Thunderbolt (Mecha) - 9/10 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Wirefly Unboxes The HTC Thunderbolt: "This phone cranks."

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Our pals over at WireFly have done an unboxing video of a production Thunderbolt, and at 7 minutes long, it provides a good look at what customers can expect to find in the box. See for yourself:

Notable points:

32 GB microSD card pre-installed (8 GB of ROM, for a total of 40 GB of storage)
Kickstand
SIM card required for LTE
Dual-LED flash
4.3" 480x800px LCD
Android 2.2.1
8 MP camera around back, 1.3 MP in front

Although they just barely play with the phone while it's powered on, they mentioned in an email that "This phone cranks." They also mention that WireFly will be selling the device "soon." How soon that is is up for debate though, especially in light of today's delay.

Feb

HTC Thunderbolt DELAYED By Verizon, New Launch Date To Be Decided

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Some internal document sent somewhere at some point today was captured by someone and then sent on to Droid-Life, and the news it contains isn't going to be making anyone particularly happy:

Here's the deal: the Thunderbolt won't be launching on the 14th (next week). Amazon and Best Buy apparently had it wrong, and Amazon has since updated its page to reflect that unknown launch date.

The Thunderbolt's Mobile Hotspot feature has also been pushed back, but I would assume this is merely to accommodate the device's new release date. The XOOM also got a mention - something about a delay with the "creative" for the device, I presume this is in reference to advertisements and kiosks and such (correct me if I'm wrong on this, commenters).

Feb

Motorola XOOM Coming To Best Buy On February 24th, HTC Thunderbolt On February 14th

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), XOOM

A short while ago, the Best Buy Grand Rapids Facebook page prematurely posted a status update indicating the release dates of the Motorola XOOM tablet and the HTC Thunderbolt.

The status update suggests that the Motorola XOOM will be available for sale at Best Buy from February 24, while the HTC Thunderbolt will be available starting February 14 (the day after Mobile World Congress 2011 officially kicks off). Additionally, the Verizon iPhone 4 will be coming to Best Buy on February 10, and the Samsung Presto 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot will be available from February 17.

A Facebook page of a Best Buy outlet does not seem like the most appropriate place to disseminate information on release dates; however, we have also received independent confirmation from a reliable source indicating that the HTC Thunderbolt will go on sale online on or around the date mentioned in the Facebook message.

Jan

Verizon Comparison Charts Show Thunderbolt's LTE Speeds Crush WiMax, HSPA+

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

A couple of leaked Verizon charts popped up on Droid Life this morning, their contents? HTC Thunderbolt propaganda - well, at least in one of them.

If Verizon's estimated LTE speeds aren't just hot air, then Sprint and T-Mobile (and AT&T) should probably be worried right now. Sprint's smartphone plan price hike probably isn't winning them any points, and T-Mobile's 4G handsets aren't exactly new and exciting (G2, myTouch, or a rehashed Vibrant - take your pick).

I don't know where Verizon gets their network speed estimates for T-Mo and Sprint, but they seem pretty forgiving - given the speed ranges shown.

Jan

HTC Thunderbolt, aka HTC Incredible HD, Shows Up In Early Unboxing Video With Some Interesting Details

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless, Videos

Last Updated: April 5th, 2011

HTC Thunderbolt, announced at CES earlier this year, may only seem like it's underpowered compared to the dual-core offerings, but according to a very early unboxing by someone named Michael, it's quite a beast with some very admirable features. I don't know how Michael got his hands on this device so early - perhaps he's a tester, a ninja reviewer, or a VZW employee receiving Thunderbolt training (I'm most likely inclined to side with the latter), but he does spill some interesting details that I've summarized below, conveniently mixed in with some specs.

Oh, and this is the same video that was used in this post to cross reference the UPC codes - ~~the problem was the original 720p video disappeared off the Interwebs only to resurface from ahart814's cache last night, except in a not-as-awesome 360p resolution~~ the original video is back online.

Jan

Abra-Kadabra! HTC Thunderbolt To Allow For Simultaneous Voice and Data On Verizon 3G!

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

With training for the HTC Thunderbolt starting today, a few Thunderbolt goodies surfaced. According to the leaked screenshot, the HTC Thunderbolt will be able to handle both voice and data simultaneously on Verizon 3G. As many of you probably already know, Verizon's CDMA network was incapable of producing this in the past (voice and data use separate channels on CDMA), but apparently HTC and Big Red have done some magic and figured out a way on this new 4G device.

For those who can’t see the text in the watermark in the image above:

There is functionality in the Thunderbolt that allows simultaneous voice and data while on the VZW 3G network, however, we cannot promise the experience will be one that is consistent with our brand. As a result, do not reference this functionality as a benefit during your conversations with customers.

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With The (Now Official) HTC Thunderbolt: 4.3-Inch Display, Froyo, And LTE [Video]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless, Videos

I'm slightly miffed that HTC doesn't seem to have a dual-core Android device in the works (at least for now), but the LTE-capable Thunderbolt still isn't anything to scoff at.

It features:

A 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
A 4.3-inch WVGA (800x480) display
An 8MP rear camera capable of recording 720p HD video
1.3MP front-facing camera
Android 2.2 Froyo with the new HTC Sense, as seen on the Desire HD and the Desire Z
32GB (!) microSD card slot out of the box
Integrated kickstand
Dolby and SRS surround sound audio
Skype mobile pre-installed (presumably the new version with video calling)
DLNA support
Mobile hotspot (presumably with a nice fat fee attached)
An LTE radio

Want more?

Dec

HTC Thunderbolt Photos Leak, Still Looking Sexy

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

There's not much left to leak about Verizon's upcoming LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt (previously thought to be called "Incredible HD" or "Mecha"), but some high-quality pictures can't hurt, can they?

You can check out the phone in all its glory by hitting the source link, but you won't find anything surprising - we've already heard about the kickstand, 4G LTE connectivity, and front-facing camera. Still, it's definitely a nice-looking device, and we can always hope that HTC will somehow manage to shove in a dual core processor.

Source: Droid Life

Dec

HTC Hints At Its Next 4G Phone, Unveil Coming January 6th - A Verizon Phone At Last?

Posted by Brian O'Toole in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

HTC's released plenty of phones lately, but Verizon - arguably the biggest Android carrier - hasn't been getting any love since way back with the release of the Droid Incredible. What better way to bring it all back than with an LTE launch phone? Judging from HTC's rather smug (who can blame them?) teaser page, they're set to hit the ground running with a launch of the "Incredible HD" on January 6th. That coincides happily with the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, where Verizon are already expected to be pushing their LTE agenda.

It may not be the only LTE device readying itself for action with Big Red, but staunch HTC fans have been somewhat starved of choice on the famously reliable CDMA network of late.

Nov

HTC Incredible HD Spotted In The Wild Featuring LTE

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

While everyone else ranted and raved (or, alternatively, raged) about the Nexus S, the folks over at Android Central were busy getting their hands on a picture of Verizon's upcoming Incredible HD:

It sure is a looker with that oh-so-sexy aluminum body... but we already knew about that. The real news here is that, tucked away in the upper right corner of the notification bar, is a promising 4G icon:

It's not as surprising as it could have been since Jeremiah Nelson spilled the beans yesterday, but it's always nice to see confirmation in the form of device pictures themselves.