Sprint’s Fast EVO Runs Into 4G Coverage Holes: Rich Jaroslovsky

Sprint Nextel Corp.’s new EVO smartphone runs over a new wireless data network called WiMax. It’s the first so-called 4G, or fourth-generation, network, designed to deliver faster speeds for downloading movies and for handling new, data-rich services such as live streaming of high- definition video.

A better name for WiMax might be “WhyMax?” That’s because the network so far has extremely limited coverage, will eventually face stiff competition from even newer technology and requires significant trade-offs. You’re somehow left with the feeling that the EVO and the WiMax network are more important for the bragging rights they give Sprint than the benefits they provide consumers.