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Sprint's $199 HTC EVO 4G Gets Release Date of June 4

Posted by timothy on from the blanket-the-earth-with-signal dept.

Chameleon Man writes "The first 4G phone ever to be released, the HTC EVO 4G, announced back in March, has finally been given a release date of June 4. Along with the release date, Sprint has provided information on phone plans and pricing. From Engadget: 'Unfortunately, there's a downside to all this: customers will be paying a mandatory (as confirmed to us by Sprint reps) $10 per month "Premium Data add-on" on top of their plan — ostensibly for the privilege of enjoying WiMAX when they're in a Sprint 4G market — and the 8-device Wi-Fi hotspot feature runs an extra $29.99 a month, which Sprint is quick to point out is half what you'd pay for a dedicated mobile broadband account.' In 4G areas, it might be a formidable option for anyone who hates their ISP *ehem* Comcast *ehem.*"

9 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. No... by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In 4G areas, it might be a formidable option for anyone who hates their ISP *ehem* Comcast *ehem.*"

    While paying for 4G might allow you to get rid of Comcast for "ordinary" browsing, mobile phone providers are going to be a lot more strict about caps and such than Comcast most likely because bandwidth is more limited.

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:No... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Sprint has specificaly stated that paying your $10 surcharge for 4G gets you truly unlimited data (as in no cap).

    2. Re:No... by orcateers · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I used to have Clearwire in Seattle, (which I believe was the same network this phone will use), the speed was good for streaming video, and they didn't have any cap on monthly usage, but they throttled me for bittorrent, ostensibly because of the upload quantity, but ftp uploading to my web host never caused any alarm. (I noticed that the sprint service for evo will cap uploads at 1 mbps). On an unrelated note, the wimax service varied greatly based on what window I put the antenna in, or what corner of the house I was in etc, so you'd have to test it out on-site before getting an idea of what it can really do for you.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Still Cheaper Than Ridiculously Expensive AT&T by meehawl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A Sprint "Everything" data plan, even with a $10 tariff for 4G, is still ridiculously cheaper than the crazy high prices that AT&T gouges from its Apple-dazed captive masses.

    If you decide to swing an employee referral plan for the Evo then you are really coming out ahead.

    --

    Da Blog
  4. Re:They aren't charging. by DarkSabreLord · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is true, and it's going to get even easier in future Android releases. Froyo (2.2) is slated to include tethering and a wireless hotspot.

  5. Re:Not quite.. by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A) $100 Mail-In Rebate (so $299). And remember how much fun trying to claim a Mail-In Rebate is (and the lengths that they'll go to deny such claims?)
    B) You have to be able to switch phones.. for those of you who still have an agreement length date.. if you really want it.. throw in an early termination fee.. ($449)
    C) Plus you're locked in for two years.

    So, in other words, all the normal things that happen when you get a new phone/upgrade an existing phone.

    You may be able to avoid the MIR if you get the phone at Best Buy, though I can't recommend 'experiencing' Best Buy just to avoid an MIR. *shudder*

  6. Re:Buzzkill by BitZtream · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your friends would be liars, as we've noticed with all the iPhone buzz more of the time it turns out that you get the same contract style offers there OR the option to buy the phone outright for a lot more money.

    Ok, so they aren't really lying, but you certainly aren't presenting the full story.

    Go ask them how many buy $600 smart phones without a contract rather than $100 phones with a contract.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  7. Re:Still Cheaper Than Ridiculously Expensive AT&am by DerekLyons · · Score: 4, Informative

    A Sprint "Everything" data plan, even with a $10 tariff for 4G, is still ridiculously cheaper than the crazy high prices that AT&T gouges from its Apple-dazed captive masses.

    Hardly. I just just checked prices (because I'm out of contract with AT&T and thinking of upgrading to a smart phone), and AT&T will charge me $130/mo for two iPhones while Sprint will charge me $128/mo for two Droid phones - and that's without the 4G tariff.