@jbtaylor on tech

A little over a year ago, in November 2009, Sprint launched Sprint 4G in North Carolina. We're got 4G in metro Charlotte, including Huntersville, Monroe, Indian Trail, Mint Hill, Matthews, Gastonia, Mt. Holly, Harrisburg, Davidson and Cornelius.

In the Triad, we're in my hometown of Winston-Salem. We're also in Greensboro, High Point, Lexington, Clemmons, Thomasville, Trinity, Asheboro, Archdale, Jamestown, Kernersville, Reidsville, Burlington and Mebane.

In the Triangle, of course, we're in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary. But we're also in Carrboro, Hillsborough, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina (which is my favorite hyphenated place name in N.C. next to my hometown), Wake Forest, Garner, Knightdale and Morrisville.

Yesterday, our friends at Verizon announced plans to begin offering 4G in North Carolina, but their coverage will be limited at first. They will cover metro Charlotte, plus RDU -- the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

We offer the country's largest selection of 4G capable devices -- we have 11 currently for sale -- including two phones: the HTC EVO 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G. Verizon, for its part, is following the same path we did in 2008 when we began our formal 4G rollout. (They will only sell modems at first, not phones. The phones will come "later in 2011" we're told.)

So if you live Charlotte, or you work at RDU, Verizon is now giving you a new 4G choice in North Carolina. But if you want a 4G phone and access to 4G coverage in the places where most North Carolinians live and work, Sprint remains a better choice.

I also think the pricing decision Verizon made is worth noting. They will sell you a 5MB a month plan for $50, which sounds great, except most 4G users consume more data than that. Our partners at Clearwire point out that their average customer uses 7MB a month. 7MB a month from Verizon will cost you $70 a month.

Verizon is offering a 10MB a month plan for $80.

At Sprint, we offer a 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Plan for $60 per month. The key difference -- it's UNLIMITED 4G use and 5 GB of 3G use each month.

We also offer a 4G Mobile Broadband Plan for $50 per month which includes unlimited 4G use.

While it's clear Verizon has a huge marketing budget to throw at their 4G offering, they will have to expand their network and device portfolio, and match our pricing offer to compete with us in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, people of the Triad and Triangle, if you're a Verizon customer, head to Charlotte for a Panthers game or drive to RDU for a flight if you want to use 4G. Or switch to Sprint.

Today at Sprint, we launch the Samsung Epic 4G. The Epic joins the HTC EVO 4G as our second 4G phone.

(The phones are the only 4G phones in America -- Sprint is the first and only national wireless carrier to offer 4G.)

I like several things about both phones -- both have 2 cameras, both offer a Sprint Mobile Hotspot, both have super fast processors.

But for me, I have to go with the Epic because of the Super AMOLED screen and the slide out QWERTY keyboard.

If you get the chance, stop by a Sprint store to check out the Epic. It's my favorite phone in our current device line up.

The initial reviews of the Samsung Epic 4G phone from Sprint are in. Here's a quick summary:

Chris Ziegler with Engadget writes: "Speaking in more general terms, it's really impressive that Sprint has already managed to release two very high-end, exceptionally desirable devices built specifically to take advantage of its 4G network. In fact, we'd say that the Epic and the EVO -- even more than the Pre -- have vaulted Sprint from its status as an also-ran to perhaps the most gadget-savvy carrier in the US today."

Jason Chen with Gizmodo says the Epic is "the best 4G phone and best Samsung Galaxy S phone" He writes:  "When you compare the Epic to the EVO, the Epic is the clear winner. Whether it's the slide-out keyboard, better screen, longer battery life or Swype built in, there are plenty of reasons to choose this phone instead. Placed aside the other Galaxy S phones, the Epic still comes out ahead. It's the only one of the four that has 4G, and the only one that has the slide-out keyboard. Most everything else across all four carriers are the same, except for small details in pricing and data plans. But when you're trying to decide between three skinny brothers and a stronger (but fatter) fourth brother, it's clear what the choice is."

Mark Spoonauer with Laptop Magazine writes: "The bottom line is that the Epic 4G is the best device in the Samsung’s Galaxy S line and one more reason to consider switching to Sprint. This feature-packed Android slider sports one of the best keyboards we’ve used, a front-facing camera for video chats, and 4G data capability for blazing fast downloads."

Sascha Segan with PC Magazine writes: "Do you like keyboards? Do you need the click of a physical button to feel like you're actually writing something on your phone? Don't be ashamed if you do. The Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint is the carrier's second 4G phone, and it's the first with a physical QWERTY keyboard. It's a powerful, high-end Android smartphone that is a great choice for Sprint customers, and it's our new Editors' Choice for keyboarded smartphones on Sprint."

Nicole Lee with CNET writes: "Out of all the phones in the Samsung Galaxy S series, the Samsung Epic 4G strikes us as the most desirable for power users... we think the Epic 4G truly deserves its name as its design and feature set make it the all-in-one powerhouse in the Galaxy S family."

Vincent Nguyen with Slashgear writes: "Out of the box, Sprint’s Epic 4G does everything we could ask of it, with the growing space to keep up with whatever Android – and the legion of third-party developers – might have round the corner. Place your pre-order now, people; the Epic 4G is likely to be just as popular as it deserves to be."

To learn more about Sprint's Epic 4G, visit this special site on Sprint.com. You can sign up to be notified of additional news about the phone leading up to its first day of sales on August 31.

David Pogue is a technology columnist at the New York Times and generally his reviews are helpful to readers. Tonight the Times has published Pogue's take on the HTC EVO 4G and the review doesn't cover a lot of new ground. He loves the big screen, the fast processor and hates the battery life.

Fair enough.

What I take exception with is his characterization of the parts of the U.S. where Sprint offers Sprint 4G.

Pogue writes:

"...I couldn’t find any 4G reception, even in weeks of traveling. My problem, evidently, was that I was visiting major cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. So far, Sprint has installed 4G coverage in only 32 areas — and they’re bustling metropolises like Boise, Idaho; Wichita Falls, Tex.; High Point, N.C.; and Milledgeville, Ga."

Ouch.

Mr. Pogue's correct that Sprint hasn't yet launched 4G in New York, Boston and San Francisco. But we have launched 4G in Chicago and several other major cities including: Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Charlotte and Raleigh. I would consider these places "major cities", yet Pogue calls them "lucky hamlets."

I should also point out that we offer Sprint 4G to 42 million Americans -- that's 42 million more people than can get 4G from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. We expect to cover 120 million people with 4G goodness by the end of the year. (Currently we offer 4G to five of the nation's top ten cities.)

But that's apparently lost on Pogue. It's easier to make a snide remark about smaller communities in Idaho, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia than it is to accurately characterize our coverage map.

I should have a thicker skin, but it stings a little to read the "bustling metropolises" crack.

I'm proud to say I'm from a small community in North Carolina -- Winston-Salem -- which is one of the first communities where Sprint launched 4G. It's right next door to High Point and Greensboro. Together, they are part of the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, the country's 30th largest metro area and home to 1.6 million people.

I hope I'm wrong about Pogue's intentions -- he surely didn't mean to imply that somehow North Carolinia is "bucolic" or perhaps undeserving of a faster mobile Internet. But it certainly would have been more fair to his readers in New York and elsewhere to let them know that Sprint has already announced plans to bring Sprint 4G to the Big Apple later this year. We're also coming to Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and a whole host of smaller "bustling metropolises".

I'm sure Pogue travels a lot with his work. Maybe we can persuade him to visit some of our 4G markets so he can see for himself what a faster mobile Internet means for consumers. Or perhaps he can wait until we roll out Sprint 4G in New York.

We'll see.

Did you switch from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or another carrier to get the EVO? If so, I want to hear your story. Please email me at john.b.taylor@sprint.com.

(I'm interviewing new customers like Dianne Eppler Adams who I met on Friday at one of our Sprint stores in Arlington, Virginia.)

Thanks for your help.