Gadgetory

hey everyone I'm Bonnie Chow senior editor at cnet.com and I've got your first look at the much-anticipated HTC EVO 4G for Sprint as many of you know this is the first 4G smartphone available in the US and that comes with a lot of pressure does it deliver all and all the hype well let's take a look as far as the design the Evo is very similar to the HTC hd2 it's actually a bit bigger than the HD 2 but HTC still manages to keep it relatively thin so it's still pretty manageable plus you might be willing to overlook the large size when you get a glimpse of the massive display measures 4.3 inches diagonally and has a sharp WVGA resolution so it's fantastic for viewing webpages photos and reading text there's even a handy kickstand on the back that will let you prop the phone on a desk so you can watch videos or slideshows without having to hold the device in your hand the Evo is also relatively easy to use and extremely customizable thanks to HTC Sense senses HTC's custom skin for the Android platform and it's always been our favorite because it makes the OS look less techy and actually enhances a lot of the phone's core applications for example in the phone app a tabbed menu along the bottom lets you easily filter through messages based on status attachments group or meeting invite and then also improves the standard Android media player by bringing a nicer cover flow like interface underneath sense the Evo is running Android 2.1 which is currently the most recent version of android available so you're getting some of the latest features like Google Maps with navigation voice to text entry and live wallpapers but if you're an Android fan you know that Android 2.2 also known as Froyo is coming soon I asked sprint about whether they would provide an update - Froyo when available and they said they're not announcing anything right now but what we should focus on right now is the 4G capabilities of the evo vivo is the first phone to take advantage of Sprint's WiMAX network which claims to provide wireless speeds of up to 10 times faster than today's 3G average 3G download speeds come in around 600 kilobits per second to 1.4 megabits per second while 4G averages around 3 megabits per second to 6 megabits per second Sprint's 4G isn't available in New York's yet so I went down to Philadelphia where they do have it to put these claims to test and the Evo did deliver I averaged around three point four two megabits per second for download speeds and upload speeds of 0.9 three megabits per second so it's on the lower end of the spectrum but I also did a 3G speed test to compare with 4G and I was getting 0.77 megabits per second down and zero point three point zero point three five megabits per second up so definitely a huge difference the evil also comes with a number of features that can take advantage of 4G it's actually going to be the first to ship with a YouTube high quality player and also ships with a quick video chat and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera so you can make video calls unfortunately our review unit didn't come preloaded with the quick chat app but we're hoping to check it out later the Evo can also be used as mobile hotspot and can connect up to eight devices just be aware that this is going to cost you an additional $30 per month the civil silver lining there is that there's no data cap there's a lot more to this phone but the video would go on forever if I try to cover it all overall I'd say the Evo 4G is easily the best smartphone that Sprint has to offer and certainly one of the best Android phones on the market it's packed with tons of features and it's powerful and it does deliver on the 4G promise I'm just disappointed that they're launching it with so few 4G markets currently Sprint's WiMAX network is live in 32 cities and the carrier promises to bring that up to that total up to 44 cities by the end of the year including New York San Francisco LA Cincinnati and Miami I think the additional $10 for 4G is a fair price but it's unfair to me to make best add-on mandatory and they know a lot of people have been unhappy about this in the grand scheme of things for in Stata plans are much less than its competitors and there is no data cap with a premium add-on but still if you live in a 3d only market I can understand why you'd be unhappy about paying for something you're not actually getting hopefully spring can really start lighting up additional 4G markets quickly so people can get their money's worth and let the evo 4 do you really live up to its full potential the HTC EVO 4G will be available starting June 4th for $1.99 99 with a two-year contract I'm Bonnie tone this has been your first look at the HTC EVO 4G