Recently I purchased an HTC EVO phone after seeing one that someone else had and hearing about the great user reviews. I was alittle skeptical about it at first, because I had been used a “tried and tested” familiar Blackberry for the last few years. Change is hard right?
For the last several years I have heard many others rant and rave about how much they love their iPhone. “It’s the best thing since sliced bread”. “Best phone ever”…. Well, although I own an iPod Touch I was NOT willing to get an iPhone. It’s a moral thing. I just do not feel comfortable supporting what is obviuos “collusion” by two companies, AT&T and Apple. They have these strict agreements where you HAVE to use AT&T’s network on the iPhone or else you can’t use it. Sure others have found ways around it with special patches, but it still limited some of the functionality of the phone (bad bad). In addition to the two companies trying to control the market, I also was never really impressed by AT&T’s network. They have some good coverage in the major cities, but in remote areas, it’s just as spotty as any other network. Just depends on where you go. Perhaps that is why everyone is anxiously awaiting for Verizon to add an iPhone to their offering. Whether this will actually happen is left to be decided.
On with the review… First, I am not going to list ALL the many features of the HTC EVO. These are things you can find quite abundantly online, just do a Google search. What I will do is talk about the primary aspects that make it better or different that it’s counter parts.
As many know, the HTC EVO is built on the “Android” mobile operating system that includes a number of Google related products. If you’re a fan of Google, you’ll like that. If not, this phone may not be for you. (psst, do some research on Google’s privacy policies, and discover how they keep all your information FOREVER, and don’t really tell you what they do with it).
Continuing…So what is the big deal about the EVO you ask? Well, in a nutshell it is was many say is the ONLY phone that was BUILT to be customized. Add apps, change the layout, colors, screen, font, and more (I could go on and on). You get the phone and can immediately start working on making it yours. Many apps are free, and you’ll find yourself playing with the thing for hours setting up exactly what works for you. Can the Black Berry do that? No (you have limited themes, many you have to buy). How about the iPhone? somewhat, but not to the same extent.
Beyond user customization, there are many other things that make it unique. I personally love how easy it is to navigate the clarity and brightness of the large touchpad screen. Yes, it is larger that the iPhone, and in this case, size matters. (unless of course you prefer an Ipad, which is another article).
Techies will love the fact that they can FTP in to the phone wirelessly and upload photos, music, documents and whatever. Two programs I have used to successfully do this are SwiFTP (on EVO) and WinSCP (on PC). Even better, you can use the phone as an Internet connection. Normally carriers charge for this (around $30/mo for wifi hotspot). But you can use various programs like PdaNet to turn your phone into an Internet gateway and surf the web from your pc. It requires the USB cable connection from phone to pc, although there may be a way to do it wireless (phone to pc)? However, my guess is that would come with speed reductions and connectivity concerns.
Some minor things, but worth mentioning include: Takes great photographs with 8MP camera on BOTH sides. Records video in HD. Syncs with iTunes (with addon software called Doubletwist, or by setting up iTunes to use EVO). Syncs with Outlook Calendar and Contacts with HTC Software (free).
After using the HTC EVO for only a week, it appears seeming obviously that the device can do everything an iPhone 3Gs and/or Blackberry Curve/Storm/Touch can do and more. Will the iPhone 4G surpass it? Guess we will see when it comes out. But for now, its worth talking a serious look at the HTC EVO 4G.
Todays Technologies
This is article is copyright material. You may link to the page, however article may not be republished or distributed without written permission.(this includes copy and paste)
Todays Technologies's Blog 