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Smartphones and Cell Phones

Matthew Miller
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Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying

By | June 7, 2010, 11:51am PDT

Summary: Apple announced the iPhone 4 today with some great new features, but there was nothing compelling enough for me to return my Sprint HTC EVO 4G. Are you planning to pick up a new iPhone 4?

Jason posted his WWDC iPhone 4 checklist today and now that we know all about the iPhone 4 I would have to say this checklist shows exactly why I am planning to skip this version of the iPhone and stick with my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G device. The HTC EVO 4G has everything on Jason’s list and more already up and running. It looks like the pace of Google has brought Android into the lead with Apple for innovation and excitement in the mobile space.

Looking at Jason’s list I would have to say that the most appealing features in the HTC EVO 4G over the iPhone 4 are the no limit multi-tasking, OTA updates, free navigation, Google Voice support, and WiFi mobile hotspot functionality. I would also add that Google leads the iPhone OS in the notifications system, multiple carrier support, customizable home screens, and removable battery. I do think Apple has a great OS though and think the long reported battery life, incredible display technology, better capacitive QWERTY keyboard performance, and better gaming support (6 axis motion looks slick) are compelling features of the new iPhone. As with any mobile phone, it is a personal preference that each of us has to make since one device doesn’t fit everyone’s needs and desires. I plan to stick with the HTC EVO 4G and cancel my Verizon Palm Pre Plus service soon.

Apple is really pushing their iAds support and while the ads do look slick and are very appealing for sellers, I am quite leery of paying big bucks for a device and service and then having ads all over my smartphone.

I thought their Face Time app and functionality was a bit lame though with support only for iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 devices both connected over WiFi. With Fring you can call from your Android or Symbian phone to or from a regular computer running Skype and make these calls over the cellular or WiFi networks.

The iPhone will continue to do well, but to really hit it out of the ballpark I still think Apple needs to roll out the iPhone on other carriers in the US. Maybe we will see this in 2011 or 2012 when my Sprint contract with the EVO 4G runs out.

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Job, 4G, Sprint Communications, HTC EVO 4G, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, Wireless And Mobility, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller started using a Pilot 1000 in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since.

Disclosure

Matthew Miller

Matthew is a professional naval architect by day and a mobile gadget freak at all other times. He purchases his own devices and then sells them on eBay or Craigslist to buy more. Many other devices are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the carrier or manufacturer. If any are provided as “long term loaner units” this will be clearly disclosed in his reviews.

Biography

Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller started using a mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. He is a co-host with GigaOM's Kevin Tofel on the MobileTechRoundup podcast and an author of three Wiley Companion series books. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned over 125 different devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. His current collection includes an HTC Radar 4G, Dell Venue Pro, Apple iPad 2, HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nokia N9, Apple iPhone 4S, MacBook Pro, and many more, along with tons of accessories and classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various discussion forums under the user name of "palmsolo".

Talkback Most Recent of 124 Talkback(s)

  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    Apple will have to be gifted technology from aliens before 2012, or Android will swamp them with innovation waaaay before then.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    joshagilman@...
    7th Jun 2010
  • Let me tell apple something If I have to view ads to use my phone then....
    My service had better be free. If not then you will be receiving a harassment suite very soon after i was to see the first ad. I figure if i pay for the phone service then I shouldn't be harassed by ads. It should be totally ad free. Otherwise the ads are paying for the phone and its usage.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    dougogd@...
    8th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @dougogd@...

    First, try doing 30 seconds of research before you post. iAds do not work the ay you seem to think they do.

    Even if they did:
    " If not then you will be receiving a harassment suite very soon after i was to see the first ad."

    Yeah, I really doubt that. The likelihood that you will back up your internet bluster with action is as close to zero as makes no difference.

    "Otherwise the ads are paying for the phone and its usage."

    Yes, it is now clear you don['t know what you are talking about.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    DeusExMachina
    8th Jun 2010
  • Do you ever check things before you open your mouth
    @dougogd@...

    The ad is not activated until you click on it. And if you do, you can jump right back to the App. Go view the video then you will hopefully understand. The good part about iAd is it will help keep the cost of the app down!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    MacNewton
    12th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @dougogd@... You are a frickin idiot. Ads come with free apps. Pay for the apps and you will have no ads. Paying for cell service means nothing.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    chrisb1234
    14th Jul 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @joshagilman@... Or maybe the consumer can choose for his or her self and we judge the competition that way.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Zc456
    12th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    I was in the Sprint store holding an EVO in one hand and scrolling my HTC Touch Pro through the live blogging for the WWDC in the other hand.
    Feature for feature, the EVO smacks the iPhone and I'm typing this on a new MacBookPro, so don't let me hear about bias.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    wilsonhines@...
    7th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @wilsonhines@...
    doesn't have to be bias, its all opinion. What features are important or "better" is all subjective. You can say the EVO is better, and another person can say iPhone 4 is better, and you can both be right.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    doh123
    9th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @doh123 The opinion can be respected, not right. Apple OS is smoother, but the EVO has far more capabilities. Watch the iPhone die. It is old news and a smart phone for the technology impaired.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    chrisb1234
    14th Jul 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @wilsonhines@... Yes, I love my macbook too, but the EVO is a superior phone.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    chrisb1234
    14th Jul 2010
  • What about Evo poor battery life and bad wifi reception?
    Matt,
    Doesn't the abysmal battery life and poor wifi reception of the Evo 4G concern you? I admit I was considering getting an Evo, but after seeing the iPhone 4, I'll be purchasing the latter for sure.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Paul4
    7th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @Paul4 It is really not as bad as everyone says. It really depends on how you use the phone. I did email, browsing and a lot of video on Saturday and needed two charges. The 3GS lasts longer right now, but it is not significantly different. I think you will see people complain about it like people have for all smartphones - as well as the 4 when it arrives. But until you have either device and use it yourself in your daily activities, then it is hard to really make an unbiased opinion.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bubbatex
    7th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @bubbatex

    Actually, there's a pretty big difference: Android OS does a poor job of power management because its multitasking is implemented a little too cavalierly for a mobile device.

    I've had friends and family vent about the time they spent trying to rejigger the configuration to get the battery not to drain so quickly; and every feature they turned off bricked the poor phone bit by bit. I've heard it elsewhere.

    Unfortunately, all the gee-whiz features in the world become less impressive when you're tethered to a charger.

    Apple's multi-tasking is smarter; their feature set is missing quite a few ingenious gizmos the nice people at Android Central have cooked up.

    Buy what you like, be happy there's healthy competition: these bums fleece us at every turn, we should get something good for our money.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    credulousDolt
    7th Jun 2010
    • Flagged
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @bubbatex Download a free app called "Advance Task Killer" and run it and it will close any apps you don't want running. I have not problem with battery life any more.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    rusty@...
    8th Jun 2010
  • RE: Good job with iPhone 4, but the Sprint HTC EVO 4G is staying
    @rusty

    Advanced task killer will NOT kill all tasks reliably. It is buggy, and often leaves tasks in the background that it fails to even list. Took a co-worker a reboot to get the FM radio to stop playing.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    DeusExMachina
    8th Jun 2010
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