Can the HTC Evo, an Android Device, Replace an iPad?

It's been about two weeks since I got my HTC Evo. I've had my iPad for nearly five months--I ordered one as soon as they were available for pre-order. When the Evo finally came in and I had it activated, I had this question in mind: Can this thing compare to my iPad or will I still need to carry around two devices everywhere I go? Well, my wife was more than willing to confiscate my iPad for this experiment. Honestly, I don't think she's going to give it back.

First off, I'm going to compare the sizes of the two devices. If you want full technical specifications for each device, you can visit this page on phonescoop.com for the Evo, or this page on apple.com for the iPad. The iPad is the largest and heaviest device with its 9.56-inch by 7.47-inch by 0.5-inch frame weighing at about 1.5 lbs. The Evo is a bit smaller with its 4.8-inch by 2.6-inch by 0.5-inch frame weighing in at 0.375 lbs. Neither one of these devices is too big or too heavy; however, I'm more comfortable holding the Evo for longer periods of time. The iPad can be cumbersome to hold one handed for more than 30 minutes, so it really needs to be held with two hands. Now, with its larger size, the iPad boasts a very nice 9.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. The Evo, on the other hand, has a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. When it comes to reading books and watching videos, the larger screen of the iPad is better, but the Evo is just big enough to comfortably read books and watch videos.

While I'm on the subject of video, I'll mention that the Evo comes with an HDMI port on the bottom for video output. This allows the Evo to output video via micro HDMI cable to an HD TV at 720p resolution, which is 1280 by 720 pixels. Note that the Evo's output resolution is in widescreen format, while the iPad's output, which requires an adapter sold by Apple and a cable, is only in full-screen format. Built-in HD video output is definitely a plus for the Evo.

Both devices are equally capable of playing my music; however, the iPad's iPod app is far superior to the music player on the Evo. Playing music is something Apple has mastered on its devices and Android will just have to catch up. With that in mind, the music app on the Evo is simple enough to use and play the music I want to hear, so it can be used in place of the iPad for listening to music.

I do a lot of reading, so this is a subject quite important to me. Ever since I got my Evo, I have been doing my daily reading on it, which totals about 90-120 minutes--sometimes more--of both audio and text. With the iPad, I used three different applications to accomplish my daily reading, namely, Audible, iBooks, and Kindle. For the Evo, I can get both the Audible and the Kindle applications, but iBooks is of course absent. Instead of iBooks, I use FBReader to read my EPUB formatted books. So, as far as reading is concerned, my Evo can replace my iPad.

Another point at which the Evo must compare with the iPad is web browsing. Apple boasts that the iPad gives you the best experience for the web. Like with reading, the iPad's 9.7-inch screen makes for a great way to browse the web. In fact, the screen is big enough to view most websites as they are meant to be on the desktop as opposed to the mobile version. However, the iPad fails when viewing web pages with Flash content, for the iPad's browser will not display Flash content. This is where the Evo steps up to fill in the void, since the Evo ships with the Adobe Flash Player installed on it. That gives you access to a host of websites that the iPad is not capable of displaying. In my opinion, that gives the Evo a slight edge over the iPad for web browsing, even though I'm not a big fan of Flash. In addition, the Evo's screen is big enough to comfortably browse websites, given that many websites will display in a mobile version if one is available.

I am a heavy user of Google services, such as Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Picasa, etc. The iPad does a decent job with interfacing with the Google services, so long as it can sync with iTunes. Through iTunes, the iPad gets all of the necessary data, namely, calendar events, contacts, and pictures. The Mail app on the iPad handles Gmail on its own and is set up separately. The Evo, on the other hand, being an Android device, has these Google services integrated. When I first turned on my Evo after I bought it, I was asked to sign in to my Google account. After doing so, all of my calendar events, contacts, and email were downloaded to my Evo. From then on, every time there was a change, all of the data was automatically synchronized between my Evo and my Google account. In contrast, on the iPad, when a change is made to a calendar or contact, I have to manually sync my calendar and contacts apps on my Mac with my Google account, then sync iTunes with those applications, and then sync my iPad with iTunes. Keeping my information constantly and automatically synced, the Evo certainly has the upper hand. As far as e-mail is concerned, both devices work quite nicely, but I prefer the iPad's much larger on-screen keyboard for typing messages. Still, the Evo can handle my e-mail needs just as well as the iPad, even better with its tight Google integration. Furthermore, the Evo can handle speech-to-text input via the standard on-screen keyboard or via my preferred keyboard application, SwiftKey.

One of the greatest features of both the Evo and the iPad is access to a multitude of apps via some form of marketplace. The iPad has the iTunes Store and the Evo has the Android Market. This is where I'm going to give a big win to the iPad. I have to admit that the iTunes Store is a fantastic place to browse for and discover apps. The Android Market, on the other hand, is currently very lacking in the browsing and discovery of new apps--I often use a third party website, AppBrain, to find apps for my Evo. In addition to the experience, the iTunes Store has the superior selection of quality apps. Unfortunately, the Android Market is littered with pointless and worthless apps that have absolutely no business being in an app marketplace. Many people hate Apple for its tight control on its marketplace, but it serves a purpose for the end user. I also have to give props to the iTunes Store for its vast selection of quality, graphically rich games. Again, the Android Market falls short here--for now. I'm certain that over time, more developers will create stunning games for Android that can compare to the iTunes Store selection. Recently, I have seen a rising trend of the popular games and apps in the iTunes Store being ported over to the Android Market, some of which I have purchased or downloaded. I have many great games and other apps on my Evo, but some of them just don't compare to the ones I have on the iPad.

The one big win for the Evo is its total independence from a personal computer. In contrast, the iPad has a dependence on iTunes to be activated, backed up, and synced. It is possible, with some work-arounds, to operate an iPad as an independent device, but it either has to be activated through iTunes or at an Apple Store. The Evo can be activated over the air without the need of computer software followed by one quick phone call. Transferring files to an iPad is intended to be accomplished solely through iTunes. In my opinion, this is a huge shortcoming for the iPad because iTunes is a less-than-stellar application. On the Mac, iTunes is a decent application that works quite well; however, for Windows, iTunes is just plain awful at best. When it comes to managing an iPad with iTunes, the intention is to tie the iPad to only one iTunes library. If you use more than one computer at more than one location, this can be an annoying hindrance. With the Evo, files can be transferred from any computer, running any operating system with either a USB cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi using a file transfer app. I personally use SwiFTP to make my Evo an FTP server and then transfer files to either my Mac at home or a Windows computer at work. It's simple and I'm not tied to any software to transfer files to and from my Evo.

In closing, I have to say that these two devices are tough to compare. They both have a different intended use. After all, the iPad isn't touted as a carry-it-with-you-everywhere-you-go device, but the Evo can certainly fit that bill. The smaller size of the Evo makes it an easily pocketed device, which means I don't have to carry a bag or case just to bring it with me wherever I go. It is this slight edge in portability that convinces me that I can leave my iPad at home (or just let my wife take over it) and use my Evo for my portable computing needs. I do understand that won't apply to everyone's needs--after all, everyone has a unique set of needs. So, here is my answer to the question posed in the subject of this post: Yes, in my opinion, it is possible that the HTC Evo can replace the iPad. It so far has for me, but I'll still be keeping my iPad for now.