Why I Switched from the iPhone to the Sprint EVO

I've been a proud owner of an iPhone 3G for two years (read my love letter about the iPhone.) This little device has enhanced my life - I don't think of it as merely a phone but as a personal computing device. And as my lifestyle has adapted to it I've realized I want more. Here's why I made the switch to the Sprint EVO:

1. Bigger screen. Since I'm starting to treat my smartphone as a mini-laptop I want a bigger screen. I'm finding myself browsing the web, reading articles and watching puppy videos posted by my Facebook friends. After I wake up in the morning I reach for my phone for the latest news. I'll plop down on the couch later in the day and catch up on Twitter. The new iPhone 4G has higher resolution but the same size screen as my 3G model. I don't want crisper, tinier text - I want a bigger screen. I love how double tapping any EVO web browser page will automatically center the text on the screen and enlarge it. It's a pleasurable breeze to surf websites with this thing. I picked up my old iPhone the other day and was amused at how tiny it seemed. I can't imagine going back to it.

2. Flash. It seems like one out of three posts or news items I view on my iPhone link to a Flash video and I can't see it. Very frustrating. And from Steve Job's recent, disturbing diatribe about Adobe Flash I assume the iPhone will never have it (Flash is "closed and proprietary?" LOL really, Mr. Jobs?) When I visited the Sprint store to test the EVO I immediately pulled up my HymnCharts.com website that has a flash MP3 player on the homepage. I literally gasped. Not only is the EVO screen huge, brilliant and beautiful, the MP3 Flash player on my website appeared and worked perfectly. I didn't think Android would get Flash until 2.2 but there it was, working and playing MP3s like a charm. Plus, the Android browser rendered my website as perfectly as any laptop, whereas iPhone's Safari browser never could get the spacing correct.

3. Tethering. If I recall correctly, AT&T claimed the iPhone would tether last summer. As of the time of this writing, still nothing (tethering is your phone's ability to connect to your laptop and provide Internet service.) The EVO can tether up to 8 computers. On the zippy 4G network this will supposedly approach DSL speeds. I only have 3G where I live but this morning I got 1.33 mbps download and .70 mbps upload speeds - fine for checking email and browsing. The EVO's hotspot app worked instantly and perfectly with my laptop, setting up a WiFi hotspot with a password of my choosing.

Sprint sells a mobile broadband device that has a 5 gig limit for about $60 a month. I have unlimited Internet with the Sprint EVO for an extra $30 a month, so it's quite a deal.

I was out of town recently and needed WiFi so I headed to the local library. Got a signal but couldn't connect. Talked to two librarians and moved around the building three times. Nothing. That clinched the deal - I needed an EVO. I travel a lot and now I never have to worry again about getting Internet.

4. Navigation. The iPhone's navigation is abysmal unless you pay extra. My previous Blackberry was a primitive brick compared to the iPhone 3G but boy, could it navigate like nobody's bizness with a lovely female robotic voice providing directions. The EVO has TWO turn-by-turn navigation programs built in. I tested the EVO's Google Maps turn-by-turn vocal navigation and now I know what people have been raving about - it was mind boggling with the satellite overlay.

5. Sound quality. My first call on the EVO took me to a customer service rep who cheerfully welcomed me to Sprint. I immediately noticed a much fuller, louder sound quality than my iPhone.

6. Kickstand. I love this little bonus - an attached, sturdy kickstand to prop up the EVO. I used it to show off my YouTube videos the other day and the speaker is actually loud enough to be heard in a restaurant (forget that with the iPhone.) I can imagine propping up the EVO on the nightstand as my alarm clock when I travel.

7. Camera. Crisp, colorful 8 meg photos that are better than my point-and-shoot. High def video recorder, too.

8. Connection. Before I made the switch I Googled cell phone coverage comparisons. From what I could tell (and who knows if the information is accurate) Verizon is in the lead, followed by Sprint with AT&T far behind. I would tend to believe this as a buddy and I had dinner in a nearby little town - he couldn't send or receive texts on his iPhone but I had full coverage. An additional bonus is that you can hold the EVO any way you want and it will make calls. Steve Jobs has responded to iPhone 4 reception complaints by suggesting the iPhone should not be held on the left side (You're holding it wrong, Jobs says!)

9. Freedom. One blogger compared leaving the iPhone for the EVO to escaping a Communist work state. I feel the same way. I can customize the EVO to look and act the way I want. I'm amazed at how easy it is to transfer files of any type to my EVO. Plug it in to my laptop, click and drag (I just discovered an app that will transfer files wirelessly.) I hate clunky iTunes and now will never have to use it again.

Supposed Drawbacks:

1. Battery. I've read much ranting on blogs about the EVO's battery life. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington's bizarre rant against the EVO makes me question the man's motives. While the EVO doesn't last as long as my iPhone, it does last me well through the day and I plug it in at night with usually 20-30% battery life left. My 2 year old iPhone would last a day and a half and I would still plug it in every night anyway.

The iPhone 3G's straight jacketed operating system is what extended battery life - it won't multitask, tether or navigate - all things the EVO does naturally. When I tether, I plug the EVO into my laptop. When I navigate, I plug it into my car charger. One blogger contended that his jailbroken iPhone would gobble up the battery when tethering. Of course any CPU intensive activity will use energy.

The EVO should be managed just as you'd manage a laptop. I have an app to control the screen brightness and an app to close other apps working in the background that I don't need.

And I'll bet the way battery development is going, we'll have a nuclear powered battery by next year this time that will allow the EVO to last four months without a charge. And I'll be able to use this nuclear battery because the EVO's battery CAN be changed. Until then I've found several companies that already offer more powerful batteries for the EVO but so far I'm not finding I need one.

2. Apps. I'd say the Android app store is about 75% as good as the iPhone app store. I'm not an app person but I've found an Android version of just about everything I had on my iPhone - The Weather Channel, DropBox, PhotoShop, etc.

Bottom Line: If you want a bigger, brighter screen, an almost tablet/netbook experience and tethering, the EVO is for you.