HTC ThunderBolt coming on March 21?

posted by Nick T.

Mar 11, 2011, 9:28 AM

After a number of delays, the infamous HTC ThunderBolt may strike pretty soon after all. Two independent tipsters have said that Verizon's first LTE-enabled smartphone is already scheduled for release no later than March 21. Ten days do not seem like that long of a wait considering some people were not expecting the HTC ThunderBolt to launch before the second quarter of 2011. It is not known how reliable of a source the tipsters are, but the March 21 prediction matches with what has been recently hinted on HTC's Facebook page.

source: Boy Genius Report

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Display 4.3 inches
800 x 480 pixels

Camera 8 MP (Single camera)
1.3 MP front

Hardware Qualcomm Snapdragon S2, 0.75GB RAM

Storage 8GB, microSDHC

Battery 1400 mAh

OS Android 4.0

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44 Comments

44. Cathy unregistered

Verizon contacted me at home today, to let me know it will be out on the 21st. That was a pretty bold move, if it is not in fact, coming out Monday.

posted on Mar 16, 2011, 8:25 PM 0

43. in the know unregistered

Verizon has been dragging their feet on the Thunderbolt lauch because of the excess of Phone inventory sitting in ther Distribution Center....also there was a huge delay in the "Technical Approval" proecess because of iPhone as well. VZW is nortotious for it's product testing. Generally devices are subject to a 10-16 week lab testing approval process... on the longer end of the timeline for Smartphones. The problem again, lies with Apple. VZW requested the iPhone 4 be brought into their labs well before x-mass for testing. Apple flat out refused....claiming the need to keep their devices "secret" untill the last possible moment before launch. Fear of "spy shots"....leaking of sensitive tech specs...etc, etc, etc. As we all know, Apple counts on mystery and secrecy in order to generate "hype" and in turn, demand for their products...they are masters at it. AT&T is all too familiar with this as well....as they only had a few weeks to test their variant and relied on claims from Apple that the voice capabilities were the same as the iPhone 3. We all know how that turned out with "antenna-gate" VZW only had the iPhone 4 "in lab" for 6 weeks prior to launch. Mangement was concerned with a possible "antenna-gate" issue of their own and devoted all of their product testing resources strictly to the iPhone prior to launch.....especially their "Drive testors" who "drive" the network with a device in order to determine reliabilty, functionality, network drain.....etc. This had a "ripple effect" on the Thunderolt. Not sure if the "3G to 4G" issue was missed or known about all along, but it certainly would have been addressed long ago if it were not for Apple and their "self absorbed" demands. The original Feb. 14th launch date was based on the date VZW got the Thunderbolt for testing.....it's been delayed ever since. Now the good news is the Thundebolt is at PCD's (HTC's distibutor in the USA) warehouse being flashed with the latest software update to address the issue. You may have read about "conditional approval" in another posting. It's actually considered "Technical Approval"or TA...meaning the product folks at VZW have given the device their blessing allowing it to be used on the network. The "conditional" part was the new flash requirement. Word on the street is it may hit by 3/17, worse case end of month. I'll be in Orlando at CTIA in 2 weeks and be surprised if it's not launched by then. Again, VZW execs were't rushing to get the TA process complete because of all the iPhone inventory in stock and was hoping they could move more of it with the lack of a 4G capable smartphone on their shelves. Now I have a feeling I'm gonna get slammed once again by all the Apple folks out there, but it's the truth.

posted on Mar 14, 2011, 7:13 AM 0

42. James J unregistered

I have been hunting for the right smartphone for quite sometime now. I was stuck between the Atrix and the Thunderbolt, and decided to try my first HTC. I am a DISH Network subscriber/employee, and I can stream over 200 HD channels, so screen quality was important. With the thunderbolt, I feel like I’m sitting in a movie theater!

posted on Mar 12, 2011, 10:31 PM 0

40. androidio unregistered

The atrix is a phenominal phone that doesn't lag at all, not sure what you were playing with but it is much faster than the inspire. Run a video on the atrix and jump to different parts....absolutely no lag. Hell I think the atrix responds to things before I even touch the screen like it knows what I am thinking! The bionic is going to blow the thunderbolt out of the water and the new motoblur on it looks great. Don't get me wrong htc makes a great product but apples to oranges right now...

posted on Mar 12, 2011, 11:21 AM 0

37. domain unregistered

They are shipping Monday to my location.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 9:06 PM 1

36. j unregistered

I work for verizon. I talked to a few people today who know a lot more about this then we do and I was told march 24th is the target date for a release but they also said it was a moving target and could likely change again before then.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 7:26 PM 0

35. Tottenham

Posts: 86; Member since: Jan 05, 2011

Independent tipsters!!!? How many times have we been jerked around by that statement. Really, at this point I don't even care. If it happens on the 21st, great, but I'm not going to race out to get it. I'll wait to see how the reviews play out, and likely wait for other 4G players (Samsung, LG, and Motorola) to add their offerings to the Verizon line up before putting my hard-earned cash on the table. VZW has really played this release about as poorly as they possibly could have. Really a textbook case on how NOT to launch a new product. Building acticipation is one thing, but Verizon has pushed this release to the point of apathy for many buyers.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 6:56 PM 1

33. fairly mismatched unregistered

Blunderbolt? What's that?

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 5:25 PM 0

32. josh unregistered

I sell Verizon as an indirect agent and we got a confirmation from a supplier that our thunderbolts ship monday. Woot!

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 5:12 PM 1

25. Owlet

Posts: 450; Member since: Feb 21, 2011

That was supposed to be a response to #22 icepikk Does anybody else have problems with IE and this website? Sometimes it doesn't place "response" right. Some settings of an account only work with Firefox, but not IE. After refreshing a page, it so annoyingly gets stuck for a while... Or is it just me?

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 3:56 PM 0

24. Owlet

Posts: 450; Member since: Feb 21, 2011

No, I never used dual core. But what i'm saying, everything I do with my phone (I don't play games) is very fast, and going to be even faster with TB. So, I mean, you can say it's outdated, cause it came out a year ago, but it's really not in everyday use. I mean, it's outdated timewise, not perfomance-wise. But keep in mind, I don't do games. I'd imagine dual core and what not would be important then.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 3:52 PM 0

23. luis_lopez_351

Posts: 951; Member since: Nov 18, 2010

why are people waitng for the bionic they forgot it will be running motoblur LOL! :) LG revolution or Samsung stealth are the real phones worth waiting for

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 3:45 PM 2

27. Jumbo unregistered

What's wrong with motoblur? No seriously, please let me know. I have never used it before. How is it different from what samsung or LG phones are using?

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 4:14 PM 0

30. luis_lopez_351

Posts: 951; Member since: Nov 18, 2010

LAGG big time D:

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 4:39 PM 2

31. Jumbo unregistered

That's it? I'm hoping the dual-core processors will solve that problem.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 4:54 PM 0

34. RORYREVOLUTION

Posts: 3131; Member since: Jan 12, 2010

The problem with Motoblur, well to best describe it......It's basically the Windows Vista of Android. It runs way too much memory and it lags like crazy. Plus if you get the full motoblur skin, it looks very childish and cartoony. Stock android isn't anything to brag about as far as looks but hey at least it doesn't look like crap and cause your phone to lag and freeze up every 5 minutes. Sense UI just looks very professional and to me really enchances the android experience. Hell even if you don't like Samsung's Touchwiz. Its very easy to turn off and go stock without hacking your phone. I have seen it first hand, the Motorola Atrix...despite it having a dual core processor and loads of Ram. ITS STILL LAGGY. You can watch videos of the Atrix vs Inspire and the Inspire just looks like it's faster and smoother than that Atrix. And it's running a single core processor.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 5:39 PM 2

20. ThunderWho? unregistered

The name suits it.... Thunder is heard but never seen.... lol

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 2:55 PM 0

29. zuno gyakusatsu

Posts: 257; Member since: Mar 16, 2010

or a bolt of thunder....which doesnt even exist.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 4:19 PM 0

19. RORYREVOLUTION

Posts: 3131; Member since: Jan 12, 2010

The main reason why I won't ever get another Motorola phone(Dual Core Processor or not) is because of Motoblur. If they just stopped using it and stuck with stock android I wouldn't have any problems with them. I am getting the Thunderbolt because sure HTC is known for bad battery life but they are good with updates and patches when issues occur. Plus Sense UI is one of the best skins for android there is.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 2:51 PM 2

17. Owlet

Posts: 450; Member since: Feb 21, 2011

I don't understand, how is it going to be sooo outdated? I mean, I'm mad too and tired of waiting. But this phone is going to be pretty darn good. I have Incredible now. Is it outdated? Probably... But it does everything, and does it pretty good and pretty fast. I don't feel like it's way behind new phones that came out later or even coming out now. And the TB is going to be even faster, with video chat and 4g! It's gonna be awesome! Would you even know it's not dual core? It's just in your head. But the phone will be great and really fast. Just my humble opinion.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 1:52 PM 2

22. icepikk

Posts: 32; Member since: Feb 13, 2011

So you say you dont understand how it is going to be outdated then use the example of your current Incredible and ask if it is outdated and then agree it is.. so thus by logic you are saying that the TB will be outdated too? Not the best way to go about it I think. Sure the 4G seems cool, but just as the phone it is based on, the EVO, 4G is only cool if you will have it in your area and soon because if not then you have a phone with one of its main selling points cut off and then when it finally gets it you may be on to the next one or interested in something else. We live in a "right now" world these days and if everyone cant take advantage of a major selling point then why get it right now? Plus maybe you would know it isnt dual core.. have you used a dual core phone yet to base the differences off? Plus maybe developers are working on apps to take advantage of the dual core when they come out, day one, as opposed to 4G which most dual cores will probably have on top of their major selling point.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 3:36 PM 0

16. Bob unregistered

Who really cares anymore? All this site does is speculate...

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 1:52 PM 0

15. Kathryn unregistered

@Shanism yes it is just you, because anyone willing to do a little research can see that the Evo and the TB are different. SureToyota and Lexus use the same chassis, but would anyone mistake them for one another...I think not

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 1:42 PM 2

28. zuno gyakusatsu

Posts: 257; Member since: Mar 16, 2010

the only thing different is the TB has slightly more ram and an LTE radio. everything else is the same. add a stick of ram and a wireless lan card in a pc....its still the same pc.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 4:17 PM 0

14. steven252000

Posts: 64; Member since: Feb 10, 2010

Funny because Androidcentral shows something indicating a possible release date of 3-17-11. So......who knows. Guess I will believe it when I see it at this point. And even then I will probably wait a bit and wait on user reviews before I take the plunge.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 1:21 PM 0

13. Shanism

Posts: 19; Member since: Mar 05, 2011

It just seems to me its like a Evo? can anyone agree. first 4g single core proccessor. ok new newest android. but I just dont have high expectations for it. maybe cuz im mad its so late. haha and for Rich do you think motorolla is really just gonna stop pushin something good. it was one of the best last year. I doubt it wont be this year.

posted on Mar 11, 2011, 1:10 PM 0

18. Rich unregistered

actually... not sure. Droid2 in my opinion was not a good phone. I have seen many moto-duds. Where was the bionic built off of? Im sure the bionic will be a good phone. Just from what ive seen and played with, HTC def makes more solid phones than moto. The Evo was a better phone than the X. This phone is the Evo with some minor upgrades. Yes the bionic has a dual core processor, but unfortunately im not quite sure that will actually end up having a bigger impact in the performance, or just a selling point. It sounds good. But when the entire puzzle piece is put together, im not sure it will make a big difference, if any. That said... yes i will stick with HTC.