【英语科技】HTC 4G手机：速度惊人 电池拖后腿

The major wireless phone companies have begun building out the next generation of cellular phone systems, called 4G, or fourth-generation, networks. These networks are designed to offer much faster data speeds than the current speediest networks, which are called 3G.

Sprint is leading this race. Its 4G network already is available in 32 cities, and the company plans to add at least 14 more by year end.

Now, Sprint is preparing to release the first 4G-capable phone in the U.S. on June 4. I've been testing it for about a week in two cities: Baltimore, where Sprint has fully rolled out 4G, and Washington, D.C., where it is in the process of doing so.

This new phone, which also works on Sprint's 3G network, is called the EVO 4G. It runs Google's Android operating system and is built by HTC, based in Taiwan. It will cost $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate, with a two-year contract. Monthly fees will start at $80 for unlimited data and text messages, 450 talk minutes, and free calls to any mobile phone on any network. That's a $10 hike from Sprint's comparable plan for 3G phones.

My verdict: The HTC EVO 4G, when used on Sprint's 4G network, offers the highest consistent downstream data speeds I have ever seen on a cellular network. It also has a number of other strong features: a front-facing camera for video chatting, and the ability to serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot (for an extra fee of $30 a month) that can simultaneously connect up to eight laptops or other devices to the Internet.

However, the data speeds I got in my tests weren't spectacular, or anywhere close to the typical maximum Sprint claims, even in Baltimore, where the company's 4G network is mature. And, when using 4G, the EVO's battery runs down alarmingly fast. In my tests, it didn't last through a full day with 4G turned on. The carrier, in fact, is thinking of advising users to turn off the 4G network access when they don't think they need it, to save battery life. This undercuts the whole idea of faster cellular speeds.

In addition, the 4G advantage isn't yet available in most cities. And the phone is heavy. Also, like other Android phones, it has limited storage for third-party apps -- just 358 megabytes of total memory capacity of 9 gigabytes.

The phone itself is physically similar to T-Mobile's HD2, a 3G phone also built by HTC. Like the HD2, it has a larger screen than on other smart phones -- 4.3 inches measured diagonally versus the more typical 3.5 or 3.7 inches. That makes the EVO, like the HD2, bulkier and heavier than most competitors.

However, in addition to its greater speed due to 4G, the EVO has several other features the HD2 lacks. Notably, it has that front-facing camera, the ability to connect to a big-screen TV using a modern connector port called HDMI, and a built-in kickstand to keep it upright for video viewing. In addition, because it runs Android and not the creaky Windows Mobile software used by the HD2, the EVO offers a much cleaner interface and many more available apps.

But the big deal about the EVO is that it can handle 4G, and I focused my tests on this.

Sprint claims that average users will see downstream data speeds of between 3 and 6 megabits per second on the EVO when 4G is in use. In my tests, in the heart of Baltimore's popular Inner Harbor district, I averaged 3.4 mbps downstream over 4G, and just under 1 mbps upstream (the upstream speed is capped by Sprint at 1 mbps.) That downstream speed was double the EVO's speed when using 3G, and the upstream speed was about triple.

In D.C., where the Sprint 4G network is still being completed and tuned, downstream streams varied widely, from under 1 mbps to a high of around 4 mbps.

The EVO was much faster than an iPhone using AT&T's network, which in Baltimore never got to even 1 mbps downstream and in D.C. averaged about 1.8 mbps. Verizon's new Droid Incredible, another HTC Android phone, did well in both cities, averaging about 2 mbps downstream, but that was still slower than the EVO.

Sprint explains I never saw anything close to its top claimed speed by pointing out that both cellular reception and test methods can vary greatly, and that my sample was small.

I tested other features successfully. I used the EVO to provide Internet connectivity to a Lenovo ThinkPad and an Apple MacBook laptop simultaneously, and both performed speedily. I also could view photos and videos on my TV by connecting the EVO with a special cable. But I couldn't test the video-chatting feature because the necessary software wasn't ready yet.

If you are hungry for more cellular data speed, and live in a current 4G Sprint city, the EVO may be just what you need, as long as you're prepared for short battery life.

各大无线电话公司已经开始构建被称为4G（第四代）网络的下一代手机系统。这种网络的目的是提供比目前速度最快的网络──3G──快得多的数据传输速度。

Sprint公司在这一竞争中处于领先地位。其4G网络已经覆盖了32个城市，该公司还计划在年底前至少增加14个网络覆盖城市。

现在，Sprint准备于6月4日在美国推出第一款4G手机。我已经在两个城市对这款手机进行了大约一周的测试：一个是巴尔的摩，在那里Sprint已经全面推广了4G网络；另一个是华盛顿，在那里这项工作还在进行当中。

HTCEVO 4G手机这款在Sprint的3G网络上也能使用的新手机叫做EVO 4G。它运行的是谷歌（Google）的Android操作系统，是由台湾的宏达公司（HTC）开发的。该款手机扣除100美元邮寄退款后的价格为200美元，电信服务签约期为2年。其月费起价为80美元，含无限量数据和短信、450分钟话费，还可免费打给任何网络中的手机。这比Sprint类似的3G手机套餐价格提高了10美元。

我的结论是：在Sprint的4G网络中使用时，宏达EVO 4G提供了我所见过的手机网络中最快的持续下行数据速度。它还有其他许多强大功能：带有一个用于视频聊天的前置摄像头、能作为无线热点（此功能需要每月额外支付30美元费用）同时连接最多八台笔记本电脑或其它设备上网。

然而，我在测试中获得的数据传输速度并没有那么惊人，即使在Sprint的4G网络已经成熟的巴尔的摩，其速度也未接近该公司声称的标准最高速度。而且，当使用4G时，EVO的电池电量下降得异常快。在我的测试中，当开着4G时，电池坚持不到一整天。实际上，运营商正在考虑建议用户在认为他们不需要4G网络时将其关闭，以节省电量。这让提高手机速度的整体创意失色不少。

此外，4G的优点在多数城市仍无法体现。这种手机还很沉。而且，就像其他使用Android系统的手机一样，它为第三方应用软件预留的存储空间有限──在9G的总记忆体中，只有358M可以用来安装应用软件。

这款手机在外观上类似于T-Mobile的HD2，这也是一款由宏达公司开发的3G手机。和HD2一样，它的屏幕比其他智能手机大──屏幕对角线尺寸为4.3英寸，而智能手机的屏幕通常为3.5英寸或3.7英寸。这使得EVO和HD2一样，比多数竞争机型笨重。

然而，除了由于采用4G网络而速度更快以外，EVO还具备其他几个HD2不具备的特点。尤其是，它带有前置摄像头，能用被称为HDMI的现代连接端口连接大屏幕电视，还有一个内置支架，可以使其保持直立以观看视频。此外，由于它运行的是Android系统，而不像HD2用的是老旧的Windows Mobile软件，因此EVO的界面干净得多，还能使用更多应用软件。

但是EVO的最大特点是它可以使用4G网络，这也是我测试的重点。

Sprint称，普通用户会发现在启用4G时，EVO的下行数据速度为每秒3-6M。在我的测试中，在巴尔的摩热闹的内港区（Inner Harbor）中心，我使用4G时的下行速度平均为3.4M/秒，上行速度稍低于1M/秒（Spring设定的上行速度上限为1M/秒）。下行速度为使用3G时EVO速度的两倍，上行速度约为使用3G时EVO速度的三倍。

在Sprint 4G网络仍然有待完成和调试的华盛顿，下行速度变化很大，最低低于1M/秒，最高约为4M/秒。

EVO的速度比使用AT&T网络的iPhone快得多，后者在巴尔的摩的下行速度甚至从未达到过1M/秒，在华盛顿的平均下行速度约为1.8M/秒。Verizon新出的Droid Incredible是另一款宏达Android手机，它在这两个城市的速度都不错，下行速度平均约为2M/秒，但仍然比EVO的速度慢。

Sprint指出，手机信号强弱和测试方法都可能存在很大差别，以此来解释我发现其速度从未接近该公司声称的最高速度的原因，并称我的样本太小。

我成功地对其他功能进行了测试。我用EVO同时为一台联想（Lenovo）ThinkPad和一台苹果（Apple）MacBook笔记本电脑提供了网络连接，二者的网速都很快。我还可以用一条特殊缆线将EVO与电视连接，在电视上浏览照片和视频。但由于还没有必要的软件，我无法测试它的视频聊天功能。

如果你渴望获得更快的手机数据传输速度，并生活在目前已开通4G Sprint网络的城市中，那么EVO可能就是你所需要的，只要你准备好接受更短的电池续航时间。