You are here: Home / Archives for htc evo 4g

Best Android Phone – The Droids You’re Looking For

August 27, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

Best Android Phone

With so many different Android phones on the market now, picking the best of them can be a bit of a challenge.

I’m throwing this little guide together to help you determine the best Android phone and I’ll even separate it by carrier so if you would like to remain with your current cell phone provider, I’ll give you the best Android powered phone they’ve got.

Best Android Phone For Verizon

Winner:  Droid X

Runner Ups: Droid 2 / Droid Incredible

Deciding on a winner for Verizon Wireless was the hardest of all the cell phone providers in this list.  Quite simply, they have the strongest lineup of Android phones on the market right now.

We ultimately settled on the gigantic Droid X as the winner in this showdown.  Sporting a 1GHZ processor, 24GB of memory (expandable to 40GB), and a huge 4.3” screen, it exudes power an excess.   The phone has been out for over a month and Verizon is still having trouble keeping these things in stock (last I checked there was a two week waiting period to get one).

If you’d like something a little smaller, the Droid Incredible is a great phone itself and the Droid 2 is the phone you want if you’re want a dedicated slide out qwerty keyboard (all of these phones feature 1GHZ processors and at least 16GB of memory).

Best Android Phone For Sprint

Winner: Samsung Epic 4G (overall winner)

Runner Up: HTC EVO 4G

This was an extremely tight race as both phones seem to have taken the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to building a phone.

These two phones are currently the only two 4G phones you can get so if 4G is important to you, the Epic 4G and EVO 4G are what you’ll be choosing between.  We gave the nod to the Epic 4G as our winner in this race since it features better battery life, a Super AMOLED screen (though at 4” it’s smaller the the EVO’s 4.3”), and twice as much memory.   The Epic 4G will set you back $50 more than the EVO so if you’re on a budget get the EVO but otherwise we think most people will be better served by Samsung’s Epic.   If I had to pick an overall winner, the Epic 4G would be my choice.

Best Android Phone For AT&T

Winner: Samsung Captivate

Runner Up: HTC Aria

The AT&T lineup of Android powered phones is the weakest among the four major carriers and it makes sense since AT&T is still the exclusive provider of the iPhone.   Fortunately, with the Samsung Captivate, AT&T users finally have a phone that I’d label as acceptable.  If the Captivate is out of your price range, the diminutive HTC Aria is a decent choice as well.

Best Android Phone For T-Mobile

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant

Runner Up: Garminfone

You may remember that T-mobile was the provider chosen to sell the Google Nexus One.  While it was a great phone (and is enjoying it’s life as the official Android Developers phone), it’s no longer available for purchase from T-Mobile or through Google (unless you’re a developer).

Fortunately, the Samsung Vibrant is a good alternative (part of the Galaxy S series of smartphones).   It has a beautiful  4” Super AMOLED screen, 16GB of built in memory, and a fast 1GHZ processor.

If you’re really into GPS (we love GPS), then the T-Mobile Garminfone is a rather unique smartphone as it offers the best GPS navigation of any phone on the market though specs are a little weaker than most current generation Android phones.

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: at&t, best android phone, best smartphone, droid 2, droid incredible, droid x, garminfone, htc aria, htc evo 4g, samsung captivate, samsung epic 4g, samsung vibrant, sprint, tmobile, verizon

Sprint 4g Coverage Now Available In 48 Markets

August 2, 2010 By NotLost 2 Comments
Sprint announced today that 4G coverage is now available in the following markets.
  • Modesto, California
  • Stockton, California
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Wilmington, Delaware

This brings the total to 48 markets with 4G coverage – more expected to be coming online soon.

The only current phone able to take advantage of these 4G speeds is still the HTC EVO 4g, but a second phone, the Samsung Epic 4G, will be released in August giving Sprint a total of two phones with 4G capabilities.

Here’s the full list of cities with 4G coverage from Sprint:

  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Milledgeville, Georgia
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Maui, Hawaii
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Greensborough, North Carolina
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Salem, Oregon
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  • Reading, Pennsylvania
  • York, Pennsylvania
  • Abilene, Texas
  • Amarillo, Texas
  • Austin, Texas
  • Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Fort Worth, Texas
  • Houston, Texas
  • Kileen, Texas
  • Lubbock, Texas
  • Midland, Texas
  • Odessa, Texas
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • Temple, Texas
  • Waco, Texas
  • Wichita Falls, Texas
  • Bellingham, Washington
  • Kitsap, Washington
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Snohomish, Washington
  • Tacoma, Washington
  • Modesto, California
  • Stockton, California
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Wilmington, Delaware
  • Jacksonville, Florida

The following cities are expected to get 4G coverage by the end of 2010:

  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Cleveland, Ohio
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Miami, Florida
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • St. Louis, Missouri

Filed Under: Smartphones Tagged With: htc evo 4g, list of cities with 4g coverage, samsung epic 4g, sprint, sprint 4g coverage area

Motorola Droid X vs HTC Evo 4G

July 15, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

With the official release of the Droid X on Verizon today, I thought it’d be a good time to do a comparison on the Droid X vs the HTC Evo 4G.   Both are top of the line, flagship smartphones running Android OS (2.1 currently, but both expect 2.2 Froyo updates soon) on their respective carriers but let’s jump into the nitty gritty specs to see if we can find a winner between the two.

Processor

Both phones sport blazing fast 1GHZ processors, though not the same one.  The Droid X has a new TI OMAP 1GHZ processor while the HTC Evo 4G has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHZ processor.  The new TI processor is the faster of the two, though both pack plenty of processing power.

Display

Both of these phones discriminate against those with small hands as both feature 4.3″ displays.  The Droid X has an every so slight advantage in resolution  with 854 x 480 display while the Evo 4g has an 800 x 480 resolution though in practice you won’t notice a difference (the Droid X does have more natural looking colors on its display though).

Memory

It’s a draw here as well with both phones having 512MB of RAM.

Storage

The Droid X comes with an impressive 24GB of storage (8GB built in, 16GB Micro SD card included) while the HTC Evo 4G has a mere 8GB.  If you have a lot of music or videos you’d like to watch on that big display, then the Droid X is the clear winner here.

Carrier

As has become the norm for premium smartphones, each phone is carrier exclusive.  The Droid X is a Verizon Wireless exclusive phone and the HTC Evo 4G is a Sprint Exclusive.  In my experience both carriers are quite good and I can’t say I’ve had problems with either.    The one advantage that you’ll get with Sprint is 4G coverage though it’s only available in a handful of major cities at this point.  However, if you live in one of those areas, Sprint is probably a no brainer at this point.  If Verizon ever gets the iPhone, I’ll probably start recommending people get Sprint since there will be considerably more strain on Verizon’s data network.

Camera

HTC Evo 4G Vs Motorola Droid X - Android Powered Smartphones

Both phones sport 8MP dual LED flash cameras.  However, the EVO 4G has a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video conferencing (using QIK).  We’ll give the edge to the EVO 4G on this one.

And the winner is…

If you can find one (and there have been plenty of shortages much to the dismay of Sprint), the HTC Evo 4G gets a slight edge over the Droid X but unless you really want video conferencing and live in an area with 4G coverage, you’ll probably be quite pleased with a Droid X as well.

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: 1ghz, Android, droid x, droid x vs htc evo 4g, froyo, htc evo 4g, motorola, sprint, verizon

List of 4G Phones, Devices, and Smartphones Available

July 13, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

Thought I’d get started on making a list of 4G phones available for each cell phone carrier (U.S. carriers only).

4G is also called LTE or WiMax depending on who you talk to but they all refer to the same thing.

Right now it’s a short list which makes this easy for me.

Sprint 4G Phones (coverage area)

HTC EVO 4G – The one and only 4G phone on the market in the U.S. as I’m writing this.   Coverage is still pretty limited but if you’re in an area with 4G coverage, then get this phone! (It still works on 3G networks of course, it’s just not as fast).   Sprint is having a hard time keeping these phones in stock, but if you want a 4G phone, go down to your local Sprint store or Best Buy (they have the white one) and they’ll hook you up.

Samsung Epic 4G – This phone is scheduled to launch later this year and is slated to become the second 4G phone in Sprint’s lineup.   A specific date and pricing have yet to be released – as far as specs go, so far we know it will have a 4 inch screen, Android, a physical slide out keyboard, a VGA front facing camera,  a 5MP rear camera, and 16GB of storage space

Verizon 4G  Phones (Verizon’s 4G network is called LTE – “Long Term Evolution”)

None – No, not even the ballyhooed Droid X has a 4G/LTE antenna.   Verizon is launching their LTE network in November 2010, expect 4G phones to follow shortly after.

AT&T 4G Phones (AT&T Also uses LTE Technology for 4G)

None – AT&T is planning on launching their LTE network in 2011/2012.  Expect the next iPhone (the real iPhone 4g?) to have an these antennas next June.

T-Mobile 4G Phones

None – Not sure when to expect an LTE network from T-Mobile as they’re lagging behind in this area or if they’ll survive long enough as a phone carrier in the U.S. to even build one.

As you can see, despite a lot of talk about 4G and LTE networks, they’re still a long way from being ubiquitous and widespread and only one carrier in the United States even has 4G technology commercially available.

Expect to see a lot of updates to this list around Christmas 2010 and into 2011, but for now if you want a 4G phone, the HTC EVO 4G Phone is your only choice.

Filed Under: Smartphones Tagged With: 3g, 4g phones, at&t, htc evo 4g, list of 4g phones, long term evolution, lte, samsung epic 4g, sprint, T Mobile, verizon, wimax

Best Cell Phones Available For Each Carrier

June 12, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

Updated 6/28/10

While some would like to crown one phone as the king, it’s really tough to do when you consider that phones will be judged based not only on the quality of the phone, but also on the phone carrier who provides service.

So in this short post, I’ll cover what I think are the best phones for the four major carriers in the U.S.   Keep in mind this list will probably be totally out of date in 6 months so keep in mind the post date when you’re reading this article.

Best Phone on Verizon Wireless

While the Motorola Droid was the gold standard on Verizon Wireless, the next round of Droid phones has blown it out of the water.  The Droid X, in my opinion is the best Verizon phone and the Droid 2 is a good second choice and your best choice if you still want a dedicated hardware keyboard (honestly, you probably won’t use it much as the on screen keyboad is really cool especially since you can run Swype).  Android 2.2 will be coming to both soon (should ship standard on the Droid 2) which will make your phone faster and add a few cool new features.

AT&T

No surprise here – the winner by a long shot on AT&T is the iPhone 4.   It’s better in just about every way over it’s predecessor and if you can tolerate AT&T as your cell phone carrier, you’ll want to make the iPhone 4 your phone – don’t bother with the 3GS – it’s obsolete.   No Android phone on AT&T is worth your money at this point.

Best Phone On Sprint

evo 4g, iphone 4, droid incredible, nexus oneIn years past, picking Sprint as your carrier meant cheaper service than you’d get with AT&T or Verizon Wireless but their phone selection was inferior to that of their competition.  That’s no longer the case.   The HTC EVO 4G is one of the best smartphones on the market right now and boasts and absolutely enormous screen, and HD video camera, and screaming fast 1GHZ Snapdragon processor, you no longer have to get an inferior phone to get service with Sprint (and their $69.99 unlimited everything plan is a great deal though the EVO 4G does require an additional $10/month to be added to your plan).

Best Phone on T-Mobile

Even though the new Garminfone is kinda cool especially for GPS-centric people like me, the Google Nexus One still slaps its ass and calls it Sally.  It’s the phone Google built to feature it’s Android OS and it’s fast, and always the first phone to get the latest Android OS updates .

Conclusion

So there you have it – one website’s opinion on the best smartphones available for each carrier.  As usual, expect this list to change frequently as new phones are being released all the time.

Think I omitted a worthy contender to the throne?  Want to put in your two cents?  Post in the comments below and let me hear it.

Filed Under: Android, Smartphones, iPhone Tagged With: at&t, best phone, droid 2, droid incredible, droid x, htc evo 4g, iphone 4, motorola droid, nexus one, sprint, tmobile, verizon

HTC EVO 4G Vs Apple iPhone 4

June 11, 2010 By NotLost 1 Comment

Dangerous as it may be to try to make a fair comparison between the HTC EVO 4G exclusive to Sprint and Apple iPhone 4 from exclusive to AT&T, I’m gonna give it a whirl.

Now lets be honest here – these are both impressive phones in their own right.

Display

This comparison seems like the biggest “apples” to oranges comparison.  The EVO 4G has a gigantic 4.3 inch 800 x 480 screen.  That may not sound much bigger than the industry standard 3.5 inch but trust me, once you hold it in your hand and play with it, going back to a regular sized screen seems constrained.   It’s big and pretty.

The iPhone 4 uses their new “retina display” which packs 960 x 640 resolution into a 3.5 inch screen.   It’s a great looking display and everything is ultra crisp.  It is, however ,smaller.

Speed

Both phones boast fast processors.  The EVO 4G has a 1GHZ Snapdragon processor inside whereas the iPhone 4 has Apple’s own 1GHZ A4 Processor.   Having enough power to run all your apps without the OS grinding to a halt shouldn’t be a problem on either phone.

Data

EVO vs iPhone 4

HTC EVO 4G (top left) - iPhone 4 (bottom right)

While many people in the tech community christened the new iPhone, the iPhone 4G, the new model (the iPhone 4) is still a 3G phone which makes sense since AT&T’s 4G network isn’t expected to go live until 2012.

The EVO 4G, on the other hand, is a 4G phone (though some would say not true 4G yet) and while it’s only available in a limited number of cities right now, it’s blazing fast where it is available.  When 4G isn’t available, it uses 3G so in many areas speeds will be comparable.

One thing to note is that AT&T has just changed their data plan from “unlimited” to 2GB whereas the data plan on Sprint is not only cheaper, but still “unlimited.”

Video Conferencing

Both phones have a front facing camera for video conferencing and a back facing camera for taking pictures.     The EVO has a 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat and uses the Qik system.  The iPhone has a VGA (640×480) camera and uses their new FaceTime standard for chat (since Apple has made it an open standard, expect it to be available on Android in the coming months).

I’d say the FaceTime system is a bit more elegant than Qik, but FaceTime is unfortunately Wi-Fi only right now whereas Qik has no such limitations, only requiring you be in a 3G service area.

Camera

While Apple finally added an LED flash to their camera and upgraded it to a 5 megapixel camera, they’re still trailing the EVO 4G which has an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash.  Both can record 720p HD video.

Battery

Apple claims to have really stepped up and improved the battery life of the notoriously power hungry iPhone by installing a bigger battery in an ever slimmer phone and now claims 7 hour talk time on 3G or 40 hours of audio playback – if those are even close to accurate, that’s a pretty big step up.

The EVO 4G also has some drabacks in the battery department.  That big Snapdragon processor and huge 4.3 inch display suck up juice pretty quickly as well.

Then again, with the EVO 4G you can simply buy an upgraded battery whereas as you probably know with iPhones, the sealed internal battery is not user replaceable – you’re stuck with what you got.

Operating System

For many, this phone comparison will come down to an Android vs iOS comparison (iOS 4.0 is the new official name for the iPhone OS 4 since the operating system runs on more than just iPhones, namely iPods and iPads).

While both have their advantages, I’d say in many ways, it’s a win/win – either way you’re getting a sweet operating system.

The Apple App store boasts far more apps with at well over 200,000 compared to the 75,000 or so available in the Android Market.  However, you can find apps that do just about everything for BOTH operating systems.

Froyo 2.2 (which will be on the EVO 4G soon – currently it runs 2.1 Eclair) and iOS 4.0 are both very capable of providing an excellent user experience.

Games

One of the new additions the iPhone 4 has that the EVO 4G does not have is a gyroscope.  Gaming on the iPhone is still the best of all cell phones and Apple raised the bar with their new Gyroscope.  Games are certainly available for both, but the iPhone does it better and has more.

Carrier

Even if you’re undecided up to this point, this final comparison may be where you make up your mind.   The iPhone is exclusive to AT&T (in the United States, anyway), and the EVO 4G is exclusive to Sprint.

I won’t claim to know which one is better in all areas, but I can tell you I have been a past customer of both carriers and while I had Sprint for about 5 yrs, I was only an AT&T customer for 6 months before I just couldn’t take it anymore and terminated my contract early due to them having dead spots in my city and where I lived happened to be one of them.

Getting a reliable carrier is critical as these phones aren’t much fun is you can only use them in your house or apt when you have a wi-fi connection.  It’s still a cell phone after all and you’ll probably still make and occasional phone call or two with it.

The decision is up to you.   And just to be fair to AT&T, my brother has an iPhone and where he lives (Minneapolis), he hasn’t told me of any significant problems using his phone as he pleases.

Filed Under: Android, iPhone Tagged With: Android, apple iphone 4, at&t, evo vs iphone, htc evo 4g, ios 4.0, iphone 4, retina display, sprint, wimax