I don’t think you could call this utterly shocking, but like the Motorola Droid, the HTC EVO does not support simultaneous voice and data. Why someone would think that CDMA is somehow better on Sprint’s network is beyond me, but it’s still not good fun to hear that a smartphone like the EVO 4G is limited in this way.
Here’s what HTC had to say about the matter:
“If you’re using 4G for data, you can’t use CDMA for voice. Currently the only way to do simultaneous voice and data would be through a third-party VOIP solution. However, this is not do to strict hardware limitations, so it’s possible this could change with future updates.”
So for now it’s not possible to use data and voice at the same time, but as HTC says, it’s possible that this could change. This may be a deal breaker for some, let’s think back to the AT&T commercials that bash this very point. The iPhone commercials do indeed show some advantages, but I’m sure as hell not going to play Monopoly on my phone while on a call. That was just dumb, but it is more than the Droid can do and I guess that’s what really matters. T-Mobile can use voice and data at the same time, but they’re not taking potshots at Sprint, or Verizon. The Luke Wilson commercials are ridiculous, because, well, it’s Luke Wilson.
All that aside, AT&T commercials make a good point, and GSM clearly has an advantage, but is it really that big of a deal? The lack of simultaneous voice and data doesn’t sway me in either direction, but then again, I’ve been on T-Mobile for about three years now, and I do have that option. Still, I can’t really think of a time that I’ve utilized this option, so the lack of it wouldn’t make much of a difference to me.
If it is such a big deal to you, would not being able to do simultaneous voice and data keep you from buying the highest-spec’d smartphone in the US?
[Via: PhoneDog]