HTC Flyer / EVO View 4G Video Review

Sprint "Repair Team" Redeemed

My wife dropped her EVO Shift the other day. Now an EVO Shift is an HTC. And HTC makes damn good devices with damn good build quality. There's a reason they're always so heavy. They're made like bricks. But a 4 foot drop will shatter any Gorilla Glass. The touch layer was smashed into a finely-meshed webbing, held together only by the screen protector.

I looked online for the part and it was $45. I knew from at&t days that an iPhone screen replacement was at least $150. My stomach sank.

For the hell of it, I took it to Sprint... with NO INSURANCE, NO NOTHING, NO JACK SQUAT..... they said it will only be $35, and a 40 minute wait.

Unbelievable.

Netflix disappears from Market big WTF

Man... what a major clusterfluck. Netflix YANKED support for EVO 4G and a range of other Android devices. What the hell is going on? This is downright pathetic.

They are so busy worrying about preventing copyright infringement meanwhile it was just reported today that they send their passwords unencrypted! 

Must say this is pathetic and embarrassing. And if I didn't like Netflix so much, I would be pretty pissed off.

HTC Evo View 4G Preview

I must confess that this is more of a review of the Flyer that I just went out and purchased.

I had some doubts and reservations knowing that for the $500 Best Buy wanted, I could get an iPad 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. But I knew that the 7 inch form factor was right for me and that the WiFi Galaxy Tab 7 didn't pull its weight performance wise. So I sprung for one of these.

Build:
I am not a fan of tapered edges and rounded corners. This is one of the reasons I opted for ipad one over two. This is one thing I liked about the original galaxy tab. Here I had to compromise. The rest of the feel is solid, though I miss the softouch that encased similarly sized devices such as the Playbook. Brushed metal is fine but the plastic caps on the top and bottom are not my favorite. Evidently Sprint didn't like them either so they will be Softouch on the Evo View.

Software:
I've always verb skeptical about Sense and Sense overload but I must say I am really impressed with Sense 3.0. It's hyper customizable, intuitive, and just feels right on a 7 inch display. You can now unlock straight into applications, reskin the entire UI, and do other tricks previously only possible with root and alternative launchers. When Honeycomb is finally mature for a 7 inch form factor, it will only make this device better.

Final:
Even though this was a pretty big gamble, and I had my doubts about paying more for less (Acer iconia 10 inch is only $450) I am glad I went with the Flyer. For us Sprint users, I highly recommend picking up the WiFi only one and tethering it as $400 on contract Sprint wants is not worth it. I will emphasize that you will be stuck on a 2 year contract on THE WORST TABLET DATA PLAN in the US. $35 a month is way above competition. Unacceptable.