The HTC Evo

The HTC Evo is by far the best smart phone that Sprint has to offer. It is also one of the best phones to run the Android operating system. The phone comes with the 4G network, which offers much greater performance than 3G, running up to ten times faster than the previous data network. Unfortunately, 4G is not yet available in the majority of locations. The phone requires all customers to purchase the additional ten dollar 4G data pack, regardless of whether or not they are located in an area that offers 4G coverage. This phone features a front facing camera as well as an eight mega-pixel camera, making video chat desirable. The wireless hotspot feature allows you to connect up to eight devices to the internet.

Although the Evo is one of the largest phones in this era, it's not surprising given its extreme capabilities. It weighs about six ounces, and it is nearly five inches tall. Still, the phone is fairly thin, half an inch. The size of the phone is somewhat forgivable given the size of the screen, which makes it possible to view most web pages with ease. The size alone of the touch screen makes the on-screen keyboard easily functional, competing with the iPhone. Accessories are fairly sparse in the package that comes with the phone, lacking even a holster, but the capabilities of the phone itself make up for this for the most part.

The user interface is a modification of Android, known as HTC Sense. This is one of the best modifications of the core operating system available, even more intuitive. Your schedule and email can be viewed through widgets that come ready with the phone. It informs you of the weather in your area, and allows you to organize your contacts into groups. Friend Steam allows you to stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, and clicking on your contacts shows you your recent communications with them.

The phone was originally released with the Android 2.1 operating system, but it is now available with Android 2.2. In addition to Google Maps, animated wallpapers, and the ability to turn voice commands into text, the new operating system offers several other features. This was the first phone to be released with the specialized YouTube player, and the larger screen is great for watching videos. The included HDMI port allows you to stream your 720p videos to your HDTV. A 1.3 megapixel camera sits on the front of the phone, enabling video chat to take place, and the 8 megapixel camera is capable of recording high definition video and high quality photographs.

The 4G speeds are a drastic improvement over 3G, allowing download speeds up to ten times as fast. The wireless hotspot allows the phone to provide mobile internet access up to eight devices. Even so, Sprint TV still lagged somewhat and 4G is not available in all areas. This was unfair given that the ten dollar 4G data pack is mandatory with the phone. The wireless hotspot is a nice feature, but costing an additional thirty dollars in addition to the already steep 80 dollar data plan, it won't be worth the cost for most people.

Batteries function for a long time up to twelve hours. Call clarity was very clear and the video recordings made from the phone were very impressive. The 1 GHz processor could handle most of the work thrown at it, and the HDMI port was useful, although it didn't offer any settings.