HTC EVO Shift 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

Feature-loaded, user friendly: smart choice in a crowded smart phone market February 12, 2011
Reviewer:  35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11"  (Mid Atlantic, USA) -

HTC EVO Shift 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

We've been using mobile telephones in our house since 1995, and the parade of discards since then represent choices made to deliver basic services (phone calls, and with the ones just retired, text messages) and at the cheapest prices. 


The HTC Evo Shift 4G was only added to Sprint's lineup a month before we bought it ago, making us early adopters of this model, even if smart phones are decidedly mainstream now... 


Much of what is good --or bad-- about using 3G/4G/WIMAX services is going to be very dependent on your service provider's network relative to your current location (and indeed, many of the commercials we watch are not about the phone, but about the network) and the applications you interact with. 


So while your experience my vary, our experience with this phone in the places we use it has been awesome at every turn. Great features, intuitive interface and --since we still use it to make phone calls too-- good call audio quality. 


While the screen is smaller that its Evo 4G product line companion, this is largely mitigated by the slide-out full QWERTY keyboard...a blessing for those who can't seem to master soft keyboard displays. 

The phone ships with an impressive array of apps, and the Android marketplace makes finding and installing new ones simple. Two strong performers are Google-powered Voice Search and Navigate: both are eerily good at delivering search results and driving/walking directions. Thi phone's voice-to-text interface is also very good. Surprisingly, a voice-based dialing app that is part of the operating system's collection of widgets seldom gets one right. 


We discovered one minor issue with the placement and size of the call volume buttons at the bottom left of the QWERTY tray when it's extended. Your left thumb will inadvertently press them by accident, resulting in the related on-screen display briefly appearing on the screen. It's a minor issue that you will quickly self-train to avoid. 

Finally, a note about pricing if you are considering this or any other high-end phone: comparison shop and pay attention when you're ready to upgrade. For the hardware purchase, you can expect to find considerable differences in the prices (even when upgrade discount and rebates are included) from different vendors. Be sure to check out each each of your provider's "store" (brick and mortar, by phone and online), big box stores and even Amazon's new wireless store. It's worth investing a couple minutes in this research to save a considerable amount on the purchase price. 


Becoming a smart phone user begins with shopping smartly!