Two gems when it comes to gadget-world details have been uncovered in terms of Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G – price and date – plus a whole lot more. On June 4th you’ll be able to snag the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint for a mere $199 – that’s ridiculously competitive considering its specs. While we’ve seen hands-on overviews of the device already, this was MY first time playing with the EVO and I’ve got a few specific observations that, while seemingly obvious, are rather important and I’d like to expound upon.

The EVO is FAST The EVO is HUGE The EVO is CHEAP The EVO is AWESOME

Let’s Talk FAST

The HTC EVO 4G is named so for a reason – the focus is on Sprint’s 4G network which promises to bring a new level of speed to your mobile endeavors. From what I saw, it fully delivers on that promise. On 3G networks, Android users on any major carrier are likely familiar with “buffering” if they’ve done any significant YouTube watching. And if you routinely press “Menu > More > Watch In High Quality” you DEFINITELY know what I’m talking about.

With the 4G connection on which we demoed the EVO, loading HD videos was practically instantaneous. In the presentation, they made a great comparison about 3G vs. 4G and the way we use the internet. Back in the day, before the interwebz bloomed, it took FOREVER to load up pages on your dial-up network. Waiting MINUTES was not beyond the norm. Moving onto consumer cable connections totally changed the way we used the web.

That’s a rather drastic and sweeping change and I’m not suggesting the 3G to 4G is a similar evolution in scale, but it definitely represents a significant enough change that people WILL use their phones a bit differently (in 4G areas of service obviously). When you combine this with the open source platform of Android, unique hardware features like the front-facing camera, and developer innovation like that of Qik, we’ll see applications like real-time video chat. By the way, the EVO 4G does video chat with Qik and I think there is MUCH more where those type of apps came from, especially with 4G about to take hold. How about the Hotspot feature? Yeah… like I said, more where that came from!

Mobile devices have come a long, long way in the past couple years but network speeds have more or less stood still. Although wireless carriers have expanded their 3G footprint, building next-gen network infrastructure takes a ton of time and money – the stride is longer, steps are further, and with the next 4G foot about to land it looks like the mobile multimedia experience is about to start loping.

Did I mention how awesome Sprint TV was on the EVO 4G? Guess not… but it’s definitely awesome. The nice Sprint rep showed me some Hannah Montana when there was a Yankees game on I could have been watching, but hey – Disney was co-sponsoring the event so I forgave her.

While I am really excited about Sprint 4G, this excitement should be balanced with a spoonful of pudding that hopefully the proof is in. My experience was in a controlled environment, at an event held by Sprint, where I’m sure they took many measures to ensure the network functioned flawlessly. (Even so, the Qik portion of the presentation faltered a bit)

I first tested Sprint 4G when it launched in Baltimore as XOHM (years ago) and was very impressed by the speeds. But in certain situations or places it just couldn’t get a great signal. For this reason I’m eager to see user reviews come out to get a more aggregate/unbias opinion. I’m guessing Sprint has made a ton of improvements to the network since then, and they were probably waiting until the network was reliable enough on which to launch such a high-profile phone.

But yeah… as far as I can tell, Sprint 4G on the EVO is fast and incredibly awesome.

Let’s Talk HUGE

The EVO 4G has a 4.3-inch screen and for the obvious reasons this is fantastic. All that streaming video content displays gorgeously. Typing on the EVO keyboard is spacious to say the least. The entire visual experience is enjoyable no matter what you’re doing: apps, games, web, videos, randomness, etc… so by default, the screen gets a big green confirmation check.

While bigger isn’t always better, the EVO 4G toes that line and makes you realize that there is definitely some type of boundary where a phone eventually becomes a MID/Tablet/XYZ. In terms of pocketability/pursability, the phone is pretty slim and should do the trick. In terms of feel in the hand, the weight or dimensions don’t negatively shock you and its looks/feels relatively normal. But once you start interacting with the device you may find your one-handed thumbable region of comfort is stretched a bit.

I don’t have huge hands by any means, and for those that do, this will be more of a blessing than detraction. And for those with average/small sized hands it may just mean a little getting familiar. But if you do mostly one-handed navigation on your phone you MAY find swiping left/right or pulling the status bar from top to bottom a bit tiresome/tedious if your filanges can’t comfortably go the distance. Just something to look out for and possibly a reason to check out the EVO in-store before making a purchase if you feel like you’re small-handed or this could bother you.

On a more sweeping note, we always hear/think that bigger is better, and the EVO is definitely bigger and better, but it also pushes me to believe that 4.3-inches should just about be the maximum size for the mainstream phone. Anything bigger and you’re starting to enter a different territory.

Let’s Talk CHEAP

How the heck can this phone only be $199 on contract? Do you remember when the first ever Android Phone launched? It was the T-Mobile G1 and it cost $199. Compare the specs of these two phones and ask yourself, “have we really come this far in this short of a time span?” We sure have.

The mobile world is good for consumers these days and to have such a powerhouse device at such a low price is amazing to say the least. Obviously Sprint is able to do this because they recoup the hardware cost with service plans – that’s what a subsidized device is all about – but with both the EVO and Incredible being $199 I personally don’t think customers have any right to complain about any service plan extras Sprint may charge for data and whatnot.

The phone hardware is awesome and coming at a rock bottom price. The phone’s network speeds are amazing and the investment to build that infrastructure has to be collected somehow, right? Customers will always find a reason to complain… even when they get stuff for free. The bottom line is that the EVO 4G isn’t even fairly priced… it is favorably priced. At least that’s my opinion.

Let’s Talk AWESOME

Much of what unlocks the power of the EVO 4G are things you won’t immediately notice. The power of the processor, speed of the network, size of the screen, and other factors will simply combine to boost the performance of typical features you’re already using. In fact, they might work so flawlessly that you take them for granted and think, “this is how it should have been in the first place.” But I guess that’s what 4G is all about.

The EVO 4G does have some really interesting features thanks to both Sprint and HTC that I’m eager to see put in play. The front-facing camera, the kickstand, the FM radio that was so great on the Incredible, the Hotspot service, Sprint TV, the huge screen, the list goes on…

In many regards I think what will be so awesome about the HTC EVO 4G is, as I already kind of explained, what you don’t notice. Combine the hardware, the software, and the network and you get a mobile experience that simply put – gets out of the users way and gets to the point: the content, the apps, the games and the web are the focus. Because of the 4G implications of this device we’re hearing a LOT about Sprint, but lets not forget how brilliant HTC has been in the android department. The HTC EVO 4G is another item to add to an already impressive Android resume.

Let’s Talk Q&A

After the event I took a short video of a rep doing a “hands-on” while a few of us grilled him with some questions. A bunch of my questions came at the request of folks from AndroidForums and by the way… if you haven’t hit up the HTC EVO 4G Forums there you’re really missing out:

To recap some of what we touched on from those questions:

Unique apps leveraging front camera? I think only Qik and we’ll have to wait-and-see on the rest

4G Rollout plans – see this phandroid post from last week

Simultaneous data/voice? Yes.

Hotspot + Get calls? Yes, see above.

Do the touch/capacitive android buttons glow white on the ring around them when you press? No

Battery life on 4G? Consumes a bit more than 3G, consumes a TON if you’re not in a 4G city and it constantly tries to get a signal. You can toggle 4G off easily.

Android OS version – 2.1

Car dock? Yes

Car home? Yes

Other accessories? Yes… including custom cover that supports kickstand

Extended battery interfere with kickstand? Not at all… you should definitely be able to equip this with an extended battery

The HTC EVO 4G Event

The event was located in a pretty nifty space in Hell’s Kitchen NYC (42nd and 10th whereabouts). I got there a bit early and there were food, drinks and mingling. Of course, I maneuvered my way around the crowd to find a drink or two, which Sprint named “Sprintini” and “The 4G”:

At 6 we were herded into an attached, retr0 looking theatre/room where the actual press conference portion of the event was held (FULL footage coming soon!) Here are some pictures of that room after mostly everyone cleared out:

Afterwards we went back to the lounge area and were served more drinks and food while we got hands-on time with the EVO itself. Some interesting pictures I haven’t seen posted elsewhere are of the EVO box:

And some HTC EVO 4G Cases that thoughtfully leave room for the kickstand:

Looking back, I wish I would have spent a little more time with the device. I would have loved to demo some of the applications like Sprint TV and Qik in depth. Instead I got one hands-on video, played with the device a little bit, and headed back to my hotel room to get the full video content up. Probably would have been worth an extra hour considering converting/uploading takes FOREVER anyways.

So no… I didn’t get to see Prince of Persia. It would have been nice, but as usual, bringing you folks the latest and greatest is priority #1.

Let’s Talk One-Liners

The HTC EVO 4G looks it’ll be the real deal top to bottom… and at $199 it truly is a deal.