iPhone to Evo converts...

[bossxii]

So it's been a bit over 5 weeks with my Evo and after sorting out the battery/widget issues I have zero issues with battery life. In fact with light use, likley 1 hour of calls, 20 or so texts and a couple pictures/videos taken I unplugged the Evo on Sat morning 8am and it was at 36% on Monday night at 11pm when I went to bed. Again light usage, but plenty of standby time for my use. I've overlooked the battery door not fitting properly and have all the settings turned off I need to work with the phone.

My question is to anyone that has used an iPhone for a year+ (I had them for 3 years) what are you doing now that you did not or could not do with your iPhone? Granted I jailbroke my iphone to use it as a wifi hotspot, just as I have to root the Evo to use it as a wifi hotspot. Unless of course I want to pay the 30 bones to Sprint, which currently I chose not to do since my signal at the office is rather weak, if I get any 3g at all.

I've used the camera and video a fair bit and for a smartphone no real issues with either. I do own an iPad so I don't play games on the Evo, rarely surf the internet on it either as any smartphone to me is to small of a web device after having used the iPad.

My main reason for staying with the Evo/Sprint is the fact AT&T's data packages are overpriced and the issues with dropped calls. I don't however find the Evo doing anything I haven't already done on the iPhone for the past few years. The HD/4G is marketing at best. Not all that impressed with the 4G speed/coverage and even less impressed with the 720p Video due to the compression/quality issues.

Bottom line... just curious if I'm missing some use of the smartphone that would separate it from the competition. I know plenty of you want "freedom" or flash etc... but as I don't care about Facebook and Farmville, or trying to play games on a phone, my curiosity has left me questioning if I'm missing something or is there really that little difference in the smartphone battle. Both seem like capable phones, and you can pick apart either phone for it's flaws, but daily activity really ends up being doable by either phone imo.

Curious to hear if anyone has something they use their Evo for that in the past they simply could not do with an iPhone.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[EarlyMon]

Google Gesture Search (free from the Market) has changed the way I interact with my contact list and how much more quickly, easily, and more accurately I can get things done because of that.

I suppose that'll depend on your contact list size - mine's in the hundreds. This isn't like Gesture Dial - I don't think the iPhone has anything like it.

Gesture Search Home

I find it superior to voice recognition for my needs.

It's either a gimmick or boon - depends on the your needs.

This is largest productivity enhancement I've ever used on a phone.

 

[RestivoBC]

I like the ability to be able to customize the look whenever and pretty much however you like. I am currently using LauncherPro and love it.

Also, the use of voice features such as voice search/commands and I use the voice keyboard for sending texts when I'm driving (works awesome).

As far as flash goes, it's not just for games and facebook, a lot of websites use flash for any image content they have, which makes some entire websites unreadable on iOS.

And 4G should be more widely available soon, i'm in Northern Los Angeles area and Sprint reps are saying by Oct-Nov this year, so that should be a nice change, especially when using the HotSpot.

For everyday use, a lot of phones will do the job, but that not why most of us get these phones, right? I made the switch and i'm happy.

 

[alansauce]

I don't facebook as much because the android facebook app sucks.

On the flipside though I take a lot more pictures with Evo, surf internet more, play old SNES games, download/use more apps, am more willing to make international calls using Rebtel.

 

[Neitherfanboy]

Love the EVO, but strangely I feel its cutting edge in some areas and behind in others. IMO, the Exchange Agent sucks. On the iPhone I got HTML email, and a bidirectional sync with Exchange (meaning, if I deleted an email on the iPhone it was deleted in Exchange/Outlook and vice versa). On the default email client's Exchange Activesync, emails come down, but deleting one on the EVO does not delete it on Exchange/Outlook -- and that's a pain. I also do not see HTML emails.

I have tried Touchdown, but it will only do Exchange email, not yahoo (and yes, I still have a yahoo email account).

With the advent of iPhone OS4, my co-workers dragged out the bluetooth Stowaway keyboards we bought a few years back for the Treos and are able to use them with the 3GS or the 4 ... I have not managed to get it to work on the EVO.

Still, all in all, I am loving the EVO ... no dropped phone calls yet. I am willing to wait for improvements (someone PLEASE write a better Exchange Activesync client).

 

[355spider]

I had iphones for years as well, not jailbroken though. I got and HTC HD2 when they first came out and loved it a lot more than my iphone. I like my Evo even more. I find 4G to be very fast here in Dallas. SPotty coverage but I am sure it will get better.
I have a Corvette Z06 and used to have 2 BMW M3s and before that a convertible Ferrari. All are great sports cars. What seperates them. Nothing the average person would notice besides prestige which to me means nothing. All the current phones are really good. Only dorks like us will know the difference.

 

[355spider]

Love the EVO, but strangely I feel its cutting edge in some areas and behind in others. IMO, the Exchange Agent sucks. On the iPhone I got HTML email, and a bidirectional sync with Exchange (meaning, if I deleted an email on the iPhone it was deleted in Exchange/Outlook and vice versa). On the default email client's Exchange Activesync, emails come down, but deleting one on the EVO does not delete it on Exchange/Outlook -- and that's a pain. I also do not see HTML emails.

I have tried Touchdown, but it will only do Exchange email, not yahoo (and yes, I still have a yahoo email account).

With the advent of iPhone OS4, my co-workers dragged out the bluetooth Stowaway keyboards we bought a few years back for the Treos and are able to use them with the 3GS or the 4 ... I have not managed to get it to work on the EVO.

Still, all in all, I am loving the EVO ... no dropped phone calls yet. I am willing to wait for improvements (someone PLEASE write a better Exchange Activesync client).

That is one gripe. I loved that my iphone deleted emails out of my yahoo account.

 

[Kelita]

Google Gesture Search (free from the Market) has changed the way I interact with my contact list and how much more quickly, easily, and more accurately I can get things done because of that.

I suppose that'll depend on your contact list size - mine's in the hundreds. This isn't like Gesture Dial - I don't think the iPhone has anything like it.

Gesture Search Home

I find it superior to voice recognition for my needs.

It's either a gimmick or boon - depends on the your needs.

This is largest productivity enhancement I've ever used on a phone.

Thank you for posting this! I had seen it around here weeks ago and never downloaded it and the more I use my phone, the more I realized I would really use something like this. I had no idea what it was called so searching would have been fruitless. Thanks!!

 

[Babbit]

I like the ability to be able to customize the look whenever and pretty much however you like. I am currently using LauncherPro and love it.

Also, the use of voice features such as voice search/commands and I use the voice keyboard for sending texts when I'm driving (works awesome).

As far as flash goes, it's not just for games and facebook, a lot of websites use flash for any image content they have, which makes some entire websites unreadable on iOS.

And 4G should be more widely available soon, i'm in Northern Los Angeles area and Sprint reps are saying by Oct-Nov this year, so that should be a nice change, especially when using the HotSpot.

For everyday use, a lot of phones will do the job, but that not why most of us get these phones, right? I made the switch and i'm happy.

It looks like the OP has a jailbroken iPhone, so I think flash and 4G would be the main thing that the EVO can do that the iPhone can't. Things like voice search, commands, texting etc.. and customizing home screens and widgets are all doable with a jailbroken iPhone.

Another thing the EVO has is free Google Navigations. That's something even a jailbroken iPhone doesn't have. Although the iPhone does have plenty of free turn by turn navigations apps (Mapquest, Waze, etc...), they don't feel as polished as google maps.

 

[CriticalCritic]

@OP

You said that you don't use a phone for games
You said that you don't use a phone for internet
You said that you don't use your phone as a wifi hotspot

You've essentially killed all the reasons to have a data plan (aside from SMS/MMS). So your bottom line is pretty irrelevant if it's based around "some use of the smartphone that would separate it from the competition," because you can no longer distinguish between a dumbphone and a smartphone (aside from the scheduler, although you can get texting phones that will do the same, so scratch that too).

The only thing that you leave open to distinguish between the phones are the size of the devices/screens, and the customization/appmarket size. So the good news is that you are pretty much free to choose whatever you like. If you do not care about the data stuff, then you may be better off going with a texting dumbphone on an extremely inexpensive plan and leave the smartphones alone.

 

[Agent Jones]

i like the fact that you can try out a paid app for 24 hours to make sure its what you expceted. with apple you were screwed once you paid for it.

 

[Rob_A]

@OP

You said that you don't use a phone for games
You said that you don't use a phone for internet
You said that you don't use your phone as a wifi hotspot

You've essentially killed all the reasons to have a data plan (aside from SMS/MMS). So your bottom line is pretty irrelevant if it's based around "some use of the smartphone that would separate it from the competition," because you can no longer distinguish between a dumbphone and a smartphone (aside from the scheduler, although you can get texting phones that will do the same, so scratch that too).

The only thing that you leave open to distinguish between the phones are the size of the devices/screens, and the customization/appmarket size. So the good news is that you are pretty much free to choose whatever you like. If you do not care about the data stuff, then you may be better off going with a texting dumbphone on an extremely inexpensive plan and leave the smartphones alone.

Exactly what I was going to say. It sounds like your iPad already does everything for you. Why even bother with a smart phone?

 

[EarlyMon]

@OP

You said that you don't use a phone for games
You said that you don't use a phone for internet
You said that you don't use your phone as a wifi hotspot

You've essentially killed all the reasons to have a data plan (aside from SMS/MMS). So your bottom line is pretty irrelevant if it's based around "some use of the smartphone that would separate it from the competition," because you can no longer distinguish between a dumbphone and a smartphone (aside from the scheduler, although you can get texting phones that will do the same, so scratch that too).

The only thing that you leave open to distinguish between the phones are the size of the devices/screens, and the customization/appmarket size. So the good news is that you are pretty much free to choose whatever you like. If you do not care about the data stuff, then you may be better off going with a texting dumbphone on an extremely inexpensive plan and leave the smartphones alone.

Respectfully disagree - completely.

I used the Ocean feature phone for years and really loved it. It was my little portable for business. It was on the Sprint net (via Helio) and I got great voice, great email, very good MS doc viewing, very good sms, and an excellent keyboard (I've yet to use its match in the Android world). Other things I wanted to use occasionally, and did, and made do with Opera for a web browser. I had a flat everything-with-data plan for $99/mo (levels my expenses, no surprises) and I was happy as a freaking clam.

When I decided to go smartphone, those were my first and foremost criteria - and not because I didn't understand the principle involved.

When I got my Evo, those were the first things I cared about. While others complain about its battery use with feature-phone like measures to save power, I like having a screen with all of the control widgets for radios, setup, syncing - dedicated to how feature-like or smart-like I want the phone to be.

For me, first and foremost, the Evo is FAST for what I do. My biggest internet use is email and downloading eBooks - I have all of the other goodies, but they're just goodies.

I thought the $10 4G extra sucked out loud, but that is what it is.

Paying a flat $110/mo without ever having to stop and think about my phone use, just doing it, is no waste whatsoever.

My typical voice usage for years has floated right around 4000 minutes/month.

Compared to what I once paid on AT&T, this is a total walk in the park.

There is just one thing I really freaking miss from my Ocean - the battery was finished on the back, not naked. You didn't remove a back cover to get to the battery, because there was no back cover. There was a latch, the battery came out. I had a second battery and charger, and the same cable worked for that charger and the phone - and my phone was NEVER on the charger - I just swapped batteries between the phone and the charger.

Now that was useful. That I miss. Unless you've used something like that, in my opinion, you have no idea how little the replaceable battery in this form factor counts.

In my opinion.

Here's a picture of that back/battery:

That and the dialer. No touch dialer compares to that, so I gave it and now enjoy the larger screen and other fine features.

But the data plan - I don't know about the OP, but that's just the least of my gripes.

PS - Until Fring and Skype screwed the pooch, I was using the hell out of my data plan for videoconferencing. Thanks guys, you're now both losers for hosing that up for me!

 

[pinoyxpryde]

-Actually loading images from gmail with the default mail app

- better multitasking than my jailbroken 3gs.

- always had orientation problems with taking photos on my 3gs

- bigger screen!
- kickstand!

There are some things I do miss though.

- one cable for audio and charging

- ipod app is way better than anything on android

- app store.
-

 

[legacy]

For me the fact that it doesn't drop calls is huge. Also appreciate Sprint TV, widgets, Google search that predicts what I'm searching for (makes web searches WAY faster than my iPhone was). Voice to text, HDMI out, and the kickstand. Widgets for settings (turn on/off bluetooth, GPS, etc) instead of having to dig through Apple menus. Loving the notifications (rather than having to close a freaking popup every time a get a text message). Turn-by-turn navigation blows away the Google Maps on iPhone (which wasn't very accurate). Those are just the things that immediately came to mind. Oh, and the 4.3" screen is glorious. I'm getting an iPad, but won't have it everywhere my phone goes with me. It's the perfect size.

 

[legacy]

- one cable for audio and charging

If you have a car (or stereo) with a USB jack, you get this. I play my music through my stereo as it charges.

 

[pwnst*r]

As a current iPhone user for almost 3 years (and have had my Evo since launch) here are the things I miss:

* Exchange support for work (though this is a temporary until some security issues are fixed in Froyo)

* A decent camera

* Sync/Integration with my workstation/laptop

* Line level audio out. The headphone out on the Evo is not clean.

* Accessories

That being said, I'm most certainly not getting rid of my Evo or future Android phones. I've been a Linux user for about 5 years, so the open source community and development is a huge plus.

 

[pwnst*r]

If you have a car (or stereo) with a USB jack, you get this. I play my music through my stereo as it charges.

You CAN?!?!?!?! That's huge for me! I'm going to test this right now.

 

[Agent Jones]

As a current iPhone user for almost 3 years (and have had my Evo since launch) here are the things I miss:

* Exchange support for work (though this is a temporary until some security issues are fixed in Froyo)

* A decent camera

* Sync/Integration with my workstation/laptop

* Line level audio out. The headphone out on the Evo is not clean.

* Accessories

That being said, I'm most certainly not getting rid of my Evo or future Android phones. I've been a Linux user for about 5 years, so the open source community and development is a huge plus.

decent camera??? the camera is better than alll the iphone cameras 2g-4...now the iphone 4 video is a little better than evo video but evo video is still better than iphone 3gs video

 

[pwnst*r]

decent camera??? the camera is better than alll the iphone cameras 2g-4...now the iphone 4 video is a little better than evo video but evo video is still better than iphone 3gs video

Sorry, that's very subjective, just like my post.

 

[Agent Jones]

Sorry, that's very subjective, just like my post.

so you really think the quality of the 3gs photos are better than the Evo pics? Do you have the settings correct on the evo?

 

[pank]

I've been an iPhone user since it's launch (currently have a 3G). The only thing I truly miss is Apple's mail app. I'm using K9 and have tried Maildroid which is very nice too but nothing is as polished as the iPhone mail app.

I'm in my 3rd week and can port my number over any time now since my contract with ATT expires today Just waiting a few more days to decide for sure. I really do love the phone and I feel HTC sense is what Apple should have made their UI look like!

I'm just still a bit on the fence but I'm leaning heavily towards keeping the EVO. Great phone, and to my surprise great network service with Sprint. I admit I'm one of those people that just for no good reason though Sprint was a crap network. I'm admitting my preconceived notion of Sprint's service was waaay off. No dropped calls and very fast 3G in my area.

 

[pwnst*r]

so you really think the quality of the 3gs photos are better than the Evo pics? Do you have the settings correct on the evo?

It's got nothing to do with the settings and everything to do with the quality of the image sensor.

 

[Agent Jones]

It's got nothing to do with the settings and everything to do with the quality of the image sensor.

it was jsut a question. if you were taking photos with the phone in 1megapixel mode instead of 8mp it wouldnt look as good. the image sensor on the evo is better than the iphones.

 

[pwnst*r]

it was jsut a question. if you were taking photos with the phone in 1megapixel mode instead of 8mp it wouldnt look as good. the image sensor on the evo is better than the iphones.

You're very wrong on both of those points. I suggest reading up on photography a bit - especially the megapixel myth.