After being delayed due to the patent dispute involving HTC and Apple, it seems the HTC Evo 4G LTE could be releasing sooner rather than later. Sprint has announced the device will be available to customers who pre-ordered the device, in approximately three days.

There's no confirmation of a full release date, but Sprint says it is confident it will be able to fulfil all pre-orders. As The Verge noted, though, Sprint also said it would provide details on a national launch "as soon as possible."

"Customers who pre-ordered the HTC Evo 4G LTE ... Your wait is almost over! Sprint expects to begin shipping HTC Evo 4G LTE for arrival on or around Thursday, May 24 to customers who pre-ordered the device online from Sprint. We will provide details on the full national launch as soon as possible. To access the latest news and device information, visit our Sprint Community page where we'll be providing regular updates. To check the status of your pre-order, visit www.sprint.com/myorder," the carrier said.

An internal memo, reported by Inside Sprint Now, revealed the company is taking cancellations regarding the device. As of 5PM CST from Monday, May 21, the memo said the company isn't accepting cancellation orders. However, it says customers who still want to cancel can refuse a delivery or call Order Support to "process an RMA kit."

Around May 16, when Sprint released a statement confirming the Evo 4G LTE would miss the May 18 launch date, the company said customers who wanted to cancel orders could call "866-789-8292," though said then some orders may have to be refused and returned due to "the speed of warehouse processing."

In the U.S., HTC devices have been customized to avoid the Apple patent, displaying an 'App Associations' settings screen.

The Internal Trade Commission found Apple's patents covered detecting information such as phone numbers and e-mail address and then presenting a number of options on how to use the information. Tapping on a phone number or e-mail launches a mail application or the dialer.