Sprint is obviously going for the gusto with the EVO line. What started out as the monstrous, first 4G volley from the nation’s 3rd largest carrier, is quickly turning in to the largest phone series since the ‘Droid’ name hit Verizon Wireless.
With the amazing success of the original EVO 4G, HTC followed that up with the compact EVO Shift 4G. This ended the announcement of 4G devices leaving just 3 in Sprint’s arsenal. The EVO, the Shift and the Epic from Samsung. CES 2011 came and went with just the peep of 4G devices. The official announcement of the HTC EVO Shift, the BlackBerry Playbook 4G and a new 4G MI-FI device. Other than that, the 4G cloud was looking rather empty.
Hope arose, however, when Sprint was readying a February announcement for another, “industry first.”
The hope of the Sprint universe was that the EVO 2, Pre 4G or something amazing was coming but what was announced was the Kyocera Echo. The dual screen, 3G phone should lend itself to a very unique client group, and will be available shortly to users on the Now Network. Unfortunately, shortly after announcing the new device, rumors ran through the blog-o-sphere that Sprint was abandoning the WiMAX train and heading to LTE-ville.
From the ashes of the failed (for the moment) LTE rumors, begins a new chapter WiMAX toting monster rumors that are now running across the popular tech blogs. The EVO 3D – the next generation of the EVO line is set to be announced at CTIA later this month.
The EVO 3D has been slated for release since HTC originally demonstrated their 3D technology at World Mobile Congress in 2010. Many write-ups featured this ‘glimpse of the future’ stating that HTC would be the first to bring a 3D handset to market and many called for the device to be released before the end of 2011.
The second addition is going to be the BlackBerry Playbook 4G. The Playbook is the much anticipated tablet offering from Research In Motion. While it won’t have the ‘Android’ power of the EVO line, it’s a formidable addition to the longevity of the EVO as it will continue the WiMAX line to another device.
Finally, the Samsung Nexus S in Sprint flavors. For some, getting their grubby mitts on a Nexus on Sprint is the cat’s meow. For most Sprint users that have been abused by previous Samsung offerings (see the model links below), the Nexus might not offer enough incentive to upgrade. While the Nexus offers some amazing specs, the EVO is so close to it in power, it’s hard to see why one would leave the amazing EVO for something with so little support and so many issues.
Sprint’s street credibility with Samsung is not the strongest. The Moment, Intercept and Transform have all had major issues and the Epic has been slower than molasses in receiving its Android 2.2 update.
Overall, the CTIA announcement should do nothing to the thrill of purchasing your new EVO. Sure, the 3D features might be fun for some, but for others they might be very annoying and migraine inducing. Overall, the announcement does more to solidify Sprint’s commitment to WiMAX and a longer lifespan for the original EVO 4G.
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