Sprint HTC Evo 4G First Impressions
Well everyone, today is the big day lots of you have been waiting for. The Sprint HTC Evo 4G is finally available in stores! There's been plenty happening in our Evo forums here, but we want your feedback!
What has your experience been like with the Evo? Was ordering and purchasing smooth? Are you happy with the hardware? What about those of you that switched from Windows Mobile to Android; are you happy you did?
We're hearing that the Sprint and retail reps have been informed to perform the OTA update before letting you leave, which might not allow you to root the phone with the current method available. What was your experience with this?
Give us the dirt! Some of our staff will be getting this phone too, but we want to hear from the users!
© 2010, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.
I have not had the chance to get into the phone to much just yet but it is very smooth compared to my TP2. Did not pre-order but found one available at Shack. Purchasing was rough due to Sprint’s system getting hit with activations, took about an hour to get through everything for an upgrade, new activations with ported numbers were taking much longer. I did not see or hear anything about an OTA update so I will be trying to root my phone before days end.
Yeah…Best Buy told me to go home because Sprint’s network was “down” and I could come back tomorrow! ??????????????
My daughter and I went to a corporate store and messed around with one. There were dozens of people there. I asked her which one she liked better, my TP2 or the Evo. She said the Evo, but I still couldn’t bring myself to buy one. I mean what does she know, she’s only 9!
I went to best buy and was going to upgrade today, but once i saw the phone in person ITS HUGE its very unattractive its almost stupid big. I was turned off by how bit it is. my sister held it up to her ear as if she was talking on it and it was almost as big as her head.
WOOOOOW!!!!! I can’t put it down!!!!!!!!! I Am Inlove with this phone…. I Have Named it the Iphone Killa
Got mine…I like it…..I love…I want more of it, as soon as I get to play with it more…what a change from WinMo
I too went to the sprint store today, I played with the phone for about 5 mins. It wasnt a live version but right out of the box so no data. I only have 3g in my area here so there’s no expectations there anyhow.
But I’m agreed with one of you above the phone is HUGE, it really didnt look as good as inticipated due to its size. The phone itself (in my 5mins) did respond very fast and the capacitive touch screen cannot be beat. . So in ending purian sits undecided at the moment !
My previous phone was a Touch Pro2. I hated this device from the beginning. The Evo is my first Android phone and I absolutely love it. Great screen size!!! At first, I felt that I had an iPad next to my ear. But, I have gotten used to it. I showed it to a few iPhone users and now they are envious. Its about time an iPhone user became envious of a phone other than another iPhone. Kudos to HTC on the phone.
Now, if I could run Hulu on the phone I would be set.
I was initially going to try to get to the shop where I pre-ordered before 5pm est. but since I woke up early I called to check and the rep said come on in now if you can. Stood in line for short while. Once they were ready, around 8am, they started letting 9 people in at a time. Everyone was excited and talking about the phone, exchanging concerns and such.
Once I got in, I went to the display and also thought “oh, man that’s just too big”. It was very speedy, looked great, but then I remembered once again, this is a medium between portable and tablet. I was seconded guessing my upgrade. It was my turn. While the rep transfered the contacts from 3 other phones to new EVOs from the last customer, he took my info and had me up and running in about 20mins. Meanwhile he took the people behind me too. He asked me to go to setup and check for updates. Said ok you’re ready..
He did make me buy an accessory. I had to use a credit card, instead of putting it on account and he did switch my plan. Once I got to work, I just called eCS and had them fix it. All this time the phone in my hand starting rapidly growing on me. At work I installed the usual goodies and tested a few video calls with Fring. I wear my phone in a G1 pouch in my pocket, I am paranoid about knocking into anything now with the fear of nicking the screen
All and all very nice experience, very happy with the phone and expected this type of service from Sprint, as of late they been getting really good at it. Oh, I was also surprised to see 2 other store managers at the location I went to, in particular because they were both from another county/city – I guessed Sprint got all their people on this roll out.
@clockcycle – Ahh, what an experience, thanks for dropping that video call app
I love the EVO got it today only waited an hour and I must say I don’t think I’ll ever go back to windows mobile. I love it I can’t put it down, very smooth, and yes it is a little large but I’ll get used to it.
OMG I LOVE THIS PHONE ONLY WAITED ABOUT 25MINS FOR IT…SO MUCH BETTER THAN IPHONE AND WM
i got mine after 2 hours. great phone yay
I lived in Houston and went to three Sprint stores. All three locations were sold out of HTC EVOs. At the store, I played around with the demo and brought my Ipod Touch 32GB 3rd Generation for speed and size comparison. The EVO is only slightly bigger and thicker than the Ipod Touch; tested 4g speed via speedtest.net and got 3-4mb download and 0.4-0.8mb upload; video streaming and camera picture quality are excellent; and apps opened instantly! I immediately went home and ordered the HTC EVO online! When you ordered online through Sprint there is no upgrade charge ($18), no activation fee ($36) and no shipping charges. However, you must do a mail in rebate ($100) and wait patiently for the phone to arrive.
just got mine from best buy. funny thing was that last week i checked my $150 upgrade eligibility online and it said i had to wait until august 1 to qualify. but today they said i could receive the $150 off (which also qualifies me for the $100 instant) so i only had to pay the $199.99 + tax
the phone is great. smooth as butter. still haven’t found a way to sync my contacts with outlook (either i don’t have the correct version of htc sync or it’s not syncing). i did make a gmail account earlier this morning and saved my contacts there but the pictures aren’t saved =( i wish there was a myphone app for android
everything else is working great! this phone is definitely a keeper!
Simply put I <3 <3 <3 mine!!!!!!!!!!
oh and i’m not sure if people knew this but the evo uses a new charger (no longer mini usb). when i got it from best buy the eco-friendly box only came with the phone, manual and a house charger. no case. no screen protector. best buy sells a package that includes an invisa shield screen-only protector that they install for you, a plastic case that only wraps around the side and back and a car charger for $50 + tax. i’m planning to buy a screen protector on ebay and hopefully i can find an adapter that connects to my universal car charger. if anybody knows if any existing device/phone uses the same charger as the evo could they let me know? =p
i was 6th in line at 6 30 a.m. the store mgr was nice n offered us drinks as we waited.i have a bill to account so the purchase was smooth. i loved the fact that this phone is directed towards new customers.i got a rreally big kick from seeing people in line with their iphones. kuddos to sprint n htc.
sorry, but who ever mentioned the word “iphone” got a thumbs down from me.
congrats to all that got the evo and having a ball with it!
Im sure i will be experiencing that type of happiness when i get my hands on the first wp7
Other than hardware, how is this device better than a wm device software wise? I mean, in like two months there should be a Android 2.2(Froyo) port for the TP2, I’ve been able to wifi share my internet from my TP2(which is 3.5G speeds on sprint) to multiple computers, and the Android software for viewing/editing Microsoft Office docs cost $30.00 in the app store. My impression of Android is that it is just a simplified OS made for people that don’t know how to do remedial things on WM. One guy up there even said he doesn’t know how to sync his contacts with Google, but yet his opinion of the phone is valid? How can someone who couldn’t do basic things on WM give a accurate account of which OS is better. It is all a matter of opinion, but I’d rather have the opinion of the experts vs. people that can’t even do simple registry edits, put the correct info in the correct field, or even find the settings menu in on their device.
p.s. Video calling isn’t gonna be useful to 95% of the people that buy this phone considering that most people don’t even video chat on computers often, let alone on a phone. You only gonna use it with other people that have the SAME phone.
phone is great but not happy that i can’t internet share and use it for wi fi with my macbook without now paying $30/month more!
@Mike G. – LMAO! You’re rediculous.
Your sister has an abnormally small head.
@HTC_TOUCH89 -
@Mike G. – What the hell are you talking about? Have you ever even used an android handset? I have been a die hard winmo fan for a very long time, I have also been a member of this very sight for 4 years as well and I have learned so much about using winmo devices and tweaking them. A lot of winmo users are generally more advanced because they have no choice but to be if they want their phones to run they way they need it to. I got my evo this morning at 7am and I have been using the hell out of it all day and it does everything winmo does but the big difference is that it does those same things a whole hell of a lot faster than any winmo phone can imagine. With every winmo phone I have had, as soon as it hits my hand, I want to tweak it or flash a new rom but with this phone I am not even thinking about anything else other than how amazing this phone and OS really is.
I love it! I got mine at 7 This morning from an eerily dead radio shack, they didn’t even have all their music turned on. I dont regret at all switching from my TP2. I might miss an app or two but thats it. The hardware on this is amazing. It feels so thin and it doesn’t seem too big in my hand or pocket.
It uses a micro-usb charger, i think that’s going to be the new industry standard.
my altec lansing bluetooth stereo headphones use this plug, so when i trade my teepee2 for the eevo, i’ll be using my existing chargers.
Happy EVO-ing all. =D
@pwnsicle -
@themuffinman –
so you blame lack of hardware on WinMo, i see how that works now….
i used the hd2 demo and it’s blazing fast. plus winmo is a true operating system while the other are stripped down version of linux/unix.
there is no comparison when it comes to OS, WinMo is best on the market, but the hardware is lacking to run it smoothly. it’s like those morons that install vista or win 7 on a pentium pro based system.
This phone is incredible! And my purchase experience was perfect. I called ahead around 11am. Rep informed me that they had 4 in stock. He then OFFERED to hold one for me! I got there…packed store. I spoke and asked for the rep by name and was helped immediately. Went through the usual purchase/setup/activation. I was out of there in 15 minutes. Voice and 3G worked immediately. 4G took about 30 minutes to kick in. In short…my experience has been almost superstar quality. Not my usual experience with Sprint. I guess they REALLY didn’t wanna effup this launch…:) Now, leave me alone…I’m trying to play with my EVO.
lol, i got a negative because i think WinMo is better.. damn fanboys
Well the guys and myself camped out…. started bout 5.30 pm for two.. and I show’d up at 1145.. we each had 30 mins of sleep. and on had the 4g hot spot I brought the ac/dc converter we had 4 laptops going on all the EVO 4G forums an igloo full of refreshments. we were 1st to 5th in line.. the manager Bill show’d up about 6.45 with doughnuts water juice and taco’s.. what a blast I love the phone.. and number two guy traded his iPhone in for 150 bucks said hes never going back.. Oh yeahhh wow sooo FAST…
@npatel8 – Exactly my opinion as well. I couldnt be happier.
does anyone know the steps to setting up skype using fring?
OH SNAP! I had one today in my hands and played with it for a while. I made calls and all. Love it! But gawdam! Its as big as my head!
I picked mine up today. Activated it. Left sprint. Tried to use it. No joy! I took it back and it took 4hrs for them to fix it.
I am trying to figure out how to use the mobile hotspot feature the soul reason I bought it. I keep getting a error 67.
I see this is gonna get more in depth than I thought so I can use it as such.
Pros:
Nice screen!
Easy to navigate
Cons:
Wont stream flash or hulu
Cant access feature advertised.
got it at 830am and still havent out it down. i first put in my TP2 Battery (was charged about half way) gave me a good 3/4 hours of app download & playing.
i love the phone like i got more then expected, my tp is now my mistress and my evo the 1st lady hahaha
i put a 720P bluray rip of equilibrium and its just amazeing.
I loooooooove the phone, but had the experience from hell! LOL! Well, not really, just that I got to the Best Buy at 10am for an 11am appt, hoping I’d get set up a bit earlier, as I had to be at work at noon. Nope, the manager said I probably wouldn’t get set up much before that. Ok, well the Sprint rep said he’d give me a $25 credit for being patient. Cool!
Well, it went downhill from there… No sooner is it my turn, at a few minutes before 11, than the servers go down and pretty much STAY down, with momentary up times for the next TWO HOURS AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES!! YIKES!!! The guys couldn’t do anything! They tried phoning in orders, but we wouldn’t get the upgrade credit or anything, just charged the full price! They were trying, but it wasn’t their fault – Sprint’s servers were overloaded and their hands were tied. We were all pretty cool except one jerk who was making a fuss and cursing, as if only HIS time was valuable. “I’m on the clock at work and have to get out of here!” Well, bucko, that’s YOUR problem, for leaving work to get a phone! I was going to be VERY late for work and told him so, that we were all in the same boat and he wasn’t the only one!
I bought a Seidio case with a 10% discount given and they also gave us a Plantronics 230 bluetooth for free. Not bad.
When I FINALLY got it all worked out, I thanked the guys and wished them luck and that I’d say a prayer for them! LOL! It was really bad for them, but it seemed to FINALLY settle down. I was in the store for almost 4 hours! Sheesh!
I got a major complaint: LINKS IN EMAILS AREN’T CLICKABLE! UNREAL! Am I missing something? A setting or something?
Haven’t decided to buy it yet. I love the large screen. But I am unsure if I will be able to use some of the stuff you guys have talked about (ie hulu, msoffice.)
hulu blocks the streaming videos on flash lite devices. When full flash 10.1 comes to Android, hulu will likely work then. It’s not the EVO it’s hulu blocking it. By the way, what’s a iPhone???!!! I dunno but I sure know what HTC EVO is! The best phone period.
I am one lucky SOB! I was told I’d have to wait for the 2nd shipment at BB. Being the impatient child that I am I went to the store at 7 PM anyway and got mines! They had one pre-orderer cancel so I got his phone.
I was in/out in @ 40 minutes but that includes my Zagg install (no charge for the install btw). I also got 500 Reward Zone points and a free Plantronics headset due to a promotion. If you are a Zone member the deal is on their site.
WOW. This device is amazing! I’m no expert but I did learn enough about winmo to do some rudimentary cooking. This device and the OS just rock! Yes there was a lot of network traffic yesterday but I was fully functional by 10PM.
I did the OTA fix. I know I lost the ability to root but I also know the real pros will get it back soon enough. The OTA fixed the SD issue too. It downloaded and installed lightning quick.
Like someone else said the OS is kicking butt without tweaks so I’ve got plenty of time to learn the basics then root/mod Froyo….if needed. The screen is gorgeous, I’m in WVGA, multi-touch love. Typing on the SIP is breeze ESP in landscape!
Consider me a happy convert.
@themuffinman – As a matter of fact, I’m using the SAME OS you’re using on that Evo 4G. Only differences are that mine is still a work in progress versus your’s being a finished product and I have Android 2.1 running through WM from a storage card like a mere application while you will never get any other OS on your device but the one you have.
This community was built for people that enjoy tweaking their devices to get optimal performance. Why else would the same people visit everyday? It’s a way of life. Android is simplified as I said in my initial post. If you don’t want to tweak things or flash custom rom’s to get improvements for your device, maybe WM(and ppcgeeks) just isn’t for you.
A stock android can’t do as much as a stock WM. Not even close in my opinion. It’s only near equal in capabilities once rooted. So if you really think that your stock Evo 4G is better than a TP2 running a custom rom’s software, you don’t have to worry about tweaking phones. You should be worried about your tweaking brain.
love it and recommend the skyfire app for browsing and using flash to watch videos. its free
coming from so many other roms via wm 6.5 with sense 2.5 – i am happy with the change and also the speed of the device.. the screen size doesnt bother me- its a given that the reviews stated the increase over a iphone being 30%. cant wait till froyo 2.2 – only thing i miss is a bubble style messaging. but glad i dont have to tweak my wm phone every other 2 weeks to get a visual enhancement. mobile hot spot is also a HUGE plus for me. my family is big skype users and the front facing camera is a great tool along with FRING being free.
only downfall is the battery life- its not a hog but with all the things i am currently doing with the phone it doesnt last long- but then again like i said coming from downloading customs roms – they were also battery hogs so its no bother to me currently .
@Mike G. – Dude, I dunno how long you’ve been around, but themuffinman has been around a very long time and contributed tons to this community in the way of support and tweaks and such. You need to dial your hostility back a few notches, and quite frankly if you don’t like the Evo, that’s completely fine, but your original post is a pretty childish attack. Take muffinman’s post, for example, he didn’t trashtalk anyone or anything, all he did was point out that Android has a lot of strengths.
I can’t even fault him on that… Hell, I’m a die-hard Microsoft supporter and Google hater, and I have faithfully used Windows Mobile in spite of my growing interest to Android having used them a lot at work recently. I’m waiting to see what Windows Phone 7 brings, but if I don’t like the first round of WP7 devices, Evo is on my short list of alternatives right now, because it’s got the hardware form I want and the features I require.
Evo.best phone i ever owned.the batery is the worst ever.thar was done like every other phone.no battery no jamming up there network.always ben the plan on every phone.why dothink htc doesn’t sell big batteries.they can’t.i am buying a biger one.ol charlote n.c.c 4g garbage.weak signal.apps will not use it.phone never finds it on it’t own.i turned it off for good.and no $30. Hot spot scam either.but for phone it self like a rocket.ol bill gares you can have my htc touch pro 2.well i sold it yesterday $150.00 on charlotte n.c. craigslist.evo only set me back$50.00.hey bil gates keep loosing market shares from bad software.google zoms by.
My neighbor has the evo and I played with it a few hours. I must admit that the device is impresive but I am going to stick with my HD2. I dont want to make the same mistake again of leaving winmo for another OS like I did when I bought the iphone. While I can admit that winmo has been a buggy OS all these years nothing can match its versatility. While android seem to be the next big thing I am going to let it mature a little more before I invest in it.
These are just my thoughts and for those who bought the evo, enyoy your device.
Had a TP before I got my EVO and hated it. I love this phone! Everything so far has worked better than I thought it would. Will not be going back to Winmo anytime soon..
@MikeG
android on WM is nothing compared to android on the evo, i know i come from having android on SD on my touch pro 2 as well. on touch pro theres no sound, bluetooth, we just got gps, to where my evo has sound, bluetooth,gps, and for once everything works write out the box unlike my 6700,mogul, touch pro and touch pro 2. sadly i got bored with the stress that comes with windows mobile and android hasn’t given any stress at all.
Man This is the best thing since the light bulb!!!!!!!! I have really ben enjoying this Droid experience!!!!! For as the size!!!! I don’t know what they are tripping about!!!!! thats the point of it all!!!!! LOL!!!! ( Size does matter) And who holds an smart phone up to their ear!!!!! the word of today is BLUE TOOTH!!!!!! HTC!!!! For LIFE!!!!!!
@Mike G. – Look, I am all for customising, as a matter of fact I still have my ppc6700, diamond and tp1 that I still flash from time to time just for the hell of it and since I just semi-retired my tp2(currently running mightyrom) I will start doing other things with that as well, but I am also one that needs something to be reliable. How many times have you had to soft reset in a day and don’t say none because we all have been there. I been using my evo for two days straight and its still just as responsise as when I first took it out the box. You sit there and talk like the android o/s raped your mother or something, sheesh. There have been so many times that winmo have been there for me and there are so many times that winmo has failed me for one reason or another. In any case let me ask you a question, if windows is so great then why are you even trying to run a port of android on your winmo phone? Yes I know you gonna say “because you can” but whats the point if its an inferior product? Now personally I still love winmo but the reality is there hasn’t been that much progress at all over the years. I mean seriously is my ppc6600 or ppc6700 really that different from my tp2 other htc sense? I mean seriously thats like a 5 or 6 year span of basically the same stuff just slightly different hardware. Now look at android that has been out only over the last few years, look at the progress that it has made in such a relatively short period of time compared to the compitition. I am a business man and I travel often and I need a reliable phone that works when I want it to and when I need it to, especially if I simply don’t have the time to be tweaking like I could if I was sitting at home everyday.
Also, when winmo 7 comes out I will be all over that as well and if I like it I will sell my evo and if I don’t I will keep my evo. I am not on androids nuts or winmos nuts I am looking for productivity thats it and android is doing that for me a llot better than winmo at this point.
P.S I am sleep as hell so sorry for any typo’s
Hopefully I get mines next week,( I HAVE AN UPGRADE) I got the hero, bought the tp2 , now since the evo is out I got to get my hands on it…..
Just came to Evo from the Touch Pro.
Android > Windows Mobile
I’ll never give up mah SERO!!! noesssssssss
what I really love is when a NEW device comes out and it’s the greatest thing ever it tops all current devices and future ones? Come on guys im sure the phone is nice but to sit here and say it’s better than Winmo,iphone and all others is insane since that is strictly your opinion. But when someone says they perfer Winmo or iphone we get backlash. I’ve heard iphone killer #12 thats right #12 because every new whatchamacallit is the iphone killer but never seems to get the job done so bring on #13. Ive heard its fast im sure it is its a new device touting the newest hottest processor and the most Ghz’s. Only til the next Google collaboration in a month from now. Or that new 1.5 Ghz phone comes out that I read about a few days ago. To be honest this and every device like it is old the day it hits your hands and to shout to the heavens that it tops all is crazy. The new iphone hasnt been released yet and its old just like the Droid, N1, Incredible, EVO. Oh btw whoever said it was “incredible” has to restate that the names already been taken. Go ahead give me a neg comment thats the least I’d expect. But thats just my opinion.
@Aukutsutsu –
you wish
@PhyscoAssassinx –
incorrect! winmo worked fine out of the box. the only time things did not work is when you flashed custom roms and had to get fixes.
honestly and all fanboy crap aside, winmo is just better and you know this. the only reason you’re excited about android is because it’s new and different which is cool by me. you guys complained about winmo looking blah and titanium came out to make it look better and still complained. when you removed/disable sense on an android device it look blah, but you’re very cool with android blah (which is just disgusting all around)??
let’s face it, you guys just don’t like MS, it has nothing to do with their OS, it’s just hate towards a company that just rules the computerized world.
the other piece of information you might want to keep in mind is that when you sync all your contacts to google, you have given them the right to sell their info and yours as well. why do you think they give the OS for free? seriously, are you people that uneducated when it comes to what google is really all about? they are laughing at you at google right now and saying look at all the info these people are giving us without even realizing it.
as soon as google gets more info from you from your device, they will put it on the web for all to see. they keep track of everything you do, just look at your inbox everytime you do searches on google and how magically things that you searched for all of the sudden start popping up as spam in your mailbox. I’m not even pointing out the crap that pops up on gmail either. notice how google has not even attempted to get outlook client to sync?? they want everyone to get on gmail, which is the worst email system there is so they can extract your personal info and your contacts info. soon they will have the ability to save photos to the contact simply because when they do post that persons info they realize they need a photo for identity.
be happy, but don’t try to educate intelligent people about the differences between a company that is trying to probe every part of your life to a company that just wants you connected and be productive out of the box.
10 years down the road, you will look back at what i said and understand.
ps: as for the statement “it’s as if android raped your mom”, it’s actually a very true statement, but they are raping everyone of their personal information.
I have not given up not going with it; however, reading the initial comments about how long it takes many to get use to the software keyboard is a concern. Entering lots of data right now and taking 2 weeks or more to “love it” is a concern. A keyboard would be nice for those of us that do data entry and lots of email. We also speak of dependability. Just a note here, my TP2 is dependable. No resets. No problems. Moving though will cost me the use of HanDBase and the purchase of a capable spreadsheet that really ought to be there, especially if this is suppose to be a “business” device. The downside when I tried one: typing on it was a disaster and the woman showing it to me also made a few typos and she has one.
I got my Diamond set up pretty nicely. No software issues anymore, and great battery life. The Diamond does have it’s Hardware issue which I can’t do anything about, except replace it under TEP. I have a plan which restricts me from getting any new devices except Windows. I will also wait for Windows 7, so I can upgrade.
I will also wait to see how the EVO reviews are…….once the Dust settles, and the ‘New Car Smell’ dissipates.
@PhyscoAssassinx – It’s stress to you, but it’s fun for many. With the level of these custom roms on the tp2, I rarely have to fix anything after flashing. Even with the Android having a great ” fresh out of the box” experience, I would still need it rooted to get most of the features I want in a phone. Everything I’m saying is purely MY opinion.
@themuffinman – I run a port of android on my phone partially for the reason you stated, just do show off what WM can do versus the competitors. The main reason being that Microsoft lacks some of the more visually appealing apps like the NBA scores app for example. Sure I can get the same info on WM just as easily, it’s just not as pretty or well laid out. Therefore, I use the android port for a best of both world’s feel.
All I’m getting from this is that Android fan’s are the people tired of working towards a certain type of performance or look for their devices and would just prefer to install a app that will do it for them. True WM fan’s enjoy having complete control over the system and pride themselves on the work they’ve done to reach the end output of a versatile device capable of handling strenuous business task. This is why people are so weary of WP7 being locked down. When Android has a free alternative for editing Office files, free stealth wifi tethering, complete Flash support and can run WM from a SD card so the user can use Windows features as well, then I’ll be impressed. Visuals and a healthy app market just aren’t enough for me, sorry.
For those of you wondering, I’ve been using WM since Nextel’s i930 was first released. were talking like 6 or 7 years. My transition for this OS to another may be a little harder to persuade that the next guy.
My best friend bought a TP as his first WM phone and traded it in for a weak ass Blackberry after two months, saying it had glitches and he didn’t even try flashing a custom rom. His transition was easier that mine. Of course after I showed him what was possible to correct his issues, he felt stupid for trading in a $300 dollar phone for a $89.99 phone. His girlfriend has a Hero and it’s no comparison between that and my TP2.
HD2 running EnergyRom >>>> Stock Evo 4G
I LOVE THIS PHONE!!!! they said the network was down but the rep gave me her card to call and check before they closed—-30 minutes later she actually called me and told me to come to the store, i had 30 minutes to get there, i finally show up with 5 minutes prior to the door being locked–WIN!!! she set me up and i had my phone just in time for the night. im a party promoter so i used Ustream that night as well as twitter to get everyone to the party—it was amazingly fast, no force closes and the battery lasted the whole night…..WIN WIN WIN!!
Well I got HTC Evo yesterday, so far the only real issue’s I have with this device is the common HTC issue batterie life, I also think they need to tweak the cam more coming from the Hero 2.1 firmware made the cam on the Hero way better than before now that I have a more powerful device with killer specs, and yet the Hero’s Cam seems better…….. however the 3G on this is impressive
Another thing does this device use the same battery as the Hero?
@Mike G. – I made the switch to android but I do have to admit win mo in my opinion is way easier to tweak, however being that I have google everything it makes sense to have an android device
funny how everyone compares it to the tp2 when there is a clear indication that the EVO is going to run smoother because of the hardware that is in it…
I am personally sticking to WinMo/WP…or I will go Apple…
@Nemeses – Sorry dude!!!! you gotta get one!!!!
You can use the chargers that fit on Blackberrys to. I had the BB Tour and it uses the same charger.
@pwnsicle – Hey i downloaded a sync app for outlook. I imported my contacts (cvs file) and loaded them to my gmail and all my contacts were there. I did have the same problem with the pictures though.
@Mike G. – I’m sorry, but in spite of your lengthy post, the fact remains that no matter how devoted to WinMo and WP7 I am, I can’t help but LIKE Android. I find it impressive. I find it easy to use and productive for users from the average to the advanced. I certainly find it more interesting than the iPhone. At the end of the day, I want it to succeed in smashing the crap out of Apple, and contrary to what you may think I want Microsoft to succeed with Windows Phone 7. I don’t view Windows Mobile as bad… I just view it as old and familiar. I WANT something new and different that is still FUNCTIONAL.
There are both Motorola and Samsung micro-usb chargers that are compatible. Lots of OEM / Generic data cables, car and wall chargers available as well.
@GoodThings2Life – I like Android too. It’s all about preference regardless to what it may be. Some naturally got tired of tweaking the same interface over and over to keep up with the latest UI’s and having to search hard for that specific app. I’m different. I’m waiting for a version of Android that is so visually appealing, functional and versatile with all the basis covered that I would want to give up tweaking my phone. I love doing it. It’s a awesome hobby( and a wonderful way to make some extra cash). I realize the time it takes to do this stuff is not inviting to everyone and can get tiresome. We all have our different reasons for coming here. It’s just that with owning a i930, Moto Q, Mogul, Touch and Touch Pro 2 I have never had a bad “out-of-box” experience. Everything worked as it was supposed to. The stuff I’ve done to my phone wasn’t necessary, I just wanted it. From SPB Mobile Shell to Sense UI, from Titanium to Throttlelauncher, I did it because it was cool to do. With Android, changing the widget locations and installing a different clock and wallpaper from the app market just doesn’t do it for me yet. If I’ve offended anyone, I apologize.
@Mike G. –
i agree with your opinion and i myself like all the OS’s out on the market, but it’s the little girls and boys that get insulted. It seems odd on how they choose to dislike your comment or anyones comments when it’s against what they have purchase. It seems they think they invented the OS, instead of just being the user of the device.
The intelligent folks are the ones that like a good debate, the little boys and girls are the ones that start crying and say “i’m going to give him a thumbs down because he’s talking negative against my precious device!” waaaaaaaaaaah
@Mike G. – No offense taken, at least not on my part, but my point was that you’ve got our motivation wrong. It’s not about the tweaking for us necessarily… it’s about the hardware being excellent and the platform being very decent and different.
@itster – No, it’s not about you talking negative about the device, it’s your negative attitude towards people and the fact that your choice of words are obnoxious and rude.
@GoodThings2Life –
if you cant stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen son
@GoodThings2Life –
i don’t see obnoxious or rude… but i guess when educating you it’s negative, obnoxious and rude.
go put your skirt on and get ready for the bus to pick you up this morning
@itster – LOL at not standing the heat… I think you’re unfamiliar with whom you’re dealing and the way people are perceiving your posts. Meh, your loss but seriously, don’t underestimate this site places on community and being friendly. Goes back to work now.
@GoodThings2Life –
i think informing you is a good thing and i did that well, if you take that as negative comments then you should grow up.
the fact that you’re giving up your personal info and your contacts personal info on a silver platter to google without their permission tells me alot. hey keep it up, google can cut some jobs now because they dont need to go out there to get info, you people are giving it to them.
have you read reports on people getting robbed when they are on vacation because they post when they go on vacation on facebook and other sites? where do you think most of that info comes from? people don’t post their exact addresses on facebook for thieves to pick up, they mostly get it from google. google is so stupid that al qaeda uses google maps against us in our wars. google was recently stopped by the US Government because they were scanning copy written stuff in the libraries around the country and posting them on the web. there are quite a few criminal investigations against google as we speak.
you need to educate yourself instead of telling me i have atttude sonny.
@GoodThings2Life –
sorry for the extra post, i forgot to give you the link of your heros at google and what they do and care about
http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/feeling-lucky/2009/12/11/eric-schmidt-reminds-us-fear-google?obref=obinsite
german officials busted google before the submitted this info by the way
http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/feeling-lucky/2010/05/19/google-faces-criminal-investigation
One thing that i have found about the battery life so far is that it WILL run down pretty fast if you dont watch your running apps usage, i personally use an app killer excluding any programs that i want to keep running in the background plus a power manager app so i can set profiles for different usage, i havent had any problems so far in keeping a battery life i can live with. the best thing i have seen so far is the easy import of contacts from the gmail account, that made set up so much easier at the moment the sync option seems to be having problems updating any added contacts and HTC sync is still horrible on windows 7 (64) —you would think that HTC would have a fix for this by now but the work around (installing windows vista drivers) still works, but i still say get your act together HTC, you have a killer phone, great specs and this would be a deal breaker for some, my advice, get some well polished shoes in someones ass ASAP. Other than the obvious gripes, GREAT PHONE!!! #TeamEVO
Oh and as far as the flame war goes on in the forum—-who cares about the OS of each phone , its all about what you want and how you use it, each OS and device has its flaws but the reality is, we all will buy what we want, our money still goes into the pockets of someone else so when you start having fanboy fits you just look stupid because your not getting paid for all the free advertising that you are providing for which ever company’s jock your riding (just a thought). so i say get the device you want, do whatever it is that you wnat with it and stop getting worked up over who is better, you purchase a device that you choose and tweak it to your liking—-simple as that #newsflash #thanksForComing (twitter language lol) follow me as @shai_town im there all day
I called Radio Shack Thursday afternoon to find out what time they were opening for the Evo launch. The manager advised that they would be opening @ 6am and asked if I had pre-ordered the phone. When I told him no, he said he had 2 available & asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment. No pre-sale & I didn’t have to buy the non-refundable $50 gift card. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the answer to that question. I asked him what was the earliest appointment he had, 7:30a. I went in @ 7:15 the next morning & was walking out by 8:00 w/ my Evo in hand. No muss, no fuss… Oh and he threw in a little bonus gift consisting of a car charger, screen protector & microfiber cloth.
Coming from 3 previous WM phones (Treo 700wx, Mogul & TP), I was/am worried about the conversion to Android. While my first 3 days have been enjoyable, my time w/ the device has been limited due to family being in town. But starting today I get to have some one-on-one time. A few problems I have noticed already:
- No clickable links in text & email. This SUCKS!
- The front-facing camera is a mirrored image. So any photos/pics you take w/it will be backwards (like you’re looking in a mirror).
- I have had to re-boot it a few times as my keyboard stopped responding twice and the whole phone locked up one other time.
So far, I like the Android OS, but it will take me a little time to become familiar w/ it.
Thats my experience so far. Thanks to all who shared theirs.
I hope you guys are having a blast! I may try to get this for my wife. I just got the TP2 in Jan so I’m out. I jsut hope a WP7 device is as sweet as this. That’s what I’m hoping to switch to.
@billyman – i feel your joy and pain, i switched from the TP and TP2 to the hero and i must say it was a big change but after getting the hang of it i began to really like the OS, if we could all pick and choose traits and features to meld into one device it would be a perfect day BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUt to bad its not—-oh well, enjoy getting to know your android, i may even try out a WM7 when it comes out
@pwnsicle –
Every major cell phone manufacturer uses Micro-usb for charging. HTC was one of the last companies to switch. Literally all but maybe two of the phones Sprint sell use a micro charger, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting one.
@GoodThings2Life – The hardware is great. The best really. But the software that lays over the hardware isn’t as good as WM to me. Let me ask a question just for conversations sake. If Sprint told you when you bought your phone that you had a choice.The phone supports two OS’s, but you have one chance to make the decision. Right then and there. Would you go with WM and Sense 2.5 running on that hardware or would you go with Android. That hardware could run WM so smooth that most people’s concerns would be rectified.
I received the evo yesterday and got to play with it last night. I didnt register it so i couldnt get to test 3g capabilities and cal quality.
here are a couple points about the device:
response: quicker or just as quick as hd2
screen: vibrant and sexy
look and feel: it’s easy to fall in love with this thing as my wife was drooling all over it. it’s sexy, thin and it’s very difficult to put it down.
browing the internet via wifi: very quick and no pixelation when scrolling as fast as you can with browser
browsing photos: photos look very crisp and browing is very quick.
camera: for 8 mp, it’s a fail in my book because there is way too much noise in the photos
htc sync: been trying for hrs to make it work and no go, the device is found but is always reading disconnected and htc sync cannot find the device on my laptop with all security off. although there are reports that it works and will be contacting htc this morning for assistance.
overall to this point, it’s a really nice device but not the business unit i would need to be productive thoughout the day. I got this unit for test purposes and it seems i will be keeping it for my wife if outlook will sync via htc sync, otherwise sprint will be sending me a refund.
i figured out the issues i was having with htc sync. the image on my xps from dell is the main problem because i installed the same software on my wife thinkpad which i rebuilt from scratch and my home theater pc which i also built from scratch all was working great.
also if you are planning on syncing with outlook, get the latest htcsync that is made specifically for evo from the htc support site, which was released on 6/4/2010.
http://www.htc.com/us/support/evo-sprint/downloads/
I ordered mine online on Friday – in typical Sprint fashion their site was slow .. but given they most likely sold 330k EVO’s that day.. I’ll let them get away with it.
Here’s the thing I just found out that I think stinks and will be looking to my programming friends at PPCGeeks.
In order to use the tethering feature (they call it internet sharing – NOT the hot spot) you have to be signed up on their “mobile hot spot” plan which is an additional 29.99 per month to use. I sat on the phone while the rep turned it on and then turned it off. On – tethering worked, Off – didn’t work.
So now I’m either going to find an “internet sharing fix” like I had for me WM6 device, or my next project charter is exactly that and I’m finding a programmer.
Overall the phone is cool though… a little bigger than my girl’s iphone.. but I still dig it.
daveede
1st gen HTC EVO 4 – rooted and ready to manipulate
@itster – I’ve been doing IT work for 20 years, I don’t need educating from you or anyone else on what is good or safe computing practices. I hear your point, and if you read my “like” of the EVO as seeing Google as heroes, then you are deluding yourself to make a point. I get it, you hate Google. Frankly, so do I which is why I’m a Hotmail/Live/Bing user for life, but don’t sit there and spout your holier-than-thou lectures to people as if Microsoft is a group of saints! I’ve spent 20 years supporting and defending and using and ENJOYING Microsoft products, but I’m not so incompetent as to view them as flawless any more than I’d consider Google or Apple as such. They are a company with great products and nothing more. I will always recognize the good and bad in any product and any company.
As for the EVO, that is the topic here afterall, I just got my test model in today and am liking it as much as I expected… but no, it’s not perfect.
@Mike G. – Oh I get what you’re saying, and I’m right here with you as a Windows guy. I LOVE tinkering, but more than anything I am a business user and an IT guy, and I DEMAND stability and performance above all else. If a phone is stable and performs, then it is a great product for me. If it is stable, performs well, AND has tweakability then that is the icing on the cake to make a device EXCELLENT.
@GoodThings2Life – No offense, but might I ask what type of IT you do? The reason I ask is because Android was presented to be more geared towards entertainment than anything by Google themselves before last winter and the “Droid Does” ad campaign, and most IT support guys that made the switch around me are saying that this phone beautiful but not what they expected. With sprint charging an extra fee(10 bucks?) just to have the phone and another 30 bucks just to use the biggest feature which is the 4G hotspot. I have 450 minute everything data plan and after tax it’s $83. and some change. This phone full equipped would put my monthly bill in the $130 range. For that price, I could have the 1500 minute family plan with everything included on two phones. It’s just not adding up to me. With WM, you can wifi internet share on the stock device for free. I’m also curious about the 4G speeds in Chicago. I had a 4G adapter from Comcast that I tried a few months back and I returned it. Main reason being that it wasn’t compatible with Windows 7 at the time. The second being that in comparison to my Touch Pro 2, It took just as long downloading identical files of the same size using both 4G and 3.5G. Maybe it’s my hood.
Do you really like android more than windows mobile?? Thats the only reason I didnt get an evo. I am unsure about the android platform. I am stuck on windows.@Jimmy_Digital -
Jus switched from tp2 Awesome. only miss 2 things Microsoft office and keyboard
I’ve had win mo phone exclusively for 9 years I don’t think ill back unless 7 is really good @SuperHottGeek -
I’m not a hater of any phone, the evo is a great phone I have been using it for a few days now and for the first time I am happy with it as is right out of the box. Cant wait to see what the cooks come up with. BTW ordered it on line no fuss no muss it was great.
U just read over at XDA that you have to tweak Android to allow users to send more than 100 sms’s in a hour. Why would the OS restrict something like that?
Had the EVO for about 20 hours now. Coming from Winmo mogul, TP, and TP-2 platforms. I miss the hard keyboard and the Windows Live automatic syncing capability of favorites, contacts, calendar, and what not. I actually miss Bing traffic maps which was always faster to access than Sprint Nav. I live just outside 4G area so I’ll be in and out typically. It is a learning curve as with any new phone but especially with the change in platform. Really like the size and resolution of the screen. Hoping limited free tethering mod is available if not already. I can’t see the added expense of the “hotspot” for my limited usage. Had to do it. Too many I-Phones around.
@bsrcat – HULU doesn’t let any phone stream they block it
Mike G. Why are you trolling. I see no reason to attempt to persuade people that WM is superior especially with the argument that it is more customizable. You have mentioned several times that to make the Evo do the things you want it to do you have to root it. As if that is a negative. Well we all know that to make WM do what you want to do it has to be unlocked. It is basically the same thing with different terminology. I for one will root my Evo the day it gets here as I did with my diamond, tp1 and tp2. Arguing complexity between a WM OS and an Android OS is the same as arguing that Windows is more scalable than Linux. I’m sure that developers could port WM to the Evo in the same fashion they ported Android to all the WM devices but they won’t. It would be moving backwards. I love my TP2 but no matter what ROM I have on it there are times (more often than I want to admit) that i cannot get it to respond at all. That is not an issue with the Evo and it’s not only because of the hardware. BTW, I am an I.T. professional. Although, I do work for the gubmint so I’m not necessarily a good one. BTW, Microsoft is looking to make their OS more like feature phones anyway. Just for grins try comparing their latest offering (http://www.kin.com/?v=app_111573805528394&CID=OFFNET_Product_SEMGoogle) to the Evo and see which you like better. Not for nothing WM has been a blast. I for one am not sure where it’s heading but I know I am heading towards Google. Luckily to get there I don’t have to leave PPCGeeks as you suggested in one of your first trol…um..posts.
Well, my boss informed me yesterday that he’s going to use on of our corporate upgrade rights to buy the EVO at discount price and give it to me to use for a while, so now I’ll get to go hands on with it and truly decide what I like and don’t like about it.
I already know that I don’t like the inability to “mute ring” rather than dismiss the call, and I don’t like the lack of distinguishable notification sounds (text vs email vs mms, etc). But aside from those minor annoyances, my boss’s EVO was definitely nice.
The good thing is, I’ll activate this for my line, but it won’t compromise my upgrade rights come fall when the Windows Phone 7 devices come out… so if I want to upgrade to WP7, I can do so cheaply.
haha. Just as I’m reading all the yea, or nea comments about battery life, I realize that since my PPC 6700 (Touch, Touch Pro, Touch Pro 2), I have always had a charger near. One hard wired in my car, and at my desk at work, and the TP 2 is far better than any of the previous with batteries. I use the phone, and it uses batteries, that’s how they work. With my Touch, I carried batteries with me all the time. Buy another battery for $5 off of ebay, and quit whining. As soon as I can get e-mail support for our GroupWise server, I will have an EVO.
I have gone from the mogul, to the touch pro, touch pro 2, and now the Evo. I am so disappointed. I love the large screen and the many capabilities of the phone, but the battery life is awful. I contacted HTC and Sprint and both told me to disable my bluetooth and GPS, which is a defeated purpose for having the phone. I want to talk hands free when I’m at work or handling personal things. I want the programs that I use to work if GPS is needed. They told me to change the brightness of the screen, disable wifi (not using) and charge the phone until green, turn it off and reconnect untill green, then turn off, turn back on and reconnect and charge till green. Which is absolutely too much to do. Turning off your phone when you need it could cause you to miss important calls, etc. I was told there is a more powerful batter available if i want to purchase it and that they are aware of the issues with the battery. I am using advance Killer pro and Task Manager. I kill programs and they start back up. The main culprits are footprints, peep, stocks, and, friend stream. I don’t use any of those applications and have not set any of them up, but they continue to start. I talk to Sprint and was suppose to receive a call back from A representative to walk me through a process that will delete those unwanted manufacturer installed programs. Have not received that call, because they probably found out that they should not perform those technical procedures. There is no easy way to uninstall those applications. I previously did not have a problem with the extra $10 bucks, but i definitely do now. My battery last approximately 4 hours when i’m doing minimal talking, text, and email. If i was using anything else my battery would probably last only a couple of hours. The phone stalls and freezes if you use anything that is not an official HTC accessory. You definitely will not be using more service from Sprint, because the battery will not let you. @CtDMonet, you may want to think twice and follow the issues of battery usage and phone operation before you jump into an EVO. Out of all the HTC phones I have had, the Touch Pro 2 is the best. When 4G comes to my city in late August, the dislike of this phone will more than likely increase, because the battey drain will be faster. Sprint definitely need to void the $10 fee and provide 2 batteries and a battery charger with this phone.
Stick with your WM. The Evo sucks. The battery is pathetic and $10 is not justified for a battery that last approximately 4 hours with minimal talking, texting, and email. If you used all of the features the battery would probably last a few hours. Programs that you have not subscribed to, opens and runs in the background. The task manager programs do not keep the unwanted programs closed. I sold my Touch pro2 and I want it back. Definitely more stable, bettery battery and I could use internet sharing and i could delte unwanted fatory installed prgorams, You can’t dothat with this phone, so those programs continue to run in the background and eat up the battery. If I could do it all over, I probably wouldn’t. I’m probably going to sell my phone.@SuperHottGeek -
When I first called the Sprint store this past Sunday and asked about it I was told that I would be put on a waiting and basically I would get one when I get one, BUT when my wife went in later that same day and told the nice young Sprint dude that she was upgrading service and wanting to purchas FIVE new phones they miraculously were able to produce one for her
Anyway, rooted it last night and all seems to be well. Only issue I’ve noticed so far with the phone is that the battery drains really FAST. I’m hoping that now that it’s rooted I can find some good apps to help prolong battery life.