HTC Evo 4G review

[oogabooga]

I want one but SERO is so nice... I gotta drive a different way home tonight to not pass a radio shack/best buy/sprint or I might make a rash decision

 

[jlee]

I want one but SERO is so nice... I gotta drive a different way home tonight to not pass a radio shack/best buy/sprint or I might make a rash decision

Blah I know!

I'm looking into Android on Touch Pro 2, but it's still old tech...grr

 

[SAWYER]

One day you sero guys will have to give in!

 

[jlee]

One day you sero guys will have to give in!

I know, but we're cheap!

 

[JJ650]

I know, but we're cheap!

Yup. It's HARD to give up 30 clams a month for an unlimited data/text plan. My contract expires in July and I bet I will be forced into the newer retention plans and pony up twice as much for the exact same plan.

Currently $60 a month for both mine and the wifey's phone is a no brainer, new phones or not. I'll see what happens next month I guess.

 

[jlee]

Yup. It's HARD to give up 30 clams a month for an unlimited data/text plan. My contract expires in July and I bet I will be forced into the newer retention plans and pony up twice as much for the exact same plan.

Currently $60 a month for both mine and the wifey's phone is a no brainer, new phones or not. I'll see what happens next month I guess.

I'm very close to ordering a Touch Pro 2. It's not the latest and greatest but I hear it's still a very solid phone...and other than being slow and dumb, my Palm Centro does everything I need. If it didn't lag so badly and freeze up for minutes at a time, I'd consider keeping it.

 

[JJ650]

I'm very close to ordering a Touch Pro 2. It's not the latest and greatest but I hear it's still a very solid phone...and other than being slow and dumb, my Palm Centro does everything I need. If it didn't lag so badly and freeze up for minutes at a time, I'd consider keeping it.

The wife's Centro does the same thing. She doesn't use it all that often anyway. I have the Treo800w. It's ok, but the screen is small and I find the keyboard aggravating to use.

IF I am able to keep the $30 SERO, I'll grab a TP2 (update it to WinMO 6.5, which I think can be done) and keep it for a couple of years. Come November I will automatically be enrolled in the Premiere (10 years with Sprint) and hopefully something new will be added, but I seriously doubt it.

 

[jlee]

The TP2 is available on SERO. I almost ordered one but the $100 rebate expires today, so I'm going to wait and see if a better rebate comes tomorrow.

 

[JS80]

I <3 my EVO. 4G is working in LA (Santa Monica, West LA, and in Koreatown)...I have one 4G bar. Speed test yielded 3000 kbps down and 900 kbps up.

 

[yh125d]

BB just called and they can get me my phone today, woo!



BRB in a few hours!

 

[nageov3t]

Yup. It's HARD to give up 30 clams a month for an unlimited data/text plan. My contract expires in July and I bet I will be forced into the newer retention plans and pony up twice as much for the exact same plan.

Currently $60 a month for both mine and the wifey's phone is a no brainer, new phones or not. I'll see what happens next month I guess.

maybe I'm wrong, but my understanding was that companies couldn't force you onto a different plan... like, if you're paying $30/month for SERO now, you can continue paying that indefinitely (or at least until you have to get a new phone, at which point you'd have to sign a new contract)

 

[JJ650]

maybe I'm wrong, but my understanding was that companies couldn't force you onto a different plan... like, if you're paying $30/month for SERO now, you can continue paying that indefinitely (or at least until you have to get a new phone, at which point you'd have to sign a new contract)

That's how I understand it as well. Honestly, with all of the crap that my wife's Centro does, I don't know how long it will be before it finally just dies. I assume getting the same phone again won't do anything?

 

[SAWYER]

Js80 how is the battery life?

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

I'm typing this from my wife's Evo, and its rigging awesome. We just got 4G here in Kansas City and pages load almost as fast on the phone as they do on my home cable connection. I'm going out of the country soon for an extended trip or I'd be getting one myself.

 

[jlee]

That's how I understand it as well. Honestly, with all of the crap that my wife's Centro does, I don't know how long it will be before it finally just dies. I assume getting the same phone again won't do anything?

You can still renew a SERO contract; you just can't get an Android or WebOS phone.

 

[you2]

Two questions:
How is the battery life if you turn off 4g/3g/wifi and talk maybe 20 minutes a day ?
What is the cheapest plan (i.e, is there any way to pay less than $80 a month?)

 

[abaez]

So my battery life was pretty normal - able to last a day or so with normal use.

Last night before I went to bed battery was at like 80&#37;.. decided to turn on 4G. Phone wasn't used all night, and this morning battery was almost empty. That's pretty crazy and is probably why some reviewers are saying the battery life is awful.

 

[JS80]

Js80 how is the battery life?

It came 1/3 charged and I played with it for 2 hours straight and it went to red (one bar).

Today will be the first "full day" so I will report at EOD or tomo morning.

 

[jlee]

Two questions:
How is the battery life if you turn off 4g/3g/wifi and talk maybe 20 minutes a day ?
What is the cheapest plan (i.e, is there any way to pay less than $80 a month?)

Everything 450: $69.99 + $10 EVO surcharge..$79.99 + applicable taxes, or EPRP for $10 less.

 

[CTrain]

You people need to stop groaning and moaning about the SERO plan already.
This thread is about the EVO.
Any of us who ever had Sprint knows about SERO and everything about it.
Keep the SERO plan if you like the limited phones available for it but stop with the "I hate to give up my unlimited yada yada for $30/month"
I gave up my SERO 2 months ago.
Yeah my bill is twice as much now but I get to enjoy some of the latest techonology cell phones have to offer these days.
Theres not one day where I said "man I wish I had that old phone back and save $xxx per month".

 

[CTrain]

Two questions:
How is the battery life if you turn off 4g/3g/wifi and talk maybe 20 minutes a day ?
What is the cheapest plan (i.e, is there any way to pay less than $80 a month?)

It will cost you $80 for individual but instead of going through EPRP for $10 cheaper...yu can search for ways to get 15%-27% of monthly bills via corp discount. 25% will make your $80 becomes $60. Its easier than you think. Do some searching.
The best way is to get others to go on a family plan.
With Sprint all everything $130 plan for 2 people and $20 extra line($30 for EVO).
If you get 5 people, it becomes $48 per person not including any corp discount you can find. No other cell provider can come close to touching this.

 

[HendrixFan]

Yup. It's HARD to give up 30 clams a month for an unlimited data/text plan. My contract expires in July and I bet I will be forced into the newer retention plans and pony up twice as much for the exact same plan.

Currently $60 a month for both mine and the wifey's phone is a no brainer, new phones or not. I'll see what happens next month I guess.

I picked up this from google a while back:

1. At 22 months you are eligible to renew your contract. When you are eligible, login to your account at sprint.com and click on the "contact us" link at the top right of the page in the black bar. If you get a security warning about the content being delivered securely, choose No. Click on the "Email us" link and choose No if you get the security warning again. Search for something like "renew contract" and if you get the security warning, choose No. Now you should finally be at the web form to submit an email to Sprint ecare. For topic select "Plans, features, and services" and for subtopic select "Plan inquires." In the text box say that you have heard that there is a $70 service credit available for renewing your contract and you would like to take advantage of that. Put your real email address in the box and then submit email. Wait for a day or so for a response and if they offer the service credit, then just reply to the email that you accept. Not everyone is eligible for the service credit so you might not get it, but worth a try.

2. After the sevice credit issue is resolved one way or the other then you can get your new phone. Don't try to get the phone before the service credit because the credit MUST come first. Go to

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/sprint/epc/epclanding.asp

and use the employee address for Russ.S.Mcguire@sprint.com and his CID of 383. Don't worry about using his info, he is a VP or something and put the info on the web for people to use. If you don't beleive me, just google it. Now you can shop for phones. Pick any one that you want except the Palm Pre or the Instinct, they won't work with SERO. Blackberrys can work with SERO, but if you need my help with renewing, then you aren't ready for the hassle of a Blackberry on SERO. Once you have picked a phone, then choose the upgrade/replace option and you will be asked for your regular login you use to access your Sprint.com account. Go ahead and login and you will be asked to indicate which line you want to upgrade. Now you are in business and never have to talk to anyone. You should get free activation and free overnight shipping, sweet!

I did just as it said and got my $70 credit (2 months of bills after taxes) within 24 hrs. I still have the credit for a new phone, the one I have is still going strong (Palm Pro).

You certainly can stay on SERO, but the real question is whether or not the EVO is worth leaving.

 

[JS80]

So my battery life was pretty normal - able to last a day or so with normal use.

Last night before I went to bed battery was at like 80%.. decided to turn on 4G. Phone wasn't used all night, and this morning battery was almost empty. That's pretty crazy and is probably why some reviewers are saying the battery life is awful.

My HTC Hero would go from 80% to 0% over night. So I don't think this is a EVO problem. It's a smartphone problem.

 

[abaez]

My HTC Hero would go from 80% to 0% over night. So I don't think this is a EVO problem. It's a smartphone problem.

Except that it only happens with 4G. The battery barely moves overnight on 3G.

 

[TheWart]

My HTC Hero would go from 80% to 0% over night. So I don't think this is a EVO problem. It's a smartphone problem.

I have used a pretty wide range of smartphones - from WinMo phones to Sony Ericssons to iphones - and I have never had a phone lose more than a couple of percent of battery life overnight.

I definitely dont think it is a 'smartphone problem.'