HTC Evo 4G review

[jlee]

I'm a bit disappointed with the $10 extra as well - hell if they're advertising an unlimited plan at $70, how are you going to say "well you're going to use more data so we'll charge you more"..?? For 4G, I understand - supporting new tech, etc...but for people like me who will likely only use 4G maybe once or twice a year (if I happen to travel somewhere that has it), it's not really fair.

This is the same price as a TP2, though. I am more and more tempted to leave SERO in favor of a new plan, especially since I can get a 25% plan discount...hmm.

 

[boomhower]

I'm a bit disappointed with the $10 extra as well - hell if they're advertising an unlimited plan at $70, how are you going to say "well you're going to use more data so we'll charge you more"..?? For 4G, I understand - supporting new tech, etc...but for people like me who will likely only use 4G maybe once or twice a year (if I happen to travel somewhere that has it), it's not really fair.

This is the same price as a TP2, though. I am more and more tempted to leave SERO in favor of a new plan, especially since I can get a 25% plan discount...hmm.

I am still a firm believer it has nothing to do with data, it is purely an EVO tax. They know the phone has been hyped like crazy by the media and it is going to sell very well. They are just capitalizing on this fact. Also the implementation of 4G on the phone may have run the price up more than they thought and they know they can't sell it for more than the iphone so they are using this fee to recoup the cost. Whatever the reason it has nothing to do with data use.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I am still a firm believer it has nothing to do with data, it is purely an EVO tax. They know the phone has been hyped like crazy by the media and it is going to sell very well. They are just capitalizing on this fact. Also the implementation of 4G on the phone may have run the price up more than they thought and they know they can't sell it for more than the iphone so they are using this fee to recoup the cost. Whatever the reason it has nothing to do with data use.

When the iPhone came out it had much higher data use than other smart phones and the reason, in my view, is that the larger display made surfing the web possible and almost practical. Now you have the Evo with an even larger and higher resolution display and a faster pipe and it IS about the data! This phone will be the biggest user of data there is and when the hotspot feature is taken into account I would not be surprised if the average data use for the Evo is almost double the next phone.

Still, I think the phone companies are going to have to go to a metered billing system pretty soon. I do not expect to be in the higher data use bracket and do not want to subsidize the heavy users. My biggest fear about the Evo is not availability of 4G but overuse of the network!


Brian

 

[jlee]

When the iPhone came out it had much higher data use than other smart phones and the reason, in my view, is that the larger display made surfing the web possible and almost practical. Now you have the Evo with an even larger and higher resolution display and a faster pipe and it IS about the data! This phone will be the biggest user of data there is and when the hotspot feature is taken into account I would not be surprised if the average data use for the Evo is almost double the next phone.

Still, I think the phone companies are going to have to go to a metered billing system pretty soon. I do not expect to be in the higher data use bracket and do not want to subsidize the heavy users. My biggest fear about the Evo is not availability of 4G but overuse of the network!


Brian

Oh sure, but the hotspot feature is another $30/mo.

 

[abaez]

I thought the $30 hotspot feature included the 10$ charge?

Anyway, I'm reading that even though I already have an EVO, as a new customer I still have to sign up for a 2 year contract with Sprint?

 

[mcvickj]

Still, I think the phone companies are going to have to go to a metered billing system pretty soon. I do not expect to be in the higher data use bracket and do not want to subsidize the heavy users. My biggest fear about the Evo is not availability of 4G but overuse of the network!

Brian

There would be holy hell if any of the carriers tried to make this move. If I am paying for the Everything Data plan I expect no caps.

I thought the $30 hotspot feature included the 10$ charge?

Anyway, I'm reading that even though I already have an EVO, as a new customer I still have to sign up for a 2 year contract with Sprint? If that's true, I'll be selling the EVO.

The $10 charge is for the 4G access. The $30 is to unlock the mobile hot spot feature with the Evo 4G. It would be nice if they would let you use at least one device for free.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Oh sure, but the hotspot feature is another $30/mo.

That's right, the hotspot feature is an additional $30/month over and above the $10/month additional charge for the Evo. I see the Evo eating up a lot more bandwidth as is BEFORE you figure in the hotspot.

Once again, I think the phone companies are going to have to go to metered billing. Light users should not have to subsidize the heavy users and heavy users shouldn't get massive data use on the backs of light users. Email and texting are low bandwidth apps while voice has traditionally been the big hitter. However, the iPhone and newer smart phones have see data demand surpass voice and that is only going to get more so.

I fear that Sprint is not going to be able to match supply with demand just as ATT has failed, in particular, in NYC and SF. I think the Evo will be an even bigger data user, again, even before the hotspot is figured in and when you do add the hotspot, particularly if there is a work around that permits hotspot use without paying Sprint, then I see the network choking to a standstill.

There is no free lunch...


Brian

 

[abaez]

Wow.. so I guess it is true. Paying full price does not negate you having to get a 2 year contract on Sprint or Verizon. How disappointing.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Wow.. so I guess it is true. Paying full price does not negate you having to get a 2 year contract on Sprint or Verizon. How disappointing.

So sign a contract and get a few hundred off a new phone or just sign are the only options? I guess you could buy a phone and just flip it on ebay but you'd still be locked into the contract.

Is this just for new users or do they require you do renew after 2 years?

 

[AstroManLuca]

I don't think any carrier requires you to renew after two years... you just stay on your existing plan with your existing phone until you want to re-sign and get a new phone at a discount. The trick, though, is that they often won't let you activate a new phone on a grandfathered older plan. Verizon has been doing that with their old Connect plans which had unlimited data on all lines. Would be a great deal today except they either refuse to activate new phones on them or require you to buy a data add-on anyway even if your old plan originally had data.

 

[abaez]

Well, seeing that I'd be stuck on any carrier with a two year contract (except T-Mo) I guess I'll have to take it in the ass.

But I'd like to keep my Google EVO because of the I/O discount - so I'm trying to figure this out. I want to get on a 2year contract buying the $199 phone. But I'd like to keep the $199 phone unopened, and just activate the Google EVO instead, and sell the unopened subsidized one for $400 or whatever I could get. Would this fly? Or do you absolutely have to activate the EVO before you leave the store?

 

[mcvickj]

What is difference between the Google EVO and the subsidized EVO? Surely not everyone at Google I/O had Sprint as their cell phone provider. What are the doing for all those people who attended and are in the same boat as you? Have you talked to someone at Sprint about your options?

 

[Deeko]

Wow.. so I guess it is true. Paying full price does not negate you having to get a 2 year contract on Sprint or Verizon. How disappointing.

How do they manage that one?

For the record, I purchased a Verizon phone as recently as September 09, paid full price, and did not sign a contract.

 

[tatteredpotato]

But I'd like to keep the $199 phone unopened, and just activate the Google EVO instead, and sell the unopened subsidized one for $400 or whatever I could get. Would this fly? Or do you absolutely have to activate the EVO before you leave the store?

I know with Alltel I would renew line 'A', get a phone and activate it on line 'B'... I don't think they care what you do with the phone.

 

[abaez]

How do they manage that one?

For the record, I purchased a Verizon phone as recently as September 09, paid full price, and did not sign a contract.

No idea. Talked with a Sprint CSR and it was confirmed. Ugh.

 

[Brian Stirling]

If the monthly rate is the same whether you buy the phone outright or buy the phone at the discounted price when you sign the contract it just never makes sense to me to pay full price. Now, if they offered a monthly plan at a reduced rate if you buy the phone outright that might be a different story.

So, if my plan calls for, say $80/month and that includes $250 of the $449 new price over the course of two years buying the phone outright would result in an actual per month equivalent price of about $91 figuring in about 6% sales tax.

So, unless you plan to use the phone without using the voice or data service, like an iPod, it makes no sense to pay full price for the phone then pay the same rate per month for service.


Brian

 

[tatteredpotato]

I went to VZW and asked if I could cancel line 'A' that had a year left and move that last year to line 'B' which was out of contract (on the same family plan mind you). They said no deal and I'd have to pay a $200 ETF.


It wasn't until later I realized the last year of service would only cost me $120 ish (it's just the $10 add on line to the family plan). So essentially VZW would charge me more to not provide me with a service.

 

[JACKDRUID]

does Evo work with Sero account?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Well, seeing that I'd be stuck on any carrier with a two year contract (except T-Mo) I guess I'll have to take it in the ass.

But I'd like to keep my Google EVO because of the I/O discount - so I'm trying to figure this out. I want to get on a 2year contract buying the $199 phone. But I'd like to keep the $199 phone unopened, and just activate the Google EVO instead, and sell the unopened subsidized one for $400 or whatever I could get. Would this fly? Or do you absolutely have to activate the EVO before you leave the store?

Not having a contract doesn't actually help at all (again, unless you're with T-Mo), so why does it matter? Maybe you're opposed to the idea of having a contract, but in reality what does it really get you? You can cancel the plan without an ETF, sure, but then you've got a fancy, overpriced iPod Touch on your hands. In the US, practically every phone is tied to a single carrier anyway, so there's really no benefit at all to being out of contract. It's not like you can move your EVO from Sprint over to Verizon.

does Evo work with Sero account?

No, and it never will.

 

[Sheep]

TOnce again, I think the phone companies are going to have to go to metered billing. Light users should not have to subsidize the heavy users and heavy users shouldn't get massive data use on the backs of light users.

I would think there are far more light users who don't even come close to using 5GB than there are heavy users. For that reason I don't think we'll see metered service from the carriers, at least not to any degree that actually benefits light users. They'll probably just opt to kick out chronic data hogs instead.

 

[JACKDRUID]

No, and it never will.

damn... Sero is so hard to let go.... only $30 a month..

but i do want something new... damn you sprint...

 

[tatteredpotato]

I would think there are far more light users who don't even come close to using 5GB than there are heavy users. For that reason I don't think we'll see metered service from the carriers, at least not to any degree that actually benefits light users. They'll probably just opt to kick out chronic data hogs instead.

http://gizmodo.com/5549329/so-long-unlimited-data-verizon-wants-tiered-4g-plans

 

[rpanic]

Called sprint retentions before I upgraded and they are giving me $10 dollars off for 24 months, a free airwave with monthly fee waved, on top of my 23% off I was getting and 300 bonus minutes on my 1500 family everything plan. Now just waiting for my phone to be delivered.

 

[Sheep]

http://gizmodo.com/5549329/so-long-unlimited-data-verizon-wants-tiered-4g-plans

I'll be curious to see if Verizon actually implements this. It's practically a given that the lowest tier isn't going to be cheaper than any data plan they currently offer. Having a cheaper lowest tier would affect their bottom line if there was a significant chunk of people whose usage fit this plan who switched over to it. If anything, I see them only increasing fees for 10GB, 20GB, etc. plans.

 

[abaez]

Called sprint retentions before I upgraded and they are giving me $10 dollars off for 24 months, a free airwave with monthly fee waved, on top of my 23% off I was getting and 300 bonus minutes on my 1500 family everything plan. Now just waiting for my phone to be delivered.

Where are people getting all these % discounts? Is there a list somewhere? Like does AAA have a discount?