Thanks, I definitely want to root it.  I will wait until my replacement warranty kicks in before I do anything that could brick the unit.  I understand why Google puts the bloatware on there (compete with itunes by forcing amazonmp3 on there, and deals with Sprint etc), but to not give root access to the owner of the device.  That's just nuts.

If my PC said 'I'm sorry but that can not be deleted because Dell says it must be there so it's going to be there' - I would light my PC on fire, tie a rope around it, and drag it through town with my 6 shooters 'ablazin.

I will definitely root.  Eventually.  I am holding out hope that Sprint/Samsung push out 2.2 soon.  I don't have any performance problems with the bloated items on the phone, I would prefer to see them gone though.

Not to mention, screen cap apps don't work unless rooted.  That's nuts.  Iphone4 can screen cap.  I love the Epic though, it's a beast as far as performance.  It does have issues, like every other big boy phone out there.  The only one that bothers/confuses me, is the 3G download/upload speeds.  It's upload seems to be capped around 150kbps.  My buddy has an iphone4 on 3g and he speedtested it and got 1.2M upload.  Paying $10/month for 'premium' data is a joke when it underperforms like that.  4G speeds are rocking though, so it looks like a software, or maybe even hardware patch should remedy the issue.  If they ever choose to.

I believe they are both on nearly the same level.  I had the choice between the 2 phones, and decided to go with Epic.  Both are great looking screens (I believe the Epic to be slightly better with the SAMOLED but others may disagree).  The Evo has HDMI output, which the Epic lacks.

Both will have HORRIBLE battery life if you keep it maxed out, running 4G, bright screen, lots of downloads, etc.  Just like any other battery powered device.  With task managers you can get the thing to last all day with moderate use.

HTC supports their phones better than Samsung.  The Evo is already Android 2.2 Froyo.  The Epic is currently having download/upload speed limitations on 3G with no official word on a fix or ETA on a fix.  It seems to cap the upload speed at around 150kbps, while my buddy on his 3G iPhone pushes over 1.2Mbps up.

All of the major phones have pros and cons.  Either the Evo or the Epic is a beautiful and powerful device.  I do believe the Epic has a very strong processor (1ghz hummingbird).  I have never had the Epic bog down on me in any way.

just search Evo vs. Epic and get stuff like this:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-epic-4g-vs-htc-evo-4g/

I rooted and ditched all the Sprint stuff, the phone runs better than ever and I thought it was super fast before.  Now I can take screen caps, etc.  Just now figuring out how to unlock the power of Android.  Great stuff!

Ok.....I know I am late to the game with this but I have the HTC Evo 4G and LOVE IT!  I have never had the battery run down on me and I use the dam thing endlessly throughout the day.  If you are just smart and turn crap off that you don't use or need at the time then you will never have a battery problem. 

I have ZERO complaints about it, minus the fact that I ended up dropping my first one and shattering the screen, but that was because of some idiotic kid hitting me and it went flying 10 feet in the air and landed on the screen.  I love the big screen, but I bought it because it had the large screen because I watch videos and stuff on it all the time.  I never have issues with Sprints service, I have 3G wherever I got, as opposed to the G or Edge that I might have gotten on T-Mobile.  Glodowg is very jealous of this fact because I get 3G at our house and she is lucky to get G!

I would recommend the Evo to anyone that is looking for a good smart phone.  The price of the service - 69.99 a month for 450 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, free MOBILE TO MOBILE no matter what network the other phone is on, Unlimited Data, Unlimited Texting.  $10.00 a month for the 4G service(sucks because not available many places, but come on, it is $10.00!) plus Taxes and everything and my bill is a little over $100.00 a month.  I did have the HOTSPOT turned on for a while and that adds $30.00 a month but that is not a necessary thing to have!

DO NOT buy it for the 4G because you can't get 4G at most places yet!