HTC latest Android Thunderbolt is available in exclusivity since Thursday March 17 on Verizon wireless. The Thunderbolt is the first smartphone for Verizon wireless to run on its 4G LTE network. It will be available for $249.99 with a two-year contract or for $599.99 for the contract-free, unlocked version.
The Thunderbolt is a big phone, with a 4.3-inch WVGA display running an old Android Froyo 2.2 OS. It would have been good to have an updated OS with Android Gingerbread 2.3 as it contains everyday goodies like simple copy paste and battery life optimization. Nevertheless, HTC is usually quick at getting its hands on Android updates, hopefully it will be the case again.
The Thunderbolt runs on a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor and includes 8GB of onboard memory with an additional pre-installed 32GB microSD card. Two cameras are available, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat or HD video recording. Wireless DLNA and hotspot support is available. Note that the hotspot support can serve up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices. This free mobile hotspot capabilities is free until May 15, and will cost $20 per month after that. As most HTC’s phone, the Thunderbolt includes HTC Sense 2.0 to help you in your everyday life.
An interesting little extra is the kickstand on the Thunderbolt previously introduced in the HTC Evo 4G. It’s not just a simple stand, its a bright idea that allows you to fully enjoy this huge 4.3 inch screen by sitting back and relax while you watch a video.
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