 1 person really wants one of the new phones, so its not fair to make everyone pay more).
My point is, even forgetting about Sero completely, Sprint is alienating a large percentage of their current/legacy user base with phone-specific rules. Adding a $10 charge on top of that is just adding insult to injury.
Let’s look at history for a moment: They thought the Instinct was cool enough to force people into new plans, and they were wrong. They thought the Pre was cool enough. They were wrong, again. They think the EVO could finally do it. And maybe they’re right this time (I’ll admit, its the first phone I’ve considered switching to a new plan for), but then they had to go and announce an ADDITIONAL $10 fee.
I think we can all agree Sprint royally messed up marketing the Pre. Its a shame, because WebOS deserves to be recognized and I know a lot of people who would have bought one and re-signed their contract, had it been treated the same as a Treo.
Personally, I think they would sell more of these EVOs (and lock more current users into new contracts) without the additional charge.
So, in a nutshell, not only do I think the $10 tax is a sensationally BAD idea, I also think Sprint needs to fire their marketing consultants.
For one, I think the fee needs to be properly explained. They say it is not for 4g, but don’t call it a “cool tax.” I think that is really what is pissing a lot of people off. If they explain exactly what that fee is for, much more people would be ok with it. I understand people are upset over it and those people have a choice, DON’T BUY THE PHONE! But I don’t think this should be a reason to switch carriers? Where will you go? One fact that can’t be denied is that even with the $10 fee, Sprint is still the cheapest option. And while that fact may not justify the fee, my pockets can’t withstand going to another carrier and paying more in protest.
@dakidobf – See, I love when people say stuff like that… the truth is, I’m paying MORE on Sprint now than I was on T-Mobile for my 2 lines about 3 years ago. And I have SERO.
My wife doesn’t use many minutes (most of them are just to call each other), so I had a 600 min voice plan (450 min family plan + 150 loyalty min for sticking around with them 4 years) for $49.99, plus $4.99 unlimited t-zones data. That means my monthly plan for all the minutes I needed plus unlimited data on my phone was $55+ tax.
I left T-mobile because of coverage and lack of 3G, and Sprint seemed to have pretty competitive pricing for more stuff.
If I weren’t happy with Sprint, I wouldn’t still be here. But its crap like this that makes me wonder. No, I’m not leaving, I never said I was. But I’m not resigning my contract, which means if something competitive comes along (like another promotional T-mobile rate and a sweet HD2), I can’t say what I would do… :/
@mnjparks I think I actually spoke for a quite a few people. THANKEE!
Anyhow, to avoid the Coolness Tax, which I think would best be renamed stupid tax, I will wait on this phone. About this time next year my contract comes due and I will also be adding a line. The Evo, if it is actually as cool as speculated (enough to justify fining users for it’s purchase) will be just as topical and relevant as the iphone was 12 months later. If not a new phone with a 20 megapixel 3D camera, 4ghz Nanodragon processor, and 4.4″ electro-organic holographic display will be out with a $12.00 Coolness Fine attached to it. I will then buy it and re-up or slide into a new plan for far less than the rest of the drooling first adopters of what will be a 12 month antiquated phone. After all the Hero is 49.00 now and the TP2 is 200.00 so here’s to waiting, and hopefully waiting out the stress of dealing with the Coolness Tax.
Shatner, the problem is they never backed down on the Palm Pre or Hero’s plans restrictions… what makes you think they’ll back down on this? No, I think this is a new policy, and pretty soon all new “hot” devices will have it.
@tt C6 –
the “don’t charge for a handset type” argument is kind of bogus. if you’ve had a BB device, you have a handset specific charge. Albeit a “class” of handset, but the charge is still because you have a BB instead of a regular smartphone.
Hello, I have the Sprint SERO $99 plan where I can’t leverage the Mogul.
I want to upgrade to this phone, but what is Sprint doing for me
where I’ve paid EVO like prices for the Mogul already?
@miguelberrios76 –
No I’ll be able to switch to the family plan, I’m already paying for a $59.99 Everything Plus, and two $30 Sero, and another $45 Cricket plan. I’ll consolidate them all into a Family plan on sprint 1600 or whatever (upgrade the Everything Plus plan) I’ll still be paying $150 a month in cell phone bills for the girlfriend and her spawn.
the hell with the evo once sprint switches to LTE no more wimax and the evo is dead and no one else is goin to charge 10 bucks extra
this will not keep me from getting the phone——i want it so bad i can TASTE IT, but then again i doubt i will be actually “tasting ” it because after paying for such a phone i think spit would ruin it, then again there may be an app for that–oh dear did i just step on iphone’s lil slogan?? lol—-anyways, i dont think that the $10 dollar charge is too much, if you can afford the phone then who cares about the extra charge, if its a problem then get a cheaper phone and STFU—problem solved
Wow, it is sick how hateful some of the people are on here who did not get in on the original sero plans. I am no criminal so please keep your snotty comments to yourself. I got my info from the sprint forums from a sprint employee who said ANYONE could use his email to enroll. It’s such obvious blind jealousy because I guarantee anyone paying $30 a month currently would be sad about switching up to pay another $40 a month. That said, I think we all knew that the original sero would not fly with this as it already hasn’t with any new of the nicer new phones for a while now.
One thing to note is that it sounds like most people are under the impression you have to move to the standard everything plan for $69.99/month + $10.00/month for the Evo. I am on the og sero plan and I just called in to customer service and they actually will keep you on at least the new Sero plan (which sucks in comparison, yes, but is is something at least) which comes out to $59.99/month + $10.00/month. Basically, existing Sero will customers can move to the Evo for $10 a month less than others on standard plans.