HTC Thunderbolt May Be Verizon's First LTE Phone

Verizon's first LTE phone may be the HTC Thunderbolt, based on pictures on a web site. The HTC Thunderbolt is similar to Sprint Nextel's Android-powered HTC EVO, which runs on its WiMAX network. HTC has vowed to be "first to 4G," with Motorola and other phone makers also offering LTE devices. The phones may compete with Apple's iPhone.

HTC's vow to be "first to 4G" appears to be gaining credibility as photos have materialized of a device from the Taiwan-based smartphone giant designed for the Verizon Wireless long-term evolution network.
The shots on a blog devoted to Android phones appear to be the HTC Thunderbolt, a 4.3-inch touchscreen device that has drawn comparisons to the HTC EVO, the first phone for Sprint Nextel's high-speed WiMAX network. Both devices run Google 's Android operating system.
First, But Not Alone
HTC's web site now features teasers promising to be "The first to 4G again," although Verizon Wireless COO John Stratton told The Wall Street Journal this week that "Motorola will be right there" when the company launches its first LTE phones at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 6. HTC and Motorola currently partner with Verizon in producing the popular Droid phones. In all, six LTE phones are expected, and other likely partners include Samsung and LG.
Irving Seidenberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, the co-owner with Vodafone of Verizon Wireless, is slated to give a keynote address at CES on Jan. 6, during which he'll likely announce the LTE phones. The company will also hold a press conference that afternoon with three top Verizon Wireless execs for what it says is a "sneak peak" at the phones. That event will be webcast live by Verizon.
The device featured on Droid Life has a built-in rear kickstand, front and back cameras, and four mechanical buttons under the oversized touchscreen, with the Verizon logo on the front and HTC's on the back, along with Verizon's 4G LTE logo. Specs were not listed. One photo shows a Thunderbolt startup logo on the screen.
That graphic is reminiscent of commercials currently promoting Verizon's LTE network, which feature a teenager opening a package that contains a bolt of lightning. No device is mentioned in the ad.
HTC's web ad for its next 4G phone, shrouded in black and unnamed, declares that "it's not your dream phone. It's the one after that."
iPhone Face-Off
The new LTE phones may soon compete with a CDMA-capable iPhone, which has been rumored for months but unconfirmed by either Apple or Verizon. A report by BusinessWeek on Wednesday said an Apple event to launch that device could happen as soon as Valentine's Day, some five weeks after CES. Seidenberg's address is sure to be closely watched for hints of that announcement.
Losing its exclusive U.S. deal with Apple could cost AT&T millions of potential customers, but current iPhone users won't be able to switch from AT&T to Verizon without upgrading to a new device. Ending their contract early will also cost users a $325 termination fee.
Technology analyst Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates sees a Verizon iPhone as inevitable, but the timing as less certain.
"I think it's something Apple is better off doing sooner rather than later," said Gold. "It will help them stop the onslaught of Android devices. I would bet it's soon."
Assuming Verizon's iPhone runs on its 3G network, Gold said it would compete well with new LTE-capable phones because the 4G network won't fully cover the United States until 2012, and most users won't feel deprived without it.
"Anything they release is going to have to roam from LTE to 3G," said Gold. "The question is, how many people will actually care [about 4G smartphone coverage] or actually notice the difference? For typical web browsing, 3G is probably fast enough."