HTC EVO 4G overtakes Palm Pre for best-selling launch day on Sprint

By Chris Ziegler

posted June 7th 2010 12:54AM

Considering the lackluster career that Palm's inaugural webOS duo ultimately endured on Sprint, it's wild to think back to those heady days when the Pre was the carrier's best launch day performer in history -- but alas, no longer. As you might've expected, the mighty EVO 4G has shown the Pre the door to take its own place in the record books, a mark we're not surprised to see considering the activation issues many customers saw on Friday as Sprint's systems buckled under the load. Sprint isn't quoting figures, but it proudly boasts of "temporary shortages of the device at some of the 22,000 sales locations across the United States" that are in the process of being replenished with daily deliveries. Now, the next hurdle is to see whether Sprint's shared WiMAX infrastructure can stand up to the load of its first wildly-successful 4G consumer product, eh? Follow the break for the carrier's press release.

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HTC EVO 4G Breaks Sales Records for Sprint on Launch Day; America's First 4G Phone is a Hit with Customers

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Friday, June 4, was an early morning for thousands of customers who lined up several hours before Sprint (NYSE: S) stores opened their doors in anticipation of the first day of sales for America's first 3G/4G phone, HTC EVOTM 4G. Customers were anxious to get their hands on HTC EVO 4G providing record sales figures for Sprint stores around the country.

"I woke up and thought it was Christmas. This phone is so innovative and Sprint is so far ahead of everyone else when it comes to innovation. I'm so excited and looking forward to getting to know EVO better."

Friday sales of HTC EVO 4G marked the largest quantity of a single phone sold in one day ever for Sprint – the record was previously held by both Samsung InstinctTM and Palm PreTM. In addition, the total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.

"HTC EVO 4G is a clear winner for customers with the powerful combination of an amazing multimedia experience in 3G coverage areas that becomes even better in our growing number of 4G markets. It is terrific to see customers react so positively to this device and the innovative experience it brings to them," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO.

The record pace of HTC EVO 4G sales led to temporary shortages of the device at some of the 22,000 sales locations across the United States, including Sprint retail stores, national retail partners including RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart, and indirect dealers. Sprint and HTC are diligently working around the clock to increase inventory in all sales channels. Additional shipments are arriving in retail stores on a regular basis with many stores seeing daily deliveries.

"HTC EVO 4G has more than lived up to our expectations that it would be one of the most anticipated technology products of the year," said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president - Product Development for Sprint. "We are working closely with our partners at HTC to increase the supply and get EVO 4G into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible."

RAVE REVIEWS ROLLING IN

Respected technology and telecommunications media and analysts lavished HTC EVO 4G with praise through its opening weekend:

* "Sprint HTC EVO 4G! There, do we have your attention? Of course we do, it's hard to ignore the phone that has proven to be the hottest Android kit for the foreseeable future." –IntoMobile
* "If you want the biggest, brawniest, most ridiculously muscular phone you can buy, it's the Evo." - Gizmodo
* "Entertainment – this is where the EVO 4G really shines – there's so much to do, it can actually be hard to decide; there's mobile video, games, a fully featured music player, and web browsing at blazing fast speeds." – Brighthand
* "The HTC EVO 4G represents a huge step forward for both the Android platform and Sprint's 4G network." – PC World
* "When it comes to 4G, Sprint is the sheriff in town ... EVO 4G is simply the most advanced phone today." – Ubergizmo
* In the June 4 issue of Investor's Business Daily, Ken Dulaney, Gartner analyst, commented, "The device is magnificent. It's a work of technological art."
* "It will certainly fly off the shelves as one of the most advanced 3G smartphones available... With a 4.3-inch 480 x 800 pixel LCD display and a rear kick stand, the EVO looks more like a mobile TV than a phone. I would not mind watching the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals on this screen in a pinch." – Berge Ayvazian, Yankee Group analyst

CNET, LAPTOP Magazine and eWeek gave HTC EVO 4G awards for Best of Show when it was announced at CTIA this spring. It was also recently cited on MobileTechReview's Best Smartphones and Best Touch Screen Phones lists.

Sprint customers joined in the praise as well:

* "I woke up and thought it was Christmas. This phone is so innovative and Sprint is so far ahead of everyone else when it comes to innovation. I'm so excited and looking forward to getting to know EVO better." – Peggi Terzakis, Chicago, Ill.
* "I couldn't wait until the phone was released. I've been sitting everyday just counting the days until launch. I'm a musician so I'm most excited to test the sound quality, all of the multimedia capabilities and the front and back-facing cameras. This is one unique device." – Orlando Williams, Atlanta, Ga.
* "I've been using the EVO for two days now and this is the best smart phone I've had! Sprint's 3G network is reliable and it will provide our AfterCollege employees throughout the country with reliable internet access. With Sprint's network and hotspot feature, we will have significant cost savings." – Robert Angulo, San Francisco, Calif.
* "I'm excited about this phone. It's huge and I can finally watch videos." – Jordan Grinevitch, Phoenix, Ariz.
* "I'm most excited about the 4G speed and the hotspot. I can get rid of my wireless cards!" – Terence Govan, Lewisville, Texas

Customer favorites on HTC EVO 4G's long list of features include the 4.3-inch screen, dual 8MP video camera capable of capturing HD quality and front-facing 1.3MP camera. They also appreciate the HDMI output jack making it simple to start a movie for your children in the backseat of the car with the phone and then connect to an HDTV to finish it when you arrive at home. 1 Business customers highlight its super-fast 1GHz processor, simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G or Wi-Fi coverage areas enabling Web surfing and more during conversation, and built-in mobile hotspot for up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices.2

AMAZING AT 3G, UNBELIEVABLE AT 4G

Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier, and Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 33 markets. Sprint 4G delivers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G2, giving HTC EVO 4G the fastest data speeds of any U.S. wireless device available today. HTC EVO 4G's exciting features and applications are compelling and powerful in a 3G world, but they become even more amazing when experienced with 4G speeds.

Sprint 4G covers 43 million people and expects to have up to 120 million people covered by the end of 2010. Sprint currently offers 4G service in 33 markets: Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Missouri – Kansas City; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro, (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Reading, York; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Washington – Bellingham, Seattle. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

In 2010, Sprint expects to launch 4G service in multiple markets, including but not limited to, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

For more details on HTC EVO 4G, please visit www.sprint.com/EVO.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, and is the first and only wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless and instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.