For those of you lamenting the lack of cool 4G smartphone offerings available for the Verizon Wireless network, this is the day you’ve been waiting for. Verizon Wireless’ first LTE handset, the HTC ThunderBolt, is now available on store shelves and online, ready to push the boundaries of wireless access.
If you plan on being one of the very first consumers to acquire the 4G handset, you have options as to where to pick it up. Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, and several others will be selling the handset for $250 with a two year contract.
However, if you don’t mind waiting for the device to be shipped to you, Wirefly will be selling it for $199.99. In addition, Amazon Wireless has it priced at $179.99. Plus, unless you live in certain areas of the country, no sales tax if you purchase at Amazon. Who doesn’t love that?
In case you’re not familiar with this 4G powerhouse, here’s a few stats to help get you excited:
• Powered by Android 2.2
• Latest version of the HTC Sense UI
• Support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, YouTube and Android Market
• 4G LTE optimized apps such as EA’s Rock Band, Gameloft’s Let’s Golf, Tunewiki and Bitbop
• 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 area
• 4.3” WVGA display
• 8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording
• 3- megapixel front facing camera with video chatting capabilities
• Newest generation of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• 8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 32 GB microSD card (Actual formatted capacity will be less)
• Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing
Sounds cool, right? If you do decide to pick one up, be sure to let us know how it goes and what you think of it.
