Help Leaving iPhone4, Some questions about HTC EVO

[HookerBootz]

Hey there everybody I have some of questions about the HTC Evo/Sprints network so if y'all could help me out it would be much appreciated!

So the story is I have an iPhone 4. Ive had my cell phone bill payed for me for about 6 years since my family owed me money. Well they finally paid me back and now I have to be an adult and pay my own phone bills. I got my first one for my iPhone and it was around $125+....and theres no way in hell I want to pay that much for a phone I don't even want. I mean I like the iPhone but not THAT MUCH haha.

Ive had my eye on the HTC EVO, I mean it looks slick and it looks so customizable than an iPhone plus it has everything I need. So I don't feel like I'm downgrading at all if anything I'm mostly upgrading!


Well my questions are:

1. Does the Wi-fi Hotspot cost me extra to use if I were to like use it to play Xbox live or something? Does it even work like that?
2. Is this phone super customizable from the get go? I'm talking about making my own ring tones/text tones etc etc
3. Whats this whole "root" business? I'm assuming its what jail breaking was to iPhone?
4. If I'm on Sprints $69.99 Everything Data plan+ $10Premium Data Add-on, in general what will the bills look like? I live in Az if there's any locals on the board that could answer this one.
5. Is this phone still hard to get, or has the craze settle down a little bit?
6. I don't care about color.....bbuuuttt is the white one out yet?

That's pretty much all I have questions about. I am pretty excited to make the switch. Iphone was totally lacking to me, its cool and all but its not cool enough to pay out the butt for it. The HTC EVO looks SICK and Android looks cool to use from what seen of.

 

[SprintFun]

Well my questions are:

1. Does the Wi-fi Hotspot cost me extra to use if I were to like use it to play Xbox live or something? Does it even work like that? To use Sprint's service it does cost exta. But there are free or cheaper alternatives. As far as xbox, I don't think the speed is sufficient for that, but I've never tried it.
2. Is this phone super customizable from the get go? I'm talking about making my own ring tones/text tones etc etc Yes of course. Much more customizable than the iPhone
3. Whats this whole "root" business? I'm assuming its what jail breaking was to iPhone? It basically is to grant you "root" access and be a superuser and let you have more control over your phone, install more powerful programs, put customized versions of Android on the phone, etc.
4. If I'm on Sprints $69.99 Everything Data plan+ $10Premium Data Add-on, in general what will the bills look like? I live in Az if there's any locals on the board that could answer this one. My bill is approx $85 once all of the taxes and fees and crap is done,
5. Is this phone still hard to get, or has the craze settle down a little bit? May still be hard to get locally, but you can probably get it from sprint's website easily
6. I don't care about color.....bbuuuttt is the white one out yet? Yes, but not sure if its still best buy only or what

Answers are in RED

 

[HookerBootz]

Thank a million man.
Yeah I wasn't planning on using my phone to be my wifi provider for my Xbox, it was just an inkling I was curious about.

And one more question about Rooting
If I do it, don't love it or want to go back to my standard settings. It is possible to restore back to how it was easily, right?

 

[luxetical]

1. It cost extra to have the hotspot enabled unless you're rooted. Also since there is no cap (yet) then it's not going to cost you extra to play xbox live using it.
2. Very customizable. Yes to what you're looking for in ringtones and text tones. You can also change on screen keyboards, internet browsers, text message apps, etc. So android is extremely customizable compared to iPhone.
3. That is something you might want to go to the Root section and read up on it, it's more complicated then jailbreaking.
http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-all...ot-guide-updated-21-15-bst-aug-31-2010-a.html
4. I can't answer this one since I'm on a family data plan but I've had sprint for awhile and live in AZ but usually you pay what you signed up for. There are a few hidden fees so keep your eye out and theres also a good amount of discounts so just ask.
5. It seems to be dying out a bit but I do know places are still selling out. Just check stores and ask when shipments will be in.
6. Best Buy sells the white one. I'm not sure if they still sell them but thats the place to check.

 

[SprintFun]

Thank a million man.
Yeah I wasn't planning on using my phone to be my wifi provider for my Xbox, it was just an inkling I was curious about.

And one more question about Rooting
If I do it, don't love it or want to go back to my standard settings. It is possible to restore back to how it was easily, right?

There is no noticable difference from rooting (assuming it works and doesn't brick your phone).

Really it's like being a regular user versus an administrator on a computer. One just has more things they can do to the computer than the other.

Once you root you don't have to install things if you don't want. And it "looks" and "feels" the same as non-rooted. It just opens up more options of what your phone can do.

 

[HookerBootz]

Sweet thanks for the info fellas. Im pretty excited about this phone.
Im gonna see if my pops wants to get on a family plan too to save some cash.

 

[HookerBootz]

Oh and what hidden fees should I expect?

 

[marctronixx]

there are no hidden fees. if you need to understand what you will be charged on your bill, contact the mobile carrier and they will explain to you the fees and why they are there.

 

[BenChase7]

The EVO is an awesome phone... If you're into customization, it awesome... YOU control everything. You will love the nice big bright screen... you'll never go back to 3.5inches. Kickstand is great for watching movies/video. I really think anyone would like the EVO.

Sprint has a good network and some of the best prices around. Get the Everything Data 450 plan at 69.99 (+10$ EVO tax)... $80 a month isnt bad for all the unlimited usage you're getting. Also, Sprint has so many discounts, You'll probably pay less than that. Discounts for where you work, where you bank, student, etc. Here is a link for the discounts. http://androidforums.com/sprint/81670-do-i-qualify-discount.html I get 25% off for working part time at The Home Depot.

 

[BenChase7]

Oh and what hidden fees should I expect?

None! My favorite thing about Sprint... so much unlimited goodness and no extra fees for GPS use, visual voicemail, Sprint TV, Sprint Radio, etc... If your phone has it... use it.. its included.

PS. Wireless hotspot is the only exception. I do happen to use/pay for it... and it works impressivly well!

 

[jlbattagli]

The only "hidden fees" are the same ones common to all wireless companies; i.e., surcharges for state and federal regulatory and administrative charges, e-911 admin fees, sales tax (if your state has it), etc. All the things that wireless companies never mention when advertising their plan prices Adds up to about an additional $16/month for my wife and me (she's on a plain vanilla phone). But I haven't seen any Sprint-specific fees. Sprint even details out my roaming usage (mostly I'm in-network, but my job sometimes lands me in odd places), but so far I've not been charged for roaming.

 

[BenChase7]

^
Gotta love the government and the FCC

 

[MonkeyBoy2000]

Oh and what hidden fees should I expect?

There are two five dollar fees that are in your bill that you should be aware of : the " Spending limit fee " and some other B.S. fee that I can't remember the name of.
Both are $5.

You can get rid of the fees by enrolling in automatic bill pay and paperless billing. So thats ten bucks a month right there ... which can go to pay the " premium data fee " which you can't back out of.

Without my company discount ( 20 % ) and before getting rid of the fees that I mentioned above, the total bill amounts to $ 98.51 a month for the 450 minute unlimited data plan.

$ 8.53 of that is taxes

 

[Haris]

I used to work for Ford and I got 25% off my Sprint bill for that, and then I got some weird random survey call and they promised me that if I took the 45 minute survey they would give me 9% off of my bill ON TOP of my Ford discount. I was getting 34% off of my bill with Sprint for 5 years!

I left them and went to Verizon (HUGE MISTAKE), lost my discounts, and now that I don't work for Ford anymore I pay for the $99 simply everything, + $10 data, plus taxes & fees for about $138/month. But I also have insurance and roadside rescue that I've used a BUNCH of times (definetly worth $3-$4/month!)

The good news is, the current company I work for has a Verizon discount, but since I refuse to use a Verizon phone for work where they can track me via GPS and have fully access to my texts, emails, EVERYTHING... they agreed to pay 85% of my phone bill every month.

Kind of a sweet deal if you ask me. LOL

 

[cmaglone]

I use the Hotspot and pay $30 a month for this service. I love it! You can have up to eight computers logged on, and no one can feel the difference. I think that my hotspot is faster than Cable. I am not even using 3G right now.

This brings me to the downside of the phone. Using the 4G phone in a 3G are is a huge battery drain. You will need more than one battery and a way to charge the spare. I have the HTC Hero that I use to charge batteries as I alternate.

I usually have my EVO plugged into the car or to a wall charger when I use it to minimize the amount of times I have to keep changing batteries. This leads me to a recent issue I just had with my EVO.

EVO has a manufacturer defect with the USB charge port. I have only had my EVO for a few months, and I have already burnt up my port. Due to the fact, I have had the phone for less than a year, it is still under warranty, so they would replace at no charge...which brings me to a recent problem I had.

Two weeks ago, I dropped my phone just the right angle and cracked the screen. I do not have insurance on this one, (but I will on my new phone) so I have to pay for the screen to be repaired prior to trading for the warranted phone. Sprint will change out the screen for around $120 or you can try to do it yourself for about the same money. There is a kit that can be purchased that includes the tools, and the screen, well I am not sure where you would get the screen...EBay maybe?

Insurance on the phone is $7 a month and the deductible is $100. It covers water damage, cracked screen, and loss. After the warranty is up, the insurance will cover manufacture defects, like the USB Port.

I also pay $79. For unlimited data and 450 min., Free calls to ANY wireless phone. I would not change my service; I would not change my equipment. I love my EVO and I have encouraged two friends to purchase them. They love theirs as well.

I also like Sprints service. If you do not like the answer you get from the first person you call, hang up and call back.

 

[TF1984]

Enjoy YOEVO