So I was so unhappy with AT&T that I was willing to give another
carrier my business.

After doing some research, I looked at the HTC-EVO4G and thought I'd
give it a try. The phone itself is fantastic. A bit on the heavy
side but extremely fast and versatile. After being locked down by the
iPhone OS for the past few years, it was a joy to be able to customize
and download app updates immediately after the developers uploaded
them.

You'd think with a recommendation like that I'd be happy to keep the
EVO4G. Well, as I type this I'm resetting it to be returned back to
Sprint. Here are the reasons why:

1. The battery life is a joke. I gave the phone a test run as a
typical tourist in Philadelphia. Philly is the closest city that has
actual 4G coverage. The phone is one of the few that is capable of
using the faster 4G network.

That being said, the performance of the 4G network was awesome. It
seemed to give about twice the speed of the 3G network but at a huge
hit to battery life. The battery life on the phone is already AWFUL.
When the phone is connected to the 4G network it's UNUSABLE.

After doing a little sightseeing, taking a few photos, and using the
navigation to direct me around Philly, my phone was DEAD after just a
few short hours. Luckily I expected as much and was prepared but
honestly how can one really use the phone when it wont last a day in
typical use?

The nail in the coffin is how long the phone takes to charge the
battery. If it was possible to recharge the battery quickly then it'd
be workable. The phone takes a LONG LONG time to recharge its battery
so it's really a double whammy.

2. Sprint coverage at home is weak. In my living room, the phone
jumps between 1 and 3 bars and some of the people I spoke to said the
call quality was weak. When I called Sprint to find out what they
could do, the only option the CSR offered was to rent me a portable
femtocell device at $4/month. As a new customer, this is not a good
solution to their problem of weak coverage. They advertise that
they're in more places than ever. I guess that's true. Just not in
my living room in central NJ.

3. The final strike was the fact that just for the privilege of
having this phone, Sprint is charging ALL EVO-4G customers a $10USD a
month premium. This premium data feature is because the phone is
capable of using 4G network that Sprint is building. Unfortunately,
Sprint has decided to charge ALL USERS of the phone this premium
regardless of whether the 4G network is anywhere near them. While
they make it clear to prospective customers, it still doesn't make it
right that EVERYONE pays the premium even if they are never able to
access the 4G network.

So three strikes and the phone is out. It shall be going back to Sprint today.