Review: HTC EVO 4G LTE for Sprint
With respect to music, the EVO has an FM radio, the Google Music app, and a bare bones media player app. The Google Play Store is on board if you want to purchase tracks directly from the handset, and of course you can download Amazon MP3, Slacker, Pandora, or other streaming music app from the Google Play Store.
On the video front, the EVO includes the stock YouTube app, HTC Watch, and a simple video player. HTC Watch is HTC's movie rental store. You can also download video content from the Google Play Store. The selection between HTC Watch and Google Play is about the same, as are the prices.
Thanks to the Beats Audio integration, music and video sound great through the EVO. I used several different sets of earbuds/headphones and was impressed with the quality. What I really like is that the Beats software has been buried deeper into the OS, and works with ALL media apps on the device.
MediaLink
One thing we didn't discuss in the other One X reviews is the HTC MediaLink. Sprint is betting on the MediaLink and its appeal to consumers. The MediaLink uses WiFi to stream media from the handset to a receiver (the actual MediaLink). The receiver sits near your home theater and plugs directly into a TV or your receiver via HDMI. This lets you watch movies, YouTube videos, slide shows, as well as listen to music all on your big home theater system. MediaLink is pretty easy to set up, and once you do, it's really neat.
Basically, you place three fingers on the phone screen and swipe up. This opens the MediaLink app (multitouch gestures FTW!) If you're within range of your MediaLink device, it automatically connects and starts to stream whatever is on the screen. Make sure to turn your TV on first so you don't miss the first few minutes of your video.
I found it to work well. The initial set-up is the biggest roadblock, but once you are past that, it works very well. Video quality on my HDTV was good, but not great. Sound quality wasn't CD-level, but it was better than streaming Pandora.
Hands-On: HTC EVO 4G LTE
Sprint's Latest EVO from HTC Adds 4G LTE, Brings Back Kickstand
HTC EVO 4G LTE
