Sure, it looks like a HTC Evo 4G. They got the buttons right, the camera on the back, and a 4.3 inch screen, which translates out to 800×480. And that’s where things start to go wrong. The guts are what really matters, and this is where things get foggy. No idea on the CPU, and that camera on the back isn’t 8 megapixels. There also isn’t a secondary camera on the front, and no HDMI out. Worst of all, the phone doesn’t even use Android! Apparently, licensing Android was too expensive, but they did manage to load Windows Mobile 6.5 on the thing. [via M.I.C. Gadget] → Read More
Disclaimer: You brick your phone doing this, don’t blame me. I’m just letting you know you can do this, not telling you that you should. That being said, if you’re feeling saucy and want to download the latest version of Android for the EVO now instead of waiting until it rolls out naturally, you can do it. You just have to download the update directly from HTC, and do some magic with recovery mode and your SD card. You can get the full instructions from here. [Via Gizmodo] → Read More
Sprint has announced that the Motorola i1 will be available for purchase on July 25 through direct ship sales channels, and will hit retail outlets in early August. As you may recall, the i1 is the first Android smartphone to include Nextel Direct Connect technology and sports a hardened body that meets military specs for shock, dust, and rain. $149 (after $50 rebate) for new customers and eligible upgrades with the standard two year contract. Full press release inside. → Read More
Remember when Sprint said the total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on its launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined, last Monday?
Yeah, that didn’t really happen.
The company now admits it had “inadvertently overstated” the launch day sales of the HTC phone, and that in reality it was in line with the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined. That makes a world of difference. → Read More
Remember when Sprint said the total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on its launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined, last Monday?
Yeah, that didn’t really happen.
The company now admits it had “inadvertently overstated” the launch day sales of the HTC phone, and that in reality it was in line with the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined. That makes a world of difference. → Read More
“History will be made across the nation as anxious customers get their hands on America’s first 3G/4G wireless phone, HTC EVO 4G, packed with industry-leading features.”
A little over the top right there, but anyway: you can now purchase the HTC EVO 4G at Sprint.com, Sprint retail stores, at RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart. The device sells for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new line activation or upgrade. → Read More
The EVO 4G is a great phone with the notable drawback of its short battery life. But apparently a lot of you don’t care judging by the comments on my full review. Fine by me. Even though it doesn’t have the battery strength to make it through a day of moderate to heavy usage, there are still some serious advantages to this phone over others. Enough so that some buyers are probably going to camp out their Sprint Store this Friday. Here’s my top five favorite features so far, including a few I didn’t touch on at all in my review. → Read More
Google had another Oprah moment this past Thursday at the Google I/O conference, giving all 4,000 plus attendees the Evo 4G, the new HTC Android phone being sold via Sprint. The phone is set to be released to the public on June 4, but attendees have gotten a sneak peak of the impressive device. Of course, many of these lucky recipients have already been quick to start peddling the phone on Craigslist and eBay, for as much as $1200.
On eBay, ‘buy it now’ price points range from $600-$1200, with many at $650-$750 range. Prices are more reasonable on Craigslist’s San Francisco site, with many of the devices being offered at $500-ish (the range is between $450-$750). There were a few offers to purchase an Evo for $250, with one person willing to buy it for $500. → Read More
We knew it was coming, but we didn’t know when until now. Sprint just let us know that the HTC EVO 4G is arriving on June 4th. I gotta have one. Pricing is set at $199.99 with new contract (after you get that $100 rebate, anyway), no doubt significantly more without one. The plan they’re pushing for it will be $69.99 plus $10 for “premium data,” making a total of $80 before taxes — that includes unlimited texts and 450 minutes, plus unlimited mobile-to-mobile. In addition to this, you’ll be able to spend $30 extra (joy!) to use your phone as a mobile hotspot for up to 8 people at a time. Makes your plan pretty expensive, but if you’re already shelling out for a mobile dongle, this might actually be a better deal. When Greg checked it out, he liked it and couldn’t really find anything wrong with it. Check out his initial hands on here. → Read More
There are perfectly good arguments for and against buying a 3G-enabled iPad. Me? I say buy it with 3G, turn it off, and just have it ready to turn on whenever you really need it. But let’s just say, hypothetically, that you don’t want 3G because you’ve heard about this 4G thing. Sprint loves you, my friend, and that is why they have put out this special iPad case just for you. → Read More
Lenovo ThinkPads have offered 3G access for a while now but soon Sprint 3G and 4G WiMAX will be available as well. All buyers will need to do is select the Sprint access during the ordering process and their fancy new notebook will arrive with a Sprint SIM card already installed. It’s then just a matter of firing up the Lenovo Access Connection tool to start the service. Of course Sprint will want a monthly service charge as well, but hopefully you can con your company into picking up the tab under the guise of “mobile productivity”.Middle mangers love that type of talk. → Read More
A couple of years ago, it seems all anyone wanted was access to Qik, the mobile live-stream video service. At the time, Nokia’s N95 was one of the hot devices you needed to run it. Since then, while the service has been growing, it has lost some of its luster — perhaps because it couldn’t run on one of the hottest mobile devices out there, the iPhone, until very recently. But now it may be time for Qik to go back on the offensive.
Today, all anyone seems to be talking about is the new HTC EVO 4G, Sprint’s WiMax phone that runs Android. Not only will Qik work on the device, it will come built-in to each one. → Read More
65,000 tons of mobile phone e-waste are generated every year. The bad news is, only 1% of consumers choose to recycle their headsets when they upgrade. eRecyclingCorps is working with carriers to integrate the recycling process into the POS sale system at the retail store. → Read More
Sometime today, Feburary 26, 2010, Sprint Pre and Pixi owners should get a nice little surprise on their handsets. It seems like Sprint and Palm are ready to deliver the latest webOS update, which should bring the aforementioned updates along with a bunch of other enhancements conveniently listed for your perusal after the jump. → Read More
Early termination fees. No one likes them but they can sometimes be a necessary evil. If you become unhappy with your service provider or you are overwhelmed with lust for a new gadget on a different carrier, you pay the price. Carriers say that these termination fees, or ETFs, allow them to subsidize handsets and recover those costs over the course of a contract. Should a contract be broken, a carrier recovers those subsidies with an ETF.
The FCC recently decided something was amiss with ETFs and probed carriers into explaining the rhyme and reason behind the fees. The carriers have finally spoken, albeit a little unconvincingly. Most of you are already familiar with why ETFs exist, but it is interesting to see the canned and obvious responses from the carriers. → Read More
HTC seemed pretty confident that the HTC Desire and HTC Legend weren’t US-bound when we talked to them at Mobile World Congress. But hey, things change — right? Boy Genius Report has just received word that the two handsets are bound for this side of the ocean, along with details on which carriers might be nabbing them. → Read More
Being eco-friendly should definitely be high on the priorities list for electronics manufacturers and service providers, so I’m pretty happy to see that Sprint is doing its part to make our planet a nicer place for future generations. Just in case you’re the apathetic type when it comes to the three Rs (recycle, reuse, reduce!), Sprint has put some incentives into place for you. → Read More
If you own a HTC Hero or Samsung Moment, don’t get too jealous at DROID and Nexus One owners just yet. Sure, it might take a while, but Sprint is working things out so that its Android handsets receive the latest version of Android, 2.1. → Read More
Over the past few years, Sprint has definitely given itself a facelift and now has excellent pricing plans and some decent handsets. Sadly, things aren’t turning around as quickly as Sprint would like since it has been showing some tremendous losses the past few quarters. The fourth quarter, however, shows that Sprint is slowly but surely easing its way to where it wants to be. → Read More
