ORLANDO, Fla.—Sprint took its smartphone users to the third dimension and gave tablet devotees a boost with the unveiling of its HTC Evo 3D smartphone and HTC Evo View 4G tablet on Tuesday.
The HTC Evo 3D is Sprint's first phone to come equipped with the technology, and the second 3D phone to come out this week after AT&T announced the LG Thrill on Monday.
Sprint did not announce pricing or availability for either the Evo 3D or the HTC View. Both devices can run on Sprint's 3G network and are compatible with its WiMAX service, provided by Clearwire.
"4G, not faux G," Hesse told attendees of the announcement, referring to the various marketing ploys from Sprint competitors AT&T and T-Mobile USA for their HSPA+ services. Counting the Evo 3D and View 4G, Sprint now offers 22 devices compatible with its WiMAX service.
Sprint's Evo 3D runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a glasses-free QHD 3D display measuring 4.3 inches. The device also features a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat and dual 5-megapixel cameras that can record 3D video.
The smartphone can be used as a mobile hot spot and is capable of supporting up to eight Wi-Fi devices at the same time. On the user interface side, the Evo 3D comes equipped with an updated version of HTC Sense. The smartphone also has HDMI and DLAN output to display high-definition content on compatible televisions.
The HTC View tablet shares some of the same specs as the Evo 3D, including two 5-megapixel cameras, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat and a mobile hot spot capability. Both devices come preloaded with Qik's mobile video chat app and Blockbuster On Demand, which lets users rent or purchase new releases on the same day they become available on Blu-ray and DVD.
The tablet works with a digital pen that allows customers to use the HTC View in much the same way they would an ordinary paper and pen, allowing them to make notes on Web pages, PDF documents and other digital content. The pen, dubbed HTC Scribe, will be sold separately.
Other specs include a 7-inch touchscreen and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor. The HTC View currently runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but an upgrade to Android 3.0 Honeycomb is in the offing.