I got the HTC EVO 4G late, then they announced they were switching from WiMax to LTE. This time I already know that Clearwire will have LTE (they are already building it out and will accelerate next year), and that 800MHz LTE, which penetrates buildings much better than their other LTE, wll come out next year.
It sounds like if I buy this phone, and keep it for two years (and I actually like to keep my phones even longer--$200 isn't pocket change to me) then I would be buying a phone that is essentially obsolete for at least half the time I'll own it.
Whether or not Sprint should have passed on it, I don't know. I certainly am, and it is a shame because it otherwise looks like a nice phone.
edit: Also, Softbank, which wants to take over Sprint, is all about TD-LTE. They want Sprint because of Clearwire's LTE, which is compatible with Softbank in Japan, and with China. So, again, if I get this phone, I'm getting a phone that doesn't support Softbank's network of the future.
It is like buying an analog television one year before the country switches over to digital--not smart. Now if the television were 'digital ready', or if HTC said that it will support these LTE bands after they are turned on, that would be another matter. But neither they nor Sprint is saying this.