Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is Jackpot Casino for Windows Mobile.  You can register Jackpot Casino for half the regular price, so be sure to check it out.

The price of the software after discount is $2.97

You can download a trial and/or register your copy here.

The programs details and specifications are below:

Jackpot Casino is a virtual casino where no real money is spent. This collection includes Craps, Roulette, Blackjack, Caribbean Poker, 6 kinds of Video Poker (Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Aces or Eights, One Eyed Jack, Tens or Better, Jacks or Better) and two Slots machines.

Features:

• Roulette (French or European wheel version)
• Craps
• Blackjack
• Caribbean Poker
• 6 kinds of Video Poker
• Slots
• detailed statistics for every game
• tutorial and help
• graphics tuned for every screen resolution – QVGA, true VGA, true WVGA, square 240×240 and square 320×320

It is one of the hottest phones this side of the iPhone 4 (and possibly the other side as well, depending upon whom you ask…).  It features state of the art hardware, a massive screen, 4G connectivity, and a myriad of other options and features.  Yes, I am talking about Sprint’s new flagship phone, the EVO 4G, which runs Android 2.1 and featured HTC’s latest interface, the SenseUI 2.  The folks at Sprint were kind enough to send a loaner unit my way, and I have been very excitedly taking it through its paces.  So let’s go ahead and dive in and see what we can see.

Hardware

What’s In The Box: I always like to start these reviews with a peek inside the box.  Don’t worry, though…this will not take long.  We’ll just set the device aside for a moment, and take a look at what else HTC and Sprint included in this box.  First, there is a USB sync/charge cable.  Unlike previous generations of HTC devices, this one utilizes a micro-USB connection, which worked just fine.  There is also an AC adaptor to go with the sync/charge cable.  I was happy to see that HTC abandoned the angular adaptor which HTC had been using for previous generations.  This one is small and compact.  The only downside was that the prongs do not fold up, making it a bit bulky to carry, but it is really small enough that that did not present as large a problem as it could have.

That’s about it.  Sure, there are the expected manuals, and Sprint’s recycle bag, which you can use to send your old phone (postage paid) to a recycle center.  But it seemed as though there was quite a bit missing.

• Despite being billed as a media phone, there are no headphones
• There is no HDMI cable, despite the presence of an HDMI connection
• There is no protection for that massive screen (yeah, we’ll get to that)
• You will not even find a case in the box. 

I think the absence of a case is one of the biggest disappointments, not only for the EVO, but for many recent phones coming out of HTC and others.  These smartphones cost several hundred dollars, so for companies to not even include any sort of protection feels a bit disrespectful to me.  Even though the cases which comes with many phones may not be great, they were at least functional and offered a modicum of protection until you could replace them with something else.    I hope HTC and others can reverse this trend and start including cases again with their higher end phones and devices.

Quick Look: Now that we have seen what else is (or is not) in the box, we can return to the device and take a closer look at what this one has in store for you.

Looking down at the top, you can see the power button. Push it once to sleep or wake the phone.

Push and hold to call upon the power options menu, allowing you to power off, enter airplane mode, or control your device’s behavior.  Also up here, you will find a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.  I also love that this phone included a standard headphone jack, which is something HTC has shunned in the past.

All you will find on the right hand side are the volume controls.  Then again, this was really nice to see.  I have always felt that many phones suffer by not including hardware volume controls which are easy to access without even turning on the screen or unlocking the device.  The left side of the device is even more sparse, with no controls, connections, or anything else to see.

On the bottom of the device, you will find the microphone, which we will be discussing a bit more later on in the review.  You will also find the micro-USB jack for that sync/charge cable, as well as an HDMI port, giving you full high definition output to your TV or monitor.

One of my favorite features is on the back of the device.  There, you will find a kickstand.  It sounds pretty insignificant, but when you want to watch a video, it can be really nice to be able to set the device down on a table and watch, rather than holding it in your hand the whole time. 

Along with the kickstand, you will also find a whopping 8 megapixel camera with dual flash.  Finally, you will find the speaker next to the camera as well.

Behind the back of the device is the battery compartment.  HTC has continued to refine opening the backs of their devices.  It sounds simple, but it can be important.  Too easy to open and it can just flap open on its own.  Too difficult and you will just get frustrated or worse, break your device trying to open it.  Like I said, this sounds like a small point, but I have owned devices with battery compartments which would not stay shut, so I do appreciate the attention HTC has given this detail.  On the EVO, just reach into the recess and pull the back open, unsnapping as you go.   Can you see the memory card slot in the above picture?  Sadly, no, you cannot.  That is because you will need to remove the battery in order to find the microSD card slot.  I was disappointed to find it hidden under the battery.  If you are storing media on the memory card, you will have to remove the battery (turning off the device) in order to swap cards.  That can get frustrating.

That, of course, brings us to the face of the device, and there is an awful lot going on here.  We can start with the gorgeous 4.3 inch screen.  This screen is absolutely huge.  It is bright and vibrant, and really makes the EVO a fantastic device to use. 

Beneath the screen are your four navigation buttons: Home, Menu, Back, and Search.  These all worked pretty well, allowing you to navigate quickly and easily through the interface.  I was also glad to find that HTC fixed one of my big pet peeves with Android devices.  they moved the menu button away from the onscreen controls, in order to avoid confusion.  I was a bit disappointed not to find hardware phone controls here.  Sure, Android features  a nice onscreen phone button, but that can only be accessed from the home screen.  You will need to exit any other apps you have running in order to access the phone without a hard button.  The lack of this button really emphasis how far these devices have strayed from “just phones.”

Above the screen is the earpiece, which I was pleased to see is nice and large, making it more difficult to slip off of your ear while talking.  You will also find the proximity sensor up here.  This sensor turns off the screen anytime it senses the phone being held to your ear.  Additionally, there is what I call the standard HTC Led light.  This light has been flashing green and orange lights at HTC phone users pretty much forever.  I have to say, though, that I am not a fan of these lights.  They just do not work for me.  They are too small and cryptic to be really useful, and deciphering the blinking patterns can be akin to translating Morse Code.  Finally, you will find the front facing video camera for video calls.  Pretty cool…and, it works allows video chatting over both Wifi and 3G.

The only other point I wanted to make about the hardware here is the size of the device.  At 4.8×2.6×0.5, this one is thicker, taller, and wider than my original iPod Touch (for example) and it shows.  I used the iPod Touch as a point of comparison because, for me, that was the perfect size for a one handed device.  I found the EVO to be too large to hold and operate with one hand.  I think HTC would have been wise to try to make this one skinnier, and possibly a bit narrower.  I was also disappointed by the lack of hard keyboard, though I suspect this is a bit of a trade off.  With the device already pushing the envelope in terms of size, a keyboard would only have added additional girth. 

Interface

The EVO is powered by Android version 2.1, which really offers quite a few significant updates over the previous Android phones we have reviewed here.  My favorite change is the Live Wallpaper.  This works like a regular wallpaper image, providing a background for your home screen.  The difference here though is that the Live Wallpaper images are immersive and interactive.  The one I am using now, for example, is Water, which displays an image of the surface of a lake or pond.  Leaves fall off the surrounding trees and drift aimlessly across the surface of the water.  Additionally, if you tap the surface of the water, ripples will spread across the screen.  This is just one of many roughly a dozen Live Wallpapers, a feature which I think goes a long way toward personalizing your interaction with your device.

The other great new addition to this version of Android is the thumbnail view.  One of my big frustrations with Android in the past was the difficulty of scrolling through seven pages of widgets, apps, and icons.  Now, with a single tap, you can switch into the thumbnail view, which will show an image of all seven screens at once.  Just tap any of the images to jump straight to that screen.

On top of the latest version of Android, you will also get HTC’s new user interface overlay, HTC Sense 2.  This is a significant improvement over the original Sense UI which was included, for example, in the HTC Hero.  It features all new icons, and a myriad of new widgets.  

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The most impressive of the new widgets is the FriendStream, which consolidates your FaceBook, Twitter, and Flickr feeds into one place.  Really, a very convenient option to stay on top of all of yoru various feeds.  Though it would have been nice if you could have customized the widget by adding other social networks, like Google Buzz, or even your email account. 

Obviously, I am only scratching the surface of both Android 2.1 and HTC Sense 2.  With only two weeks to spend with this phone, I did not have time to break this into multiple parts in order to really focus in on the interface itself.  Besides, I do not want to ruin all of the surprises.  Let’s just say that fans of Android will be extremely pleased with the updates to the operating system and interface on this phone.

The most impressive change for me, however, was the responsiveness of the interface.  With the HTC Hero, I often found that once I started adding widgets and apps to my home screens, the whole thing started dragging.  So, I was a little nervous to see how the expanded features would work with the device.  I should not have worried.  The EVO relies upon the new Snapdragon processor, the fastest processor in the West (as they say).   I really think you would have a hard time running this interface with all of its bells and whistles with any of the more traditional mobile processors.  The Snapdragon, on the other hand, was able to handle everything I tossed its way, and plenty more.  It really made for an extremely impressive user experience.  Seamless and responsive.

Communications

For as much as the EVO 4G and other smartphones can do, in the end, they are still phones.  Which means that beyond all else, this needs to be first and foremost a communication tool. 

Of course, a communication tool is going to start with the phone aspect of the smartphone.  And I have to say, I was pretty impressed by the phone on this one.  I have used too many smartphones which emphasize the smart at the expense of the phone.  That was the exact problem I had with the HTC Hero.

As I mentioned, the EVO 4G has no hard buttons for the phone.  To access it, you need to use the phone button at the bottom of the main interface.  I have to say, though, that I really missed that hardware button.  This on-screen button will open the phone interface, which looks fantastic on that large screen.  From here, you can scroll through your contacts and select the person you want to call, or you can opt to use the dialpad and enter the number manually. 

For additional options, you can tap the People icon in the lower right corner.  This is where all of your contacts are stored.  From here, you can scroll through your categories, groups, online directories, and call history.  What I really liked about the people menu was that Google has now taken a page out of the WebOS playbook, It takes all of your contacts from any linked accounts and merges them into a single list.  Unlike previous versions of android, which ended up with multiple repeated entries, Android 2 did an almost perfect job of merging my Google, Facebook, and other contacts into a seamless list.  This was incredibly impressive.  It means that no matter where my contacts’ information is stored, I can always access it through this People menu.

Now, I know what you are thinking, you want to be able to search through your contacts rather than scroll  through the entire list.  Yeah, you can do that too.  Just start tapping the dial pad and while you dial, you will also smart dial.  You will be automatically searching for the letter combinations you dialed.

Now that you can start a phone call, the real question, however, is how well the phone holds up while you are in the middle of a call.  I tested this phone extensively, and was extremely impressed.  The call quality was crystal clear.  I had no problems with interference, dropped calls, or other common problems normally associated with cell phone problems.  Most importantly (if I can take a cheap dig) I had no problems with interference, regardless of how I held the phone in my hand.  The biggest problem I had with the EVO’s predecessor, the HTC Hero, was that the phone would lock up if I received a phone call while doing anything else.  In other words, it was pretty much unusable.  With the Snapdragon processor on board, this has not been a problem at all.

Nowadays, however, as good as the phone portion can be, communications can mean an awful lot more than just phone calls.   It also includes email, messaging, and social networking.  All of this, of course, is only as good as your wireless connection, which is why the EVO comes with the best and the fastest, Sprint’s 4G next generation network.  I was a bit disappointed by the slow speed with which Sprint has been unfurling their new network.  It is blazing fast when you can get it, but here in the Nation’s Capitol, it is pretty spotty whether you will find 4G reception or not. 

Messaging and email worked much the same as previous versions of Android.  Which is to say that this was all quite functional, albeit a bit plain.  Fortunately, there are plenty of apps available to help spruce up your experience.  Two of my favorites were Handcent SMS for text messaging and eBuddy for Instant Messaging (both are free downloads from the Android Marketplace).  For email, I bypassed the mobile email app and went straight for Google’s Gmail application for Android, which is built into the phone.  It worked quite well, as did the other apps in Google’s Suite, including Google Voice.

Communications are always the first thing I look for with a new device.  For the most part, the three most important features on any phone I use are going to be phone, email, and messaging…in other words, communications, communications, communications!  It all starts and ends with my ability to use the phone to contact (and be contacted by) other people.  Toss in Sprint’s 4G network (along with the aforementioned Snapdragon processor) and this one allows communication unlike any phone I have used before.

Software

I have been really impressed by how far apps for Android have come in a very short time.  There is a wide assortment of apps included with the EVO, and plenty more available in the app store.  While we are on the subject, I was fairly impressed by the changes to the app store.  Gone is the dark background, in favor of a light, airy approach.  More importantly, the app descriptions now include screen shots, which is extremely important to me.  I was disappointed to find that the app store still includes various denominations of currency, meaning I still will need advanced math in order to figure out how many dollars it will cost me to purchase that two Euro app. 

Which brings us back to the apps which come preinstalled on the device.  Now, I am not going to look closely at every app you get…because we would be here all day talking about apps.  I’m just going to give you the quick rundown on some highlights (and lowlights if need be) and we will take it from there.

• Video chat: The first thing I want to talk about is Qik, because this is a fantastic app.  It allows you to connect with your contacts via video.  You can record videos and send them along to your contacts, or share your videos online.  Most importantly, however, you can use this app to connect with your contacts and conduct an online video chat straight from your phone over Wifi as well as 3G or 4G networks.  This is just an absolutely fantastic app, and I think this video chat option is a feature which will become far more commonplace in coming generations of mobile devices.  

• Calendar: One of the biggest features for me (other than communications) is the calendar.  I heavily rely on having a phone which is able to sync with my Google calendar.  Obviously, this being an Android phone, that was no problem at all.  In fact, all of my Google services synced right up without any problem whatsoever.  I was disappointed, however, that although you could view your agenda in all of the expected ways (day, week, month, etc..) the month and week (above) views did not show any specific detail.  In order to view any information about each entry you would need to go to the day view or open each entry individually.

• Voice Services: I am not a real fan of voice services, but I suspect I am in the minority on that one.  I know a lot of people who love the convenience of being able to obtain information without using the screen or onscreen keyboard.  The EVO features voice Google voice search, which even I have to admit is pretty cool.  The voice recognition worked great.  I spoke a search term into the microphone, and within seconds, Google spit out dozens of relevant results.  In addition to Voice Search, you can also use the EVO to dial your contacts using only the power of your voice. 

• Sprint Hotspot: Hotspots used to be an obscure feature which some phones included, and others hid extremely well within the device.  Today, hotspots have become one of the must have features of many higher end phones.  With devices like the iPad, iPod Touch,and other Wifi enabled devices, the ability to access the Internet from anywhere on any number of devices is extremely important.  I have use the Sprint Overdrive for my Internet connection needs, though I will say that on the train, holding an extra device can cause problems.  So, the idea of putting the Sprint Overdrive and my phone into a single, 4G enabled device is an extremely attractive proposition.

• GPS and Navigation: Sprint Navigation, which is powered by Telenav has been a stalwart of pretty much every phone and mobile device I have used on the Sprint network, so I was pretty surprised when I fired up the EVO.  Sure, Sprint Navigation is still there, but right alongside it is Google’s Navigation app.  I must admit, I was extremely impressed by this new feature.  It was easy to use and incredibly accurate, even along the back roads of Northern Virginia.  Of course, regardless of which app you use for navigation, your maps and directions will all look fantastic on that huge screen, which really lends itself to the GPS.

Media

My first thought when I saw the enormous screen the EVO sports was, my, won’t this be fantastic for multimedia, so I was excited to start testing it out.  I started with an easy toss up the middle, streaming some video from Youtube.  That worked well.  The screen offered a fantastic presentation, but it really left me hungry for more.  So, I headed over to the Sprint TV app, another app which was included free in the EVO.  I did find that some of the video appeared digitized, but this is mainly due to the fact that the videos primarily stream in standard quality, which does not display as well on a higher definition screen.  So, the fuzziness you may see was due to the quality of the media, not the device.  I will say, however, that I was disappointed not to find Netflix or Hulu Plus in the Android Market.  I can only hope they will both be coming soon.

Of course, if you want a more standard video experience, or just do not want to tie up your device with the streaming Internet content, then you can always transfer a video from your computer straight to your memory card.  Just tap the Videos app on the EVO to call up any of your stored videos.  What is really nice here is that I can pop a memory card into my video camera, record videos, and then pop the card into my EVO for easy viewing with absolutely effortless transfer.  The iPhone cannot make that claim.

Incidentally, this is also where that kickstand I mentioned will come in handy.  This allows you to prop the device up on your table or other flat surface while watching your videos.

With the apparent success of video, I was ready to move on to music, which is my primary form of entertainment, especially when I am at work.  First, I fired up the Music app, which is just gorgeous.  It really does a nice job of presenting the music in a CD case graphical representation.   Just flip through the CDs as though they were on a rack at your favorite free music store.

Then again, while this view may work great for a smaller library, when you have thousands of songs, like I do, your finger will get awfully tired scrolling through all of those “CDs”.  Fortunately, you also have the list view, which allows you to view your music sorted by artist, album, playlists, songs, genres, and composers.  In other words, pretty much all of the sorting options that any other media player would likely offer. 

I listened to a few songs here and then hopped over to Pandora to take a listen to how music would sound streaming into the EVO.  While I did not think the sound quality was nearly as crisp as my Zune HD, I will say that the sound quality on the EVO was pretty good.  Certainly on par with many media players I have tested, and good enough to recommend for every day as background noise in your office (or mine).

The final piece of the multimedia puzzle we need to discuss is the camera…erm…cameraS.  Yeah, there are two cameras on this one.  The first is a front facing camera, which you can use with Qik or any other video chat app.  One thing I did notice, however, is that accessing this front facing camera is not exactly easy.    You need to start by opening the camera app, but this will give you the back camera, which we will discuss in a moment.  To get to the front facing camera, you need to open the settings menu (above) and click the switch camera option.  A bit cumbersome, and pretty well hidden as well.

Meanwhile, on the back of the device is the main camera, which clocks in at a whopping 8 megapixels.  How impressive is that!  I have always been fairly critical of the substandard pictures included on these devices, but here is a test picture I took with this one.  The quality is absolutely crisp and incredible.  Obviously, not as good as my Canon G5, but then again, few cameras measure up to the Canon.

In addition to snapping pictures, you can also use the EVO to take some beautiful 720p HD video.  Again, pretty impressive.  You can even then use the HDMI slot on the device to watch the HD video content recorded on your EVO directly on your television of monitor.

Conclusion

I was really blown away by the EVO.  Almost every criticism I have expressed of Android phones has been addresses with this one.  The screen is the largest I have seen on any mobile device.  The result, unfortunately is a device which is almost too big to be used comfortably with one hand, but still…when you are watching video with the device propped up on that kickstand, all you really care about is the viewable space on the screen.  Likewise, the new interface combination of Android 2.1 and HTC SenseUI 2 is phenomenal, and really makes navigating your way through the device a treat.  Add in the Snapdragon processor and 4G capability , and you can start to get a sense of why this phone has been so highly praised.  This is, by far, the best smartphone I have used, and I think many consumers will have to give this one a second and even third look before deciding whether to leave Sprint for the iPhone 4. 

The HTC EVO 4G is available from Sprint for $199.99 which requires a 2-year contract.

Whether a few minutes, hours or days, I suspect that if you are anything like me, it is tough when you are consciously not trying to use the device.  As an item that takes form being an extension to your hand and to your consciousness, opting not to use the device for a period of time can feel foreign.

For me, it’s never been a full day, and is most likely only a few hours at a time.  There’s always something that can be done…

Share your thoughts and comments with us below!

Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is Tank Ace 1944 for Windows Mobile.  You can register Tank Ace for half the regular price, so be sure to check it out.

The discounted price is $4.99

You can download a trial and/or register your copy here.

The programs details and specifications are below:

Do you like to drive tanks over rugged terrain, lob artillery shells into the far hills, and blow up lethal opponents lurking around every bend? If so, then Tank Ace 1944 is the game for you.

In Tank Ace 1944 you command a World War II tank charging to occupy the enemy capitol. Allied and Soviet Tank Aces advance on Berlin; German Aces advance on London and Moscow. At least that”s what the orders from HQ say. But since you face overwhelming odds and are forced to scavenge supplies as you go, you might just find yourself retreating instead.

The goal of each round of play is to clear the enemy from a map sector and drive them off the far bank of a river so that your side can cross and advance. Skills you will need to accomplish this are a working trigger finger, the ability to navigate West or East (left and right on the overhead map), and driving ability sufficient to crash into other vehicles.

A status panel shows the number of enemies left, rounds remaining, fuel, and armor strength. The last three can be replenished by ramming (not shooting) an enemy truck. If you run out of fuel or armor, or for some reason drive your tank into the water, in addition to an untimely death you will be forced to retreat one sector. If you wipe out the enemies you will advance one sector, retaining any excess supplies you have scavenged. The game ends when you take the enemy capitol, or they overrun yours. Either way the brass will want to have a talk with you.

Features:

• Play one of three aces: Allied, German, or Soviet.
• Three tanks: Sherman, Tiger, or T34, each with movable turret and cannon.
• Destroyable 3D landscape.
• Perspective or overhead view.
• Three difficulty settings.
• Enemy trucks carrying rounds, fuel, and armor.
• Save / Resume game.

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows Mobile 2003 or later

Display Dimensions
240×240, 240×320, 240×400, 320×240, 320×320, 400×240, 480×480, 480×640, 480×800, 640×480, 800×480
Operating System
Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2003 SE, WM5, WM6, WM6.1, WM6.5

Available thru iTunes and the App Store.