Last week, Sprint announced that it will release the HTC Evo this summer, making it the first phone to run on Sprint’s 4G network. The Evo will run on the Android OS and the same 1GHz Snapdragon used by the Nexus One. Sprint currently offers 4G service in 27 US cities, covering approximately 30 million users, with a plan to quadruple its coverage by the end of the year.  

Perhaps the most significant feature offered by the Evo is that it has cameras on both sides of the phone. As I see it, the biggest technical hurdle to mobile video conferencing isn’t operator acceptance or network quality (though those are certainly issues) but it is the lack of front facing cameras on the vast majority of smartphones. It is pretty difficult to have a video call if the mobile user is pointing the camera away from himself or herself, or is looking into the camera, but cannot see the screen. GIPS’ VideoEngine Mobile product has been available for over a year, and the first thing we say when asked if someone can use it to develop an application on a given mobile platform is, “yes, but does the phone have a front facing camera?” The enabling technology for mobile video has been there for a while, but phones are just now catching up.

The other important piece of this news is that Sprint’s network should facilitate mobile video conferencing adoption. While video calling is possible over 3G, it should be a lot better over 4G. I mean, 4 is better than 3, right? Well, probably, but it will depend how widespread the coverage is, how easily video calls will be handed off between cells, and if Sprint has the capacity to manage a significant number of users accessing the network at once. Sprint claims 4G download speeds are 10 times faster than those of 3G, but if users are demanding more bandwidth intensive services, will Sprint run into the same problems AT&T experiences from iPhone users overloading the network? Since the Sprint won’t be offering a 4G device for a few more months, there is no way of knowing yet. However, this is something to keep in mind as Sprint steps up its efforts to promote its 4G service.

Tags: 4G, Android, HTC Evo, Sprint, Video Conferencing

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