CTIA 2010
HTC and Sprint gave us hands-on time with the first phone on Sprint's burgeoning WiMAX network, the HTC Evo 4G. The Evo 4G is physically very similar to the HTC HD2, a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone that also packs a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen and a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside. The HTC Evo 4G runs Android 2.1 with HTC's newest version of the Sense UI concept. In the hand, the Evo 4G feels large, but the huge screen lends itself nicely to video content and Web browsing, which are both strong points for this WiMAX-enabled phone.
Data speeds on the phone were impressive, and Sprint has included some new apps and features that take advantage of the faster WiMAX network capabilities. The YouTube app that comes preloaded on the HTC Evo 4G is the first to take advantage of the new mobile High Quality (HQ) features. When a video is available in high definition on YouTube, it's available as an HQ video on the Evo 4G. The difference was noticeable. While normal YouTube videos played in a smaller window and looked pixelated and jerky, YouTube HQ videos looked smooth and clean, as good as a preloaded video, even though the clips were streaming over the 4G network.
The HTC Evo 4G also gets a Qik app built in, so you can stream videos live to a variety of supported Web sites, including Facebook. With an HD-capable (720p) camera around back, the Evo 4G can stream videos at WVGA resolution, 800 by 480. Qik streams look much better over the 4G network than I've seen from smartphones uploading over 3G. The Evo 4G also uses a front-facing, 1.3 megapixel camera, still a rarity on U.S. smartphones, and you can use this camera for lower resolution Qik streaming. This way, you can watch yourself on the large screen while the video is uploading.
Sprint and HTC were also demonstrating the HD video playback capabilities of the HTC Evo 4G. The phone features a mini-HDMI port on the bottom, so you can connect to a high def television to watch the HD movies recorded with the camcorder, or play prerecorded videos. Demonstrations were again impressive. HD content streamed smoothly without any jerkiness or pixelation.
Like the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon Wireless, the HTC Evo 4G can also share its network connection over Wi-Fi. Users can provide network access for up to 8 Wi-Fi enabled devices, and Sprint demonstrated this feature in action with a variety of products. Most interesting was a streaming movie from a Roku box, using the WiMAX connection provided by the Evo 4G. Video looked good and the streaming started quickly without much delay filling the buffer. To mimic recent Sprint ads, reps even broke out an Apple iPhone 3GS to demonstrate that the Evo 4G can share a fast Wi-Fi connection with AT&T's device.
If it sounds like I'm being unusually positive about the device, I must say that I was genuinely impressed by the first WiMAX handset I've tried, but it wasn't all perfect. The presentation came to something of a halt when Sprint demonstrated the phone's Adobe Flash capabilities. Compared to the super-fast, almost buffer-free load times of streaming video through YouTube and Qik, Flash seemed to tax the phone heavily, and the small snippets of Flash animation I saw were the least impressive demonstration on the device. This was not final hardware, of course, so we'll have to wait and see if this performance improves, especially as Adobe finalized Flash 10.1 support.
The HTC Evo 4G will be available this summer. Pricing and specific availability details have yet to be announced.
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