So thanks to Google, since Thursday I have been playing around with an HTC EVO on the Sprint network.  I have come away impressed and it has nothing to do with the EVO theoretically supporting 4G.  I have mostly had 4G turned off - apparently it is a huge battery hog and the few times I did turn it on, I did not seem to be in a 4G coverage area.  In any case, 3G speed has been fine for me on my new BlackBerry Bold on T-Mobile (my old one got wet). 

The first reason I am impressed is that the EVO has on-screen keyboard on which I can type reasonably fast out of the box and feel like with some practice I will be able to get to nearly the same speed as on my Blackberry keyboard.  The EVO screen is quite a bit bigger than that of an iPhone and the key spacing when holding the phone vertically is just good enough for me to be able to hit the right key often enough for the auto-correct to really kick in.  Since I answer a ton of emails on my phone, this is mission critical for me and has been a key reason I have not switched phones yet.

The second reason is that I love the 8 megapixel camera on the EVO.  For some time now, I have stopped carrying a separate camera and have relied on my Blackberry instead.  My phone is always with me and being able to take a picture in a split second has resulted in many more great shots of friends and family.  My only regret has been that with 3.5 megapixels on the Blackberry, if you don’t get close enough you can’t really zoom in much ex-post without beginning to lose detail.

Everything else on the EVO looks and feels gorgeous due to the screen and the solid build of the phone.  For instance, this past weekend I used the EVO instead of our Garmin nuevi for all the navigation to and from Andrew Parker and Lisa Diver’s wedding.  I tried both Google Maps navigation and the Sprint Navigation app.  Both worked great and with the big screen information was super easy to see and read.

What about battery life?  Not surprisingly it is the biggest weak spot of the EVO compared to my Blackberry (which is my reference point for all things since it is the phone I will be switching away from).  If you don’t actively manage the EVO battery by turning stuff that you don’t need off, you might not get through the day.  But unlike the iPhone, you can pop the lid off the back of the EVO in 2 seconds and switch the battery.  So I am planning to get a second battery, which will be more than enough for a full day of usage.

Now I am down to two things that I need to make the switch final.  One is minor - I would love to get the iNavX marine navigation app for Android.  The other is more important.  Our house has no cell coverage and my Blackberry on T-Mobile supports UMA.  With UMA, my phone works over wifi exactly the same way it does over the cell network, including making and receiving calls and text messages.  The first carrier to offer the EVO or a phone substantially like it with EVO will have my business.