Your Evo So Far

[inflewence]

It is the best phone that I have ever owned and would do it all over again.
I didn't have the problems with mine that some here did, so it has been a good experience from the start.

Same here! (yeah I'm being lazy)

 

[alansauce]

best phone i've ever had

 

[BenJammin]

EVO Pros:

--Camera: the 8mp camera is AMAZING. i have it set to max size, sharpen. once you play with it and figure it out, people will be amazed the pics came from a phone. Dark photos have too much flash, but i'm sure it can be fixed with software on down the line

--Kickstand: i use this every day. i've always got MP3 or pandora or a movie running.

--front camera: until last week, i did phone-to-pc skype video calls with my wife/daughter. it is amazing that i can sit in a restaurant, video conference with my wife at home, and the phone doing it does NOT have an apple logo

--Web browsing: the width and height is perfect to view sites in portrait mode. i prefer browsing on this over a laptop when i'm lounging.
--FLASH on web pages: try that on your iPad!
--Size: it is amazingly small considering the size of the screen. Weight is not an issue
--Battery life: If you classify this not as a PHONE, but as a GPS/Tablet/PC/Internet Appliance/Movie player, you'll realize that ~10hrs of battery is pretty amazing. Just treat it like a laptop and charge it whenever you are near power.

EVO Cons:

--no dedicated camera physical button
--speakerphone could be louder
--"HD" video camera is complete crap. Horrible. It was the biggest let down for me, as I was HOPING to quit carrying my Canon camera with me. However; based on some of the posts here and on xda, it looks like the video quality could be better with software/kernel/rom upgrades

--Battery life for some people. Seems some get amazing battery life, some get very little, i'm one of the ones in the middle. ~10 hrs with moderate usage. I just bought a few extra chargers and batteries on ebay, so i'm good to go with it.

--3D performance is disappointing compared to 3D gaming on apple stuff and compared to the droidx.

i got mine a week after launch. ver.0003/novatek

 

[bossxii]

I'm wondering how people who have had their Evos for a while feel. The reviews only give initial impressions, not the longer experience that I think really counts. And there seems to be a ton of conflicting information with the video, the battery life, the build quality -- just a lot of it.

So I'm wondering what everyone here feels at this point about the phone. What problems are minor and fixable, which are sticking points, what do you love and are you -- overall -- happy with the phone?

Thanks for anyone who posts, I'd love to hear feelings on the phone!

New to Android, from ATT/iPhone 3Gs, and purchased on June 4th. I just stopped by a local RS on my way to work, zero people in line or waiting so they let me walk in and buy one. Initially was excited to dig in and learn about Android and explore the Evo's capabilities. Then about two weeks in the screen was popping up at the bottom and light was leaking around about 70% of screen. Time to take Evo number one back, number two showed up just 4 days later, the battery door which was and still is the cheapest pc of plastic I've ever seen on a $500 smartphone still gaps open but... well that just seems to be HTC's idea of quality.

Anyhow... second Evo is ver 003 and so far so good, aside from the gap in the battery cover. The phone does do things simply not possible on any of my past iPhones or the iPhone 4. The 4G speed hasn't been overwhelming but look forward to the build out and future high speed data networks, I tether a lot and stream my Slingbox at work so it gets a good workout on days like this week watching the British Open. Love Sprints data plans and unlimited use of 3G or 4G, worth every penny of the $10 fee. The call quality seems fine, although the visual VM recordings are terrible and sound very "tinny" even some sound like they have an echo, horrible quality there, Sprint CS seemed baffled, no help there yet.

As crazy as the kickstand first sounded on a phone... vie used the heck out of it at work with Sprint TV or when watching Slingbox. The still photos are very good IMO for a phone, however a bit disappointed with the video recording, from the badly compressed video to the horrible sounding audio. Thankfully i own a real HD recorder so it's not something I need to rely on. Overall the Evo shows me things that the iPhone cannot do, but also shows how well a polished OS can be when things are done different than Android.

Honestly I'm still a bit torn to determine my favorite platform. Each has some positive aspects and some glaring negatives. I think the biggest thing I have learned so far is the possibility of what the next gen of smart phones could bring us. Quality hardware, faster data networks, one device to replace several electronic gadgets we now own. I'll have to put 6 months to a year on the Evo for a long term comparison as I learn more about Android and take full advantage of what Sprint and Android has to offer.

Bottom line If people are not so wrapped up fanboism of either camp (Android or Apple) it's pretty easy to make a fair comparison and go with the phone and carrier that fits your needs and lifestyle.

 

[TunaNoCrust]

You may have all that time on one charge but you've barely played with it. This phone is meant to be played with, not sat around gaining stats about being idle.

PLAY WITH ME!

WTF?? You skip reading comprehension or something?

I clearly stated that I use my evo heavily..

I get that much juice all the time. Believe me, I use just about every feature the evo can give me.

 

[bossxii]

WTF?? You skip reading comprehension or something?

I clearly stated that I use my evo heavily..

I get that much juice all the time. Believe me, I use just about every feature the evo can give me.

2 days, 10 hours... Or a total of 58 hours and change. Your snapshot shows actually using the OS, and not in "cell standby" for 6%, which translates to approximately 3.5 hours of use over 2.5 days. Not exactly what most people consider heavy usage.

Ive seen similar standby time on my phone going from a Sat 8am unplug until Tuesday night at 11pm. However my system history was very similar at 4 or 5% and over 50% was cell standby. That is very little usage, not a bad thing, simply not as you have stated it to be heavy usage.

 

[SporkLover]

WTF?? You skip reading comprehension or something?

I clearly stated that I use my evo heavily..

I get that much juice all the time. Believe me, I use just about every feature the evo can give me.

You need to take that Evo out of your pocket and start using it heavily.

 

[One Beast]

You need to take that Evo out of your pocket and start using it heavily.

Yea it looks to me that the phone was on Standby and Idle most the time....Show me battery life like that with Android system and a App on the top of the battery life list......

 

[effluent]

I came from the Centro so I know what you mean haha it's like night and day

I also came from a Centro(Treos before that) and am utterly amazed by this thing. Everything I imagined it would be.

 

[TunaNoCrust]

LOL, you guys dont have to believe me.

I check my yahoo fantasy team, watch highlights, check my mail, browse xda, and play some asphalt all in 8 hours just at work, and when I come home, its good enough to the point that I dont plug it in for the next day.

When I bought my evo, I was hoping to get at least a full day out of it but now, I couldnt be any more grateful.

 

[dr g]

2 days, 10 hours... Or a total of 58 hours and change. Your snapshot shows actually using the OS, and not in "cell standby" for 6%, which translates to approximately 3.5 hours of use over 2.5 days. Not exactly what most people consider heavy usage.

Ive seen similar standby time on my phone going from a Sat 8am unplug until Tuesday night at 11pm. However my system history was very similar at 4 or 5% and over 50% was cell standby. That is very little usage, not a bad thing, simply not as you have stated it to be heavy usage.

You need to take that Evo out of your pocket and start using it heavily.

Yea it looks to me that the phone was on Standby and Idle most the time....Show me battery life like that with Android system and a App on the top of the battery life list......

Folks, just because it registers a small percentage doesn't mean he isn't using the phone. In fact that's the point -- that graphic isn't percent processor or phone usage, it's percent BATTERY usage. His system could just be using an extraordinarily small percentage of battery, possibly because of the ROM.

That said, that is tremendous battery life. The poster could clarify by posting the uptime screen or the Android system details (would show time of usage).

As for the OP, I am more pleased with my Evo than ever. While it is a small cut below my last WM device (Touch Pro) in functionality, it is so far ahead in usability and general power that it is just astounding. I am a full-throated Android convert thanks to this phone.

I get battery life in the 12-15 hr range with a ~33% awake time, upwards of 20 hours with a ~20% awake.

 

[italianwjt]

WTF?? You skip reading comprehension or something?

I clearly stated that I use my evo heavily..

I get that much juice all the time. Believe me, I use just about every feature the evo can give me.

2 days, 10 hours... Or a total of 58 hours and change. Your snapshot shows actually using the OS, and not in "cell standby" for 6%, which translates to approximately 3.5 hours of use over 2.5 days. Not exactly what most people consider heavy usage.

Ive seen similar standby time on my phone going from a Sat 8am unplug until Tuesday night at 11pm. However my system history was very similar at 4 or 5% and over 50% was cell standby. That is very little usage, not a bad thing, simply not as you have stated it to be heavy usage.

OWNED!

 

[stainlessray]

i use it 3.5 hours by noon, then i'm like, S$IT wheres my charger i'm not done yet

 

[TunaNoCrust]

Folks, just because it registers a small percentage doesn't mean he isn't using the phone. In fact that's the point -- that graphic isn't percent processor or phone usage, it's percent BATTERY usage. His system could just be using an extraordinarily small percentage of battery, possibly because of the ROM.

That said, that is tremendous battery life. The poster could clarify by posting the uptime screen or the Android system details (would show time of usage).

As for the OP, I am more pleased with my Evo than ever. While it is a small cut below my last WM device (Touch Pro) in functionality, it is so far ahead in usability and general power that it is just astounding. I am a full-throated Android convert thanks to this phone.

I get battery life in the 12-15 hr range with a ~33% awake time, upwards of 20 hours with a ~20% awake.

Exactly. Here's a systempanel screenshot of the past 3 days. Notice all the device usage but the battery remains healthy.

Owned? LOL, I didnt know this was teenager's forum.

 

[JunBringer]

I love it! I got mine on launch day and love just sitting around adjusting my widgets ect on my 7 homescreens. I love Sense, it's what makes Android attractive to me, as I think MotoDroid products aren't as attractive. I'm definitely an Android fan and even moreso an HTC fan, as they make a great OS even better.

I loved my iPhone 3GS that I got on launch day last year, as it was my first smartphone. I was just saying in another thread that I feel like iOS is a great entry level to mid-level smartphone OS, but for people who love messing with things constantly Android is where it's at. My iPhone was gorgeous, but kinda boring in the fact that it's just a giant app drawer.

I could see myself doing the EVO 2 next year or at least sticking with this niche in the smartphone market (HTC with Android and a giant screen).

 

[Bat~man]

Love the EVO, once I rooted and saw the performance increase and awesome battery life..I was happy.

The only Cons for me are

1. Screen popping off..yea it sticks up =\
2. FPS cap? WEAK
3. Light Leakage

HTC needs to really tighten up on their quality of builds...I know they need to be priced to compete and mass produced so it hurts quality...but come on.

HTC sense is awesome but I wish it would be reworked so it's so difficult when it comes to getting Android updates.

All in all tho, I would give it a 8.5 out of 10 and wouldn't trade it for any phone that is currently out.

 

[italianwjt]

All BS aside, best phone i've ever owned...going from a motorola flip (90's) to a nokia (late 90's) to the HP smartphone (2002) to the nextel flip (2004) to the bb 7100 to the bb 8320(2008?), to the htc hd2 (RETURNED THE POS), to the evo ftw!

 

[mrvirginia]

Love the EVO, once I rooted and saw the performance increase and awesome battery life..I was happy.

The only Cons for me are

1. Screen popping off..yea it sticks up =\
2. FPS cap? WEAK
3. Light Leakage

HTC needs to really tighten up on their quality of builds...I know they need to be priced to compete and mass produced so it hurts quality...but come on.

HTC sense is awesome but I wish it would be reworked so it's so difficult when it comes to getting Android updates.

All in all tho, I would give it a 8.5 out of 10 and wouldn't trade it for any phone that is currently out.

if you're rooted, get rid of that FPS cap lol

on topic, got my Evo launch day. loved it that day and on, then rooted this past weekend.i didn't know it was possible to love it more, but i do heh.

 

[fourgee]

My EVO will replace my Lap Top for 80% of my needs. My camera for 90% my Garmin and Guitar Tuner 100%!
Well worth the price of admission.
I'm not a "gamer" but I loaded & ran Asphault 5 and... WHOA!! It really shows what's possible.

 

[Chaco]

i have had my EVO since day one and i completely love it... its absolutely amazin... the only draw back is battery life, but after the hard reset, CDMA trick and battery management, i no longer have battery issues...

even if you did not wanted to manage the usage, get one of those $10 Hong kong battery/charger kits from ebay and keep the spare battery with ya... works great and cheap solution....

best phone ever in my books so far... cant wait to try it on 4G speeds.... bc so far i am getting decent 3G

 

[Gerbacio_PR]

EVO Pros:

--Camera: the 8mp camera is AMAZING. i have it set to max size, sharpen. once you play with it and figure it out, people will be amazed the pics came from a phone. Dark photos have too much flash, but i'm sure it can be fixed with software on down the line

--Kickstand: i use this every day. i've always got MP3 or pandora or a movie running.

--front camera: until last week, i did phone-to-pc skype video calls with my wife/daughter. it is amazing that i can sit in a restaurant, video conference with my wife at home, and the phone doing it does NOT have an apple logo

--Web browsing: the width and height is perfect to view sites in portrait mode. i prefer browsing on this over a laptop when i'm lounging.
--FLASH on web pages: try that on your iPad!
--Size: it is amazingly small considering the size of the screen. Weight is not an issue
--Battery life: If you classify this not as a PHONE, but as a GPS/Tablet/PC/Internet Appliance/Movie player, you'll realize that ~10hrs of battery is pretty amazing. Just treat it like a laptop and charge it whenever you are near power.

EVO Cons:

--no dedicated camera physical button
--speakerphone could be louder
--"HD" video camera is complete crap. Horrible. It was the biggest let down for me, as I was HOPING to quit carrying my Canon camera with me. However; based on some of the posts here and on xda, it looks like the video quality could be better with software/kernel/rom upgrades

--Battery life for some people. Seems some get amazing battery life, some get very little, i'm one of the ones in the middle. ~10 hrs with moderate usage. I just bought a few extra chargers and batteries on ebay, so i'm good to go with it.

--3D performance is disappointing compared to 3D gaming on apple stuff and compared to the droidx.

i got mine a week after launch. ver.0003/novatek

how do you do skype PC to phone???

how do i get skype for my evo...my dad has cancer and has been tryin to take a peek at my newborn son and he has skype on his PC...i have the Evo

how do i do this please help me this would be awesome

 

[MyFishWagon]

how do you do skype PC to phone???

how do i get skype for my evo...my dad has cancer and has been tryin to take a peek at my newborn son and he has skype on his PC...i have the Evo

how do i do this please help me this would be awesome

Got my phone on release day. Im on it 24/7. Everyday I love it more and more.....

 

[JoshUng]

Had an Evo since launch, had to exchange it a week ago because the charger wouldn't connect properly, and charging became a little dance and prayer I had to do every night.

No other problems though, I think my battery life is somewhere in the middle of those who say it sucks and those who say it is great. There are some apps that just kill the battery though, but that is life. But it seems every other day I learn something new about the phone that I didn't think was possible.

 

[Androidalltheway]

I love my Evo as well, I cancelled T-mobile to get the Evo, by far best phone I ever had, one thing I do notice though, I do not know if its the phone, or reception, but sometimes when I talk to my dad who uses a cheap tmobile flip phone, it was not as clear as whe I had tmobile, whether your tmobile to tmobile or sprint to sprint, dont know if that makes a difference, meaning same gsm network, so better reception?, I don't know, I have heard that before, does that mean sprint to sprint is better reception cuz its the same network?, no idea, but besides that, I use this phone like a pc, even put snes and nes games on it, and that kills the battery rather quickly as expected, when 2.2 hits, this thing will fly!!

 

[Cobravision]

My battery life is in the shitter, but I can deal, I just have to have chargers everywhere and a spare battery for emergencies. It's like the Touch Diamond all over again.

I am using Dolphin HD with text size set to Huge, and now I have full screen desktop style browsing in portrait mode without needing to zoom in. I only zoom in if a link is really small (like the page links in forums). But I think I can actually tap those without zooming with enough practice. Now I can actually see who's written what post without having to drag the screen to the right. I can't imagine a better mobile browsing experience.