![]() It has Sprint’s 3G and 4G, plus the fastest WiFi-N. Wireless: The EVO Shift comes with pretty much all the connectivity that you would need. Blackberry phones are even better to search of contacts, because as soon as you type from the home screen, the search starts – there’s no need to launch a Contacts app. Without the QWERTY keyboard, you simply need to click on the Android “Search” button (while in the Contact apps), and continue with the virtual keyboard. ![]() Unlike Android, Blackberry OS starts looking for a contact as soon as you are typingįinding a Contact: the quickest way to find a contact is to launch the app and type a few letters with the keyboard. I usually prefer the top or bottom positioning but this is a matter of personal preference, so – you’ve been warned. However, having the USB port on the side can be an issue if you want to type emails (or use the phone in general) while it is charging. You’ve got to love micro USB as more and more devices rely on it to charge/sync. On the left side, there’s a Micro-USB port. In general, this is the most important button in a phone -we use it tens of times a day- so it should be easy to press. On this particular unit, it was a bit stiff, possibly because the phone was new but the button design itself is too recessed which makes it hard to press on. I think that it could have been better built. ![]() The power button is placed at the upper-right-back of the phone, which is a great location if you hold the phone from the left hand (in my opinion). There’s little to be said about the volume controls: they just work. Other phones like the Epic 4G had buttons that could completely go away, and that was truly annoying sometimes (I really mean “all the time”). HTC had the good idea of building the Android buttons so that it’s possible to see the buttons without requiring the back light. The Android buttons react quickly, and have a back light that activates when needed, thanks to the phone’s light sensor. It is a little heavier than the Samsung Epic 4G (5.7oz), and much heavier than a touch-screen Galaxy S, or an iPhone 4 (4.8 oz). ![]() That said, the phone feels good in the hand, and the weight (5.9oz) makes it feel “solid” somehow. I think that manufacturers could (should!) do better than this, but I also recognize that a slider keyboard brings unique challenges to the structural integrity of a phone. The phone is fairly thick by today’s standards, although that’s a price that you have to pay for a sliding keyboard it seems. Technical Highlights EVO Shift 4Gīody: the Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G is quite classic. This usage pattern will affect the battery life and my (and yours) perception of which features are important or not. I don’t call much: maybe 10mn a day, if at all. I run apps: mainly social networks and a tiny bit of games. I browse the web several times a day to check news sites, but I rarely watch movies or play music. I typically check my email often with Exchange, and I reply moderately because even with the physical keyboard, I can’t type very long emails. From there, I sincerely hope that you can guess how things will work out for yourself. I found it much more useful to tell you what I do with these devices and how they worked for me. We all have our own way to use smartphones, that’s why it is often impractical to write a dogmatic review that says “buy/don’t buy”. Usage patterns vary as much as fingerprints.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |