Can't wait to get your hands on the first 4G smartphone? You won't have to wait much longer: Sprint announced today that the HTC EVO 4G will be available starting on June 4 for $199.99.

The EVO 4G will be the first phone to run on Sprint's high-speed 4G WiMax network, which Sprint says can deliver download speeds that are up to 10 faster than those you'd get over a 3G network. The network will be available to 120 million Americans by the end of the year, Sprint says.

Even without its 4G capabilities, the HTC EVO 4G boasts an impressive list of features. It offers a 4.3-inch screen, version 2.1 of the Android operating system, an 8-megapixel camera, an HD-capable video camera, HDMI-out capability for viewing content on HDTVs, and the speedy 1-GHz Snapdragon processor that powers Google's Nexus One.

Sprint customers will be required to subscribe to a PDA/Smart Device service plan, such as the carrier's $69.99-per-month Everything Data plan. But the EVO 4G also will require a $10-per-month Premium Data add-on for its 4G service -- and that add-on plan is required whether you live in an area with 4G coverage or not.

Stay tuned for a full review of the HTC EVO 4G as soon as review units are available.

Photo © Sprint

Can't decide between a smartphone and a portable GPS? You may not have to: T-Mobile today announced that the Garminfone, an Android-based smartphone with integrated navigation services from Garmin, will be available next month.

The Garminfone will offer features typically found on an Android-based smartphone, including 3G support, a 3-megapixel camera, e-mail access, and social networking features. It also offers Garmin's full-fledged navigation features, which allow you to get driving, walking, and public transportation directions, with automatic re-routing and live traffic and weather services.

The Garminfone is not Garmin's first foray into the world of smartphones. Last year, the company launched two devices with Asus, the Garmin-Asus nuviphones. T-Mobile says that the Garminfone will offer some unique features, though, as it will be the first smartphone to offer Garmin Voice Studio. This Android app lets users record and share custom voice directions.

T-Mobile will offer the Garminfone in June for $199.99 when you sign a new two-year service agreement.

Photo © T-Mobile

Those Verizon Wireless users pining for an iPhone just might be waiting a whole lot longer. According to court documents uncovered this week by Engadget.com, Apple and AT&T; entered into a five-year exclusive agreement on iPhone service in 2007. But the details of that agreement -- and whether it remains valid -- are still unclear.

The five-year deal had been reported upon by USA Today before the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, but the report was never confirmed. But Engadget discovered court documents from an ongoing, but not very-well-known class-action lawsuit filed against Apple in 2008. In those documents Apple confirms that it had, in fact entered into a five-year agreement with AT&T; to provide exclusive service for the iPhone.

But, as Engadget points out, those documents are from 2008. (The lawsuit is still ongoing, but many of the documents filed since 2009 have been sealed.) The terms of the agreement between Apple and AT&T; could have changed since then, especially since the two companies recently negotiated an agreement for AT&T; to offer data service for Apple's iPad tablet.

Does that mean that AT&T;'s iPhone exclusivity still lasts until 2012, or does it end sooner? Or did the two companies agree to extend it even longer? We don't know the details, but it seems more and more likely that we won't be seeing an iPhone from Verizon anytime soon.

Photo copyright Apple

Plenty of Verizon Wireless subscribers must be hoping that the latest round of iPhone-coming-to-Verizon rumors come true. A recent study reveals that 53 percent of Verizon customers say they would be very likely or somewhat likely to buy a Verizon iPhone.

"The survey results show an unprecedented level of pent up demand for the iPhone among Verizon subscribers. If Verizon were ever to offer the iPhone, the evidence points to it having a profound and likely transformational impact on the industry," says ChangeWave Research, the company behind the study.

And Verizon customers aren't the only ones wishing their carrier offered the iPhone, the study finds. Nearly half of Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile customers also say they be very likely or somewhat likely to buy an iPhone if their carrier offered the phone.

The questions on the iPhone were included as part of an overall study about the wireless service provider industry. ChangeWave's other findings included these items:

- Verizon Wireless is the "clear industry leader in customer satisfaction," as 49 percent fo the carrier's customers say they are "very satisfied" with their cellular service.

- AT&T; users report the most dropped calls, reporting that 4.5 percent of the calls had been dropped during the previous three months. Verizon Wireless users reported the fewest dropped calls, saying 1.5 percent of their calls had been dropped during that time.

- AT&T; and Verizon had the highest customer loyalty rates, with only 8 percent and 7 percent of users, respectively, saying they plan to switch carriers within the next 90 days. 10 percent of Sprint/Nextel customers and 14 percent of T-Mobile customers said they'd switch.

Photo copyright Apple