HTC Evo 4G Week One

It's now been one week and two days since I picked up my new HTC Evo 4G and that means that it's time to share some impressions of the device.  Here's a link to some pictures I took of the device this morning.  Read on past the break for the good, the bad, and the not so ugly.

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Tech Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

The Apple iPad launched yesterday and I will admit that there is a small part of myself that wishes I had pre-ordered one last month instead of investing in a new camera and assorted equipment.  However, I think holding off is still the best course of action in my case for a few very good reasons.

First off there is the impending HTC Evo 4G that was announced at CTIA a couple of weeks ago which is the long rumored Supersonic with better stats than the rumor mills speculated that it might pack (an entry on that later on).

Then there is the fact that the 3G enabled versions of the iPad haven't launched yet and I think that would be the better option if I were to buy one.  Unless Sprint makes that whole mobile hotspot app on the Evo 4G free like Verizon recently did for the Palm Pre Plus.

And finally there is the fact that this is a whole new product category and it's first generation hardware.  If something is going to go hinky on the thing then it will shake out over the next few weeks and if I were to buy one then it would be after any "fixes" to those issues.

What I am planning to do is make a trip to the Apple store next weekend here in the Raleigh area to get some hands on time with the iPad.  I realize that by doing the "hands on" thing it will probably get me to drink the Apple/Steve Jobs Koolaide, and that's fine too.  I did some research on the iBooks app and found that it will support ePub books that do not have DRM (which is what most of my ebook collection is) so that is one less worry.  Oh, and the Netflix app for the iPad is one thing that has got me VERY interested!  If there are two things that would push me to getting one it would be the ebook reading and Netflix streaming app combined with 3G connectivity.

iPad Decisions

Okay, after much thought and consideration of all the available options as far as the upcoming iPad go I've made my decision.

I'm NOT going to be there on the first day that the wifi only version goes on sale!  Instead I'm going to wait the extra thirty days for the wifi/3G enabled versions to hit shelves.

They why is easy enough to answer.  While it would be possible to set my Pre up as a wifi hotspot it's not exactly condoned by Sprint, my cell service provider.  Further, it would kill my phone battery in no time at all and that is not an acceptable solution.  Also the 3g service with the iPad is not any sort of contract based one which means if I need it one month I can use it but if I don't then I don't have to pay for it.  I like options.

And finally, the biggest reason of all is I will be able to see just what "bugs" there are in the thing before plunking down my hard earned money on the new device as well as seeing how the whole e-book aspect goes.  Apple has said it will use the ePub standard and I have quite a few ePub books that do not have DRM attached to them.  If I'm able to import those as well as what Apple will sell through it's iBooks store then it's a win-win.  If not then I'll have to do some hard thinking on the whole thing.

Apple iPad

This week Apple announced the product that just about everyone on the planet knew was coming, the Apple iPad.  I'll leave all the pooh pah to other sites to handle and just address why this product is coming soon to my collection of tech stuff.  And why.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I had been considering getting an e-book reader for some time now and was leaning seriously towards either the Kindle or one of the newer Sony e-reading devices.  The reason I was considering the Kindle was the whole Amazon ecosystem of content:  books as well as newspaper and magazine subscriptions.  The benefits of the Sony products was the recent embrace of the ePub standard by Sony as well as a few content deals that have been rumored to be in the works.  The iPad killed those considerations for me.

The price points that Apple announced for the iPad more than make it a competitive product considering how much it can do (wi-fi only 16GB $499, 32GB $599, 64GB $699 with an extra $130 for 3G service via AT&T with an unlimited data plan for only $29.99 per month without a contract).  Considering this is an Apple product I was buying into the opinions that it would launch closer to $1000 rather than $500, especially when you look at the initial pricing of the iPhone when it launched three years ago.  For ten dollars less than you pay for the Kindle DX you get the same sized screen and a LOT more bang for your buck.  Another point of interest is that Steve Jobs and company announced that the iPad will run ALL the apps that currently run on the iPhone/iPod Touch.  This means that if I really want some content available only from Amazon I can do that via their Kindle App.  Essentially a win-win scenario!

To me this is a no-brainer purchase decision.  It offers an excellent e-book reading experience (based on what was shown at the announcement) as well as mobile internet access at a decent, contract-free price.  The app ecosystem Apple has created is bound to step up to the plate and deliver some excellent products to download.  My biggest decision is whether to get the wi-fi only version of the 3G enabled version.  Either way I'll probably go with the 16GB model.  The extra memory available in the 32 and 64GB versions would be nice but I have no problem with having to be picky with what I do and do not load up on the device if it comes down to needed space later on down the road.  To be honest I'll probably stick to using my phone to listen to music daily and use the iPad for ebook reading and other stuff.

Oh, and one more thing for me to consider right now is whether or not to stake out an Apple store overnight when it goes for sale.  Somehow I feel I should do something like that at least once in my life.