The HTC Evo

[T-Rexx]

I hear it's a fantastic phone! But I don't have one.

The new HTC Evo "Shift" 4G is supposedly due January 9. It looks just like the existing Evo, but has a slide-out keyboard for texting. The screen on the new Evo is smaller (3.7 in vs. 4.3 in).

http://www.intomobile.com/2011/01/03/htc-evo-shift-4g-specs-specifications/

 

[JB3]

I'm considering ditching my iPhone for an Evo because of the cheaper plan. The Shift is very tempting though...

 

[sportsguy22]

I hear it's a fantastic phone! But I don't have one.

The new HTC Evo "Shift" 4G is supposedly due January 9. It looks just like the existing Evo, but has a slide-out keyboard for texting. The screen on the new Evo is smaller (3.7 in vs. 4.3 in).

http://www.intomobile.com/2011/01/03/htc-evo-shift-4g-specs-specifications/

thats a good looking phone. i've been thinking about using my upgrade to get the evo but have been put off by the lack of an actual keyboard if this is launching soon i think i might try it out

 

[JB3]

Big downside to the shift (which may ultimately dissuade me from getting it): no front facing camera.

 

[T-Rexx]

^ According to that link above, the Shift does have a front-facing camera for video conferencing (although it doesn't say what resolution).

the HTC Evo 4G will... ...have an 8 megapixel camera on the back with LED flash, and though it’s hard to see, there will be a front-facing one for video conferencing too...

 

[JB3]

^ According to that link above, the Shift does have a front-facing camera for video conferencing (although it doesn't say what resolution).

It doesn't. It has a 5 megapixel rear camera and that's it. Its actually majorly disappointing, because one of the benefits of 4g is that it has the bandwidth to carry video conferencing signals.

 

[pianodude]

I've had the Evo since the week it came out and still love it! It's a rock solid phone and does everything you need it to.

Pros:
- 4.3 inch screen (makes a difference!)
- Sleek looks
- Android (& Google integration)
- 8MP camera/+ a front facing camera
- "Unlimited" data, relatively cheap plan

Cons:
- Battery life leaves much to be desired...if you are a moderate-heavy user, plan to charge whenever you get the chance (home/car minimum)
- 4G coverage is overrated. I am in NYC right now and while I can get a 4G signal on the street, I have to point my phone out a window to get a signal indoors. Also drains the battery fast.

Enjoy it though!

 

[JB3]

I've had the Evo since the week it came out and still love it! It's a rock solid phone and does everything you need it to.

Pros:
- 4.3 inch screen (makes a difference!)
- Sleek looks
- Android (& Google integration)
- 8MP camera/+ a front facing camera
- "Unlimited" data, relatively cheap plan

Cons:
- Battery life leaves much to be desired...if you are a moderate-heavy user, plan to charge whenever you get the chance (home/car minimum)
- 4G coverage is overrated. I am in NYC right now and while I can get a 4G signal on the street, I have to point my phone out a window to get a signal indoors. Also drains the battery fast.

Enjoy it though!

I got one yesterday and returned it today. Love the phone, but WiMax isn't totally complete in my area so I won't get the benefits. I might get it again, but I'm also looking at Tmobile's '4g' phones, since they're speedier than WiMax in my area.

 

[JB3]

So I ended up getting a MyTouch 4g instead. Love it!

 

[Chris1984]

I got my Evo around July, and I loved it then. I fall deeper in love with it every day. There are tons of things to do with it, and since the new OTA update, Swype is included. If you haven't tried this style of keyboard, you are missing out! I have mine rooted with custom ROMs/Themes flashed almost daily lol, I was even running the latest 2.3.1 firmware (aka Gingerbread) on it. Like I said, I find a new reason to love it every day, and I rarely put it down lol

 

[Chris1984]

I have had my EVO for a couple days now, it's really nice but... there are a lot of things that annoy me.

How do I stop certain apps from automatically running in the background?

1. Gmail
2. Nova game.
3. Sprint Navigation
4. Amazon MP3
5. Twitter

I have a Advanced Task Killer, and yes it shuts them off. But not even a minute later they all seem to come back on out of no where!

Also, I have tried, Ebuddy, Meebo, AIM ETC... for Instant messaging, nothing seems to work as well as the BlackBerry Messenger did when I had my blackberry. With the EVO the second my phone locks, I get signed off, or they keep telling me I am out of connectivity or some shit. and it says "reconnecting..."

I also hate how I cant delete the apps that came with the phone that I don't want.

1. Blockbuster app
2. Footprints app
3. Friends Streamm
4. Kindle
5. Nascar
6. Peep
7. Sprint Football app
8. Stocks
9. News and Weather

And, I cant seem to get my battery to really last me, I am not on it to much, and have made some minor adjustments. It gets to 30% before the day is even 3/4ths over. I have turned brightness down, killed apps ( or tried to ) got a Juice Defender App, Changed the settings on certain apps to not auto update, and made sure I don't have a Live wallpaper.

Any help is MUCH appreciated

For starters, get rid of the Task Killer. It does more harm than good. Most apps that are "running" in the background are just save states, so to speak. They aren't actually running, they are just there so they load faster when you want to use them. It actually does more damage to your battery to kill these apps, as it takes more juice to open them from scratch as opposed to opening them in a saved state, if that makes any sense. And the ones that automatically start back when you kill them, just drain the battery. Look at that like this, the app is running in a saved state to save the loading time, but your task killer kills it. So it just starts again, and your task killer kills it. This is an endless cycle that just drains your battery.

As far as the unwanted apps, aka bloat apps, you need to gain access to the root directory of your phone to be able to uninstall these. Look into the process known as "rooting" for this. It is not as hard as you think, but do your research first. You void your warranty, and yes you could turn your phone into an expensive paper weight. Once rooted, you can remove any of the apps you may not want. You can also flash custom roms, which give you a different UI, better battery life, etc. The app Friend Stream comes with the UI already on the Evo, known as HTC Sense. By flashing a custom ROM without sense, you take away the entire UI and are left with the vanilla Android interface. I hope I haven't rambled, but I just love this phone so much I want everyone who has one to enjoy theirs as much as I do

 

[looseliam]

I don't know if it's available for the EVO, but my G-d-send was the seidio extended battery for my HTC incredible. I can use it non-stop for two days without recharging. It does add some thickness and heft to the phone, but well worth it!

 

[Chris1984]

Do you have the Directions to rooting? Or a legit website? And I heard that it does void the warranty but people flash? back over or something like that.

Yeah, you can always flash back to stock if you ever need to take it in. There is a forum you can go to with all the information, and even ask for help if you get stuck. You do have to register, but it's free.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=619

What firmware do you have? And what is your baseband version?

 

[JB3]

I also hate how I cant delete the apps that came with the phone that I don't want.

1. Blockbuster app
2. Footprints app
3. Friends Streamm
4. Kindle
5. Nascar
6. Peep
7. Sprint Football app
8. Stocks
9. News and Weather

And, I cant seem to get my battery to really last me, I am not on it to much, and have made some minor adjustments. It gets to 30% before the day is even 3/4ths over. I have turned brightness down, killed apps ( or tried to ) got a Juice Defender App, Changed the settings on certain apps to not auto update, and made sure I don't have a Live wallpaper.

Any help is MUCH appreciated

2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 are all parts of HTC sense and there is no way to uninstall them. (they are deeply integrated into the ROM, and your phone would not function without them.

Check out XDA developers or Modaco for custom roms.

As for the battery; you're SOL with that. Battery life is a well-known issue on the Evo, and there's nothing you can do to change that. You can either get yourself an extended battery or carry a charger wherever you go, because just tweaking settings isn't going to do a damn thing.

 

[T-Rexx]

And, I cant seem to get my battery to really last me, I am not on it to much, and have made some minor adjustments. It gets to 30% before the day is even 3/4ths over. I have turned brightness down, killed apps ( or tried to ) got a Juice Defender App, Changed the settings on certain apps to not auto update, and made sure I don't have a Live wallpaper.

If you haven't already, turn off Bluetooth.

It drains the battery on most phones something fierce.

 

[Chris1984]

I have no clue what either of those mean lol. Tell me how to look up what you asked for and i will tell you lol .

Menu > Settings > About Phone > Software information

 

[JB3]

Oh, and I'm considering exchanging the MyTouch for a G2. The MyTouch is a beast of a phone (one of the fastest on the market), but doesn't have as many accessories or other things like the G2 does.

 

[Chris1984]

My County sucks BALLS.

Apparently where I live I don't get constant signal, therefore I loose connectivity which is why I can't stay connected to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Qik, etc...

I have talked with the Sprint guys, and basically came to the conclusion that with all the problems I have with the EVO, it's not for me. It is a great phone, but a BlackBerry does the trick.

I previously had a Nextel BlackBerry, I will be getting a Sprint one tomorrow.

But let me ask if this makes sense to you guys. I was given a Nextel BlackBerry from a Co-Worker. I went and serviced the phone, signed a 2 year with nextel.

I started my nextel contract and signed for 2 years, I already had a phone, therefore I was instantly eligible for a upgrade. Radio Shack was selling the EVO for 149.99 with a new SPRINT plan or Upgrade. I then used my upgrade to get the new EVO and started a NEW contract with Sprint (2 years). Now that I am returning the EVO, I asked if they would Retract my recent upgrade to sprint and re-activate my nextel. They said they couldnt since I just signed the contract, unless I wanted to pay a 200$ cancellation fee, And that I had to use the Upgrade or keep the EVO. So, I was looking at the Radio Shake web site, and I noticed that it had a bunch of the new Blackberrys with a FREE on the pic, I clicked them. It said FREE with a NEW Plan OR UPGRADE SPRINT plan. So the way I see it, Since I went from nextel to sprint (used upgrade), then tried to go from sprint back to nextel (retract upgrade) and they said I HAD to use the upgrade, I would then use my upgrade to get the Free blackberry, and just return the EVO. In all I would get a SPRINT BlackBerry for free, and receive a FULL refund for the EVO.

I think it makes sense, But I also may not have explained it clearly enough lol. The only reason I am even bothering to write this is so when I go to argue with the foreign guy tomorrow morning on the phone, I will know what to say and how to say it.

The Sprint representative said I was correct, and it would work. So lets hope the crazy Radio Shack people will also see it that way.

They had originally told me that in order to get another phone and service it, I would have to return my EVO, (5-7 days) wait 24hrs for them to "check it over" then wait another (3-7 days) for the new phone to arrive.

I told them that was not going to happen and I needed the Phone for work. (Which I do, One of the reasons why I need the BBM or a constant way to chat with other officers who don't have unlimited Text.)

Also, which Sprint Blackberry should I get? I want one that is Pretty fast, can watch News videos, Surf the web, Multiple E-mail Accounts etc.

Thanks for reading my rambling post

Yeah you have it correct. You return the Evo, and get your money back. So then you use your upgrade and get a nice new Blackberry for free, with your new 2 year agreement you just signed to get the Evo. I work retail, and sell cell phones with and without contracts all the time

 

[JB3]

Any suggestions on which BlackBerry to pick out? Any of the Free Sprint ones.

http://radioshackwireless.com/eCommerce/phones/?FilterByBrand=13&referringdomain=radioshack

Well, the only free one is the 9330. (Don't buy the 8530, because it was replaced by the 9330) Its an okay phone, but the screen really sucks. The phone itself is also a pretty entry-level piece of hardware, and I'm not sure it would meet your requirements.

Your best bet is to get the Bold 9650. Yes, its $100, but its worth it over the 9330. It has a great keyboard, MUCH better screen, and will last you a lot longer than a 9330 will.