EPIC 4G (EV) Compatibility?

Hey all,

I currently have an HTC Touch Pro 2. It's been acting up like the past 2-4 HTC phones I've exchanged within the past year. I've had it with HTC and currently looking for an alternative. I've thought about the EVO but due to my past experiences, I'm leaning towards the Samsung EPIC (Besides all the other features, I need QWERTY! haha).

My question is: Does the Samsung EPIC support (EV) speeds? If not, is there a hack...if any or possible? And if not, what phone would you recommend as an alternative?

I'm currently under sprints "sero" plan and would hate to renew it for another 2 years and/or end up paying more for an upgrade/change in data plan.

Appreciate the feedback! Thanks.