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The second device to debut at today’s Verizon press conference is the 4G LTE touting HTC ThunderBolt. Peter Chou is on stage talking up it’s 4.3-inch Super LCD screen, Skype video chat integrated directly into HTC Sense, and its ability to power up to eight devices as a 4G mobile hot spot. He says he has been using it as his own phone and “it’s blazing fast.” more info coming in…
From the presser:
HTC Sense 2.0, Skype mobile™ with video, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3” WVGA display, Dolby surround sound, 8-megapixel camera and HD video recording, wireless DLNA capability.
HTC THUNDERBOLT DELIVERS STYLE AND SPEED ON VERIZON WIRELESS’ 4G LTE NETWORK
LTE-Capable HTC ThunderBolt Enables Sharing at 4G Speeds with Features Including Integrated Skype mobile™ and DLNA Wireless Media Connectivity
LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – At the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and HTC today unveiled its newest 4G smartphone, the HTC ThunderBolt, one of the world’s first 4G LTE Android smartphones, coming soon exclusively to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network.
Taking advantage of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network and the intuitiveness of the HTC Sense user experience, HTC ThunderBolt is one of the first smartphones to integrate Skype mobile™ with video calling. Rather than relying on a standalone application, a Skype mobile with video call can be made as easily as a standard voice call – with features like presence icons that indicate the availability status of friends built into the standard contacts list. A front-facing camera enables simple video calling, and the 4.3-inch display brings friends and family into clear focus.
HTC ThunderBolt features exceptional speed and power with the newest generation of the blazing-fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Verizon Wireless customers will also enjoy the premium HTC Sense user experience, running on the Android 2.2 platform. Creating and consuming mobile multimedia content is made possible with a stunning 4.3-inch WVGA display, Dolby surround sound, 8-megapixel camera and HD video recording. With wireless DLNA capability, the HTC ThunderBolt can easily stream and share content directly with compatible home theater components, including HDTVs and stereo receivers that feature built-in DLNA support.
“We are proud to not only be bringing one of the first 4G LTE Android smartphones to the Verizon Wireless network, but to offer people the unprecedented speed and ease of use that the HTC ThunderBolt provides to them,” said Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC Americas. “What makes 4G so compelling is not just technology, but what the technology allows people to do. With HTC ThunderBolt and the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, 4G is brought to life as people stay connected with friends, family and content faster than ever before possible.”
“Our 4G LTE network and the HTC Sense user experience combine to enable our customers to connect with friends, family and information on a whole new level,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Customers will see the difference of 4G speeds when accessing content via the Web, Android applications or other Verizon Wireless applications.”
The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.
The HTC ThunderBolt will be on display at CES in Verizon Wireless’ booth (#35216 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center). For more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com/lte”www.verizonwireless.com/lte and for more information about Verizon Wireless at CES, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com/ces”www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow the company on Twitter at HYPERLINK “http://twitter.com/verizonwireless” http://twitter.com/verizonwireless. For more information about the HTC ThunderBolt, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com/thunderbolt”www.verizonwireless.com/thunderbolt.
Key Features:
4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas
4.3-inch WVGA display
Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to 8 Wi-Fi devices
Android 2.2 platform
32GB microSD card included
HTC Sense 2.0 with new features, including Fast Boot
Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing
Dolby and SRS surround sound
Fully integrated Skype mobile experience
720p HD video recording
DLNA streaming multimedia support
For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com” www.verizonwireless.com.
# # #About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com”www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at HYPERLINK “http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia”www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.htc.com” www.htc.com.
Woooooohooooo! Ive been waiting to see a final product not to mention im hoping the specs will make it worth waiting for but we’ll see
and Qualcomm.. its gonna be single core. but its going to be fast since it has noo laggy moto blur!
Maybe we can get specs now! :)
Would love skype video chat on the EVO as well! ;)
I have a device similar to this already… its called an HTC EVO 4G! Next…
I’m creaming my shorts right now.
Besides the beautiful phone itself, I’m most interested with the 4g phone plan, I’m so curious about it. As soon as I know that and when the phone comes out, i will be getting it!
@Tony,
1st generation and 2nd generation snapdragon are not even in the same ballpark. 2nd generation is killing tegra 2 in quadrant scores.
lol so whats special about it? its an evo..on verizon? glad i stuck with att..moto atrix here i come..most powerful smartphone in the world baby!
@Keola… I realize its running a 2nd Gen processor. Thats fine and dandy but other than that and the “prettier screen”, its virtually a small update to the Sprint EVO.
atrix is nothing compared to the bionic! lol
@keola
the hell are you talking about? no 2nd gen snap dragon is better then tegra 2. it’s because 2.2 doesn’t cope well with dual core. but in performance tegra 2 kills comp. cant believe you said that. snapdragon dual core later in the line might be interesting but i think tegra will be the best way to go. who cares about a quadrant score. then when orion comes out that will be just as good or better then tegra 2.
not stock android next
Bring on the thundabowl specs
he slid his finger across the screen not down O.O new sense unlock screen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwlhZcNWTfs
Better video
PLEASE UPDATE!!!
No dual core Tegra? Dissapointed.
THUNDERBOLT = VERIZON’S EVO
@ austin, if you are looking for stock android, the only game left is in town is Google produced phones. At least with this, HTC will probably release the source code and it will probably be easier than most to root and mod. A lot of probably’s, but better than most phones being released…
No difference between the Thunderbolt & Inspire 4G aside from network & the FFC. HTC is starting to fail.
Disappointed in Verizon. First, the Bionic plays second fiddle to the AT&T Atrix. Atrix will have 1GB RAM, and that sweet laptop dock that turns it into a Smartbook, Bionic has only 512MB, and no laptop dock. Looks like VZW got the short end of the stick on that one. Then came the Thunderbolt, no dual core, not much in term of specs from what’s currently available, same thing with the LG Revolution, the revolution will fizzle out, and with Sammy’s own unnamed 4G device. Only Moto had a chance to wow, but besides dual-core, the rest of the Bionic seems dated compared to the AT&T Atrix. The Atrix may do what the iPhone could not, make me switch to AT&T. :(
I love HTC, and currently Im sporting the droid Incredible. But I am really disappointed by the single core processor. Looks like I will have to get that dual core processor from moto.
Non Techie,…what’s the diff between this and incredible other than 4G. I have incredible, do I want this phone, similar?
there are so many newer 4g lte capable phones that are all greater in some areas where the competitor might not be as great but what do you think is the best bang out there thats 4g lte and on the verizon network?
@JW
I have a Droid Incredible, i swapped it out with a Droid X, hated the X, got my Incredible back so this will say alot.
The 4.3″ Super LCD is getting some good reviews for the ThunderBolt, along with the quadrant score of 1900+, my Incredible even with a custom kernel only gets about 1200+. The ThunderBolt also has the newest version of HTC Sense, Sense 2.0, it allows for more customization through skin support, DLNA (to and from the phone to a TV, you can use your phone as the remote control, hence why there is no HDMI on this device, its not needed)
Then theres the fact it comes with a huge 32GB MicroSD card on top of the 8GB internal EMMC like the Incredible.
Compared to the Incredible, as far as specs goes, the Processor is more powerful and Qualcomm announced it can be unlocked to be clocked at 1.2GHZ, it will also support Bluetooth 3.0 as a future update. Surround Sound speaker on back under the kickstand.
So, combine all those features from the ThunberBolt onto the already popular Incredible and you got a nice combo from HTC. The ThunderBolt also still has the HTC Locations/Premium Navigation intact, unlike the HTC Inspire on AT&T.
The new HTC Sense 2.0 can also be synced up to htcsense.com where you can see your backups such as contacts, text messages, missed calls, call history, phone location, phone backup, remote wipe, remote file send (ie: choose a download you want from the website and htcsense.com will send it to your phone automatically).
I’ve been using a couple of ROM’s with the new sense and i love it, its not fully functional but its the best UI so far.
I can’t upgrade till May (which will be my final one thanks to Verizons new policy :( but i’ll be getting the ThunderBolt whenever it launches. I’ve never been a Motorola fan, there hardware is cheap and software is buggy. This would be my third HTC Smartphone :) i really hope it launches much earlier than March though . .