Don’t wanna wait till the HTC EVO hits the shelves? Best Buy and Radio Shack have you covered with preordering. Beginning this month, customers can go into their local stores and place your order to ensure that you have the phone when it is launched. Customer will still have to go into the store to pick it up on the day as well. Sprint retail stores will begin carrying the EVO beginning on June 4th. Both customers of the Sprint stores, and big box retailers, will get the phone at the price of $199.99 with the only exception of Sprint stores having a mail in rebate process and the big box retailers offering instant mail in rebates.
Radio Shack has a plan to ensure that you preorder with them. Radio Shack will be offering a free $20 accessory gift card when you put down a $50 deposit on the HTC EVO. Customers will be able use the gift card when you pick up your EVO. If you choose to preorder, make sure that you pick up the handset on either the 4th or 5th, due to Radio Shack not holding phones past two days.
Hitting the shelves this June 4th, only for Sprint, the EVO will leave you speechless; loaded with any, and everything, that you would want. How does a mobile hotspot with dual cameras, a HDMI output and FM tuner sound?
After the announcement at CTIA, we were left practically breathless at the specs. But is it worth it?
You will get a chance to decide for yourself after taking a look at the pros and cons list below.
Pros
The pros list is easy – it’s a list of what the EVO offers:
* 8.0 megapixel camera
* 4G (via WiMAX)
* HDMI out to your HDTV
* 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
* Wi-Fi
* 4.3-inch screen
* FM tuner
* 720p video recording and playback
* 1 GB built-in memory
* Option to pick either the Sense UI or the stock Android experience
* Live video sharing via Qik
* Mobile hotspot capability for up to 8 Wi-Fi enabled devices
* Visual voicemail
* 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
* microSD card slot
* GPS, compass, proximity and motion sensors
* Sprint apps (Sprint TV, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile)
* Social networking integration and access to Android Market’s 30,000 plus apps
* 512 MB RAM
Cons
Personal taste aside, the EVO has more pros than cons. Some might say that having Adobe Flash, a built in kickstand, and the data plan pricing are major cons, but again this is mostly personal taste. Why would Adobe Flash be considered a con? Well if you enjoy decent battery life then you might as well never use the internet, as this will eat your battery considerably. Sprint has not anounced if the all inclusive $99.99 plan is going to include the hotspot, but I would assume that this feature will indeed cost the extra fee per month.
Some might view the price of the EVO as a con, at the almost $200 mark, but with all pros the device is priced competitively.
Pricing
If you want to experience EVO then you will have to have, at least, the Everything Data 450 plan. The plan starts at $69.99 a month and if you want 4G then you will have to shell out $10 dollars more. Not only will you be paying for the 4G, but if you plan on using the phone as a hotspot expect to pay an extra $29.99 for that service. You should take into consideration that this is much cheaper than having the phone plus a data card.
4G Coverage
Does your city have 4G? If not, you might want to reconsider paying the extra price for the handset. Sprint is continuing to build out the 4G network, but it will take time. Sprint has released that at least 18 new cities will be getting 4G by this summer. You can find a list of the cities on Sprint’s website.
Getting the Rebate
If you are not keen on mail in rebates you should consider making your purchase from retailers such as Best Buy or Radio Shack instead of the Sprint corperate stores. It is a considerable trade off, but if you choose to purchase from a Sprint store you can expect better service and “Ready Now” to have you understanding the phone. If you do not mind waiting for the rebate, I would consider purchasing from them. Radio Shack also has a great deal if you choose to preorder the EVO. If you go that route you will receive a $20 gift card that can be used on accessory purchases.
Worth It?
After looking at the price, both monthly and device, is it really worth it? The device has tons of features, but does it add up to the cost. And what about when Android goes 2.2? It has been stated that the next version will have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots.
Despite everything, this device looks great. I plan on purchasing one for myself, if that means anything.
After all the hype and speculation, the day has finally been anounced; June 4th is the offical release date of Sprint’s HTC EVO. Users will be impressed with all of the features that the EVO is bringing to the table. EVO will have a 4.3 multitouch screen with an updated verion of HTC’s Sense UI. The EVO also have HTC’s most recent release of the Android OS, 2.1. With the large display, variety of video codecs, and a kickstand the device is sure to be a success with video fanatics.
The improvements to the Sense UI, similar to that of the Legend and Desire, is expected to be a smash with new features. A major improvement is the feature known as Leap; a new multitasking element. Leap is somewhat simliar to Palm’s Web OS card feature. Like the Palm OS you will be able to open 7 screens and close 
out applications that you are not using.
The EVO will also have a 1GHz processor known as Snapdragon. This processsor is also on the Nexus One. The handset will also have duel cameras, one being an 8-megapixel camera and the other a 1.3-megapixel. The phone is also capable of HD video recording.
A new feature to Android, called Friend Steam, will allow users to view updates to things such as, links, pictures, and status updates of their friends.
With Sprint’s transition to the new 4G network, we expect great things out of the EVO. Sprint has states that users can expect download speeds up to 10 times faster than that of the 3G network. Until recent, Sprint has only offered mobile broadband cards and modems that use the network. Sprint is continuing to grow the 4G network with 18 cities being added this summer.
