I'm going to pay the charge but then again I won't chastise anyone who wants to pressure Sprint on it. For one, they have the right to complain about it if they want. Two, it is a BS charge.
While you can say it's not a 4G charge (because Sprint says so), that then leads to the following:
Ok then, that must mean that there will be 4G phones that don't have the $10 charge right? If so, then what's the criteria for which phones will get tagged with it and which won't? If I waited a bit could I, for instance, pick up an LG phone that is perhaps a tad below the Evo (no hdmi, no 720p) and NOT have to pay the $10? Again, What's the criteria?
Outside of that then you would have to assume that all phones that have the ability to actually use the 4G connection (otherwise, why put a 4G radio in it at this point if the phone couldn't at least make decent use of the extra speed). But if you assume that then are people really wrong for calling it a 4G charge? Until a 4G phone comes out that isn't charged the $10, then how can you say it isn't a 4G charge. Just because Sprint says it isn't? Assuming all the 4G phones coming out in the near future will actually be able to effectively use 4G in some way, then why would Sprint not charge $10 extra for them as well? And if they do, then how is that any different from it being a 4G charge?
I haven't seen an answer to the above logic. I believe the charge is pretty much a money grab. As a business, it's within Sprint's rights to charge it and try to make as much money as they can get away with but I'm not going to chastise anyone for taking them to task on it if they choose. Even though I'll pay the charge, that doesn't mean I have to drink the kool-aid or see it for what it really is.
If Sprint wants to start getting more cash then I guess they can do that. They still give you more for less money. However, I'm still disappointed that they couldn't have made a satisfactory profit for themselves without getting into these add on charges for higher end phones. Again, though don't be fooled into thinking this is going to be just for the Evo. You have to think about their entire lineup of smart phones and what this means for the future. It will be interesting to see what their criteria will be for other smart phones or if they'll just go ahead and charge it for any new 4g smart phone. I think that is what they'd like to do. Just charge $10 for any new 4g smart phone if they can get away with it.
This is actually quite a big shift in Sprint's current methodology. They screwed up how to effectively present it to the public. The holes in their justification logic lead to threads about it on the internet. As a consumer, I'm sad to see them go this route but If they feel they have to do it to survive then I guess that's the way it is. However, I'm perfectly fine with people who want to take them to task for it because it IS a big deal in the long run. Also, the guy who said it could turn into a really bad deal for people with family plans is correct as well. Just getting a high quality smart phone for yourself and your spouse could really start closing the gap in terms of Sprint's pricing advantage.