HTC EVO 4G Smashes Sprint Sales RecordsHTC EVO 4G Smashes Sprint Sales Records

According to Sprint, the new HTC EVO 4G Android smartphone has set a new single day sales record for the company. It has beat out every other smartphone Sprint has ever sold. Is that really significant? Yes, yes it is.Sprint says of the EVO 4G's first-day sales, "The total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined."

Wow. Palm should be embarrassed by that, as should Sprint. Both companies issued a press release a year ago to crow about the first day sales of the Palm Pre, but neither actually said how many of the devices were sold. We never found out. Funny thing is, Sprint didn't tell us how many EVO 4Gs it sold, either. All we know is that it sold three times as many Pres and Instincts combined. That could be anything.

The phone went on sale at some 22,000 locations across the U.S. Sprint says the device is so popular, it is in limited supply at the moment. Sound familiar? The HTC Droid Incredible is so popular over at Verizon Wireless, Verizon is having a hard time keeping the Incredible in stock, too.

The EVO 4G's opening weekend success says very plainly that Sprint customers are dying for a worthy smartphone to own (i.e., the current crop of devices just ain't getting it done). With demand so high for the EVO 4G and Incredible, it's obvious that wireless users outside of AT&T are anxious to hop onto the smartphone bandwagon and experience some of the fun that iPhone users have been having for years.

Android and iPhone are set for a serious showdown. Sales figures for the next few quarters will be interesting to compare, especially after Apple makes its announcements later today.