Hasta La Gadget!

We’d been excited to use our HTC Thunderbolts as integral parts of our show setup here at CTIA this week — only thing is, the mobile hotspot capability is kind of important if we’re going to make that happen. On one occasion while reviewing the device last week, we noticed that the phone’s radio was cycling between LTE and CDMA-only coverage, dropping the data connection to the tethered devices altogether each and every time, effectively rendering the hotspot capability useless — thing is, we only saw it happen once. Well, this week at the show, we’ve got two Thunderbolts on hand and they’re both exhibiting exactly the same behavior… and they’re doing it consistently, which sadly means there’ll be no LTE for us at this week’s festivities. A quick check of Verizon’s official support forums confirms that other users are seeing the same behavior, so it seems to be a real problem; we’ll let you know when we hear more. In the meantime, follow the break for a video demo of the issue.

Continue reading Is your Thunderbolt having LTE mobile hotspot problems?

Is your Thunderbolt having LTE mobile hotspot problems? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LetsTalk has this morning dropped its price for the HTC Thunderbolt from $200 all the way down to the so-far unmatched level of $175. This applies when bought with the obligatory two-year service plan and will be available to all willing customers, whether they be new to Verizon, adding an extra line, or upgrading their current phone. It also betters Amazon’s $180 price in one other important aspect: Amazon’s Thunderbolts are on back order at present, whereas LetsTalk has immediate stock and will even cover the cost of shipping. All good things must come to an end, however, and this discounted pricing will last only until Monday, at which point the cost will revert to a more sustainable point for the retailer. That said, we’d advise against rushing in unless you’re categorically sure — LetsTalk will ding you for $250 if you don’t stick to the contract that goes with this handset for at least 181 days.

HTC Thunderbolt hits $175 price point with LetsTalk — but only for this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another saga put to rest. The question of just when Verizon will release its first 4G LTE handset was answered yesterday with the word “tomorrow,” which makes today that day! Verizon Wireless is now taking online orders for HTC’s 4.3-inch Thunderbolt, pricing the LTE lubber at $250 on a two-year contract. It comes with Android 2.2 as the OS underlying the HTC Sense 2.0 UI, an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording, 768MB of RAM, and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 chip that will have to do its best to keep up with those crazy 4G download speeds. If Verizon’s own pricing feels a bit rich to you, shop around — we’ve found the Thunderbolt as low as $180 at Amazon, although the online retailer has it on back order for the moment.

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading HTC Thunderbolt now available to buy: $250 from Verizon, $180 at Amazon

HTC Thunderbolt now available to buy: $250 from Verizon, $180 at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon execs have been clear as crystal that unlimited smartphone data will follow the dodo — perhaps as soon as summer of this year — but in the meanwhile you can drink your fill of the best as the HTC Thunderbolt will launch this Thursday with an unlimited LTE data plan. While we’ve no guarantees how long it will last, or whether you can grandfather the $30 monthly option into bigger and better devices down the road, it does open up a whole new avenue of opportunity for the Thunderbolt. Considering that Verizon’s 4G USB modems top out at 10GB of LTE data for $80 a month, the HTC handset just became the most powerful, affordable MiFi you could possibly own. Assuming battery life is decent, of course. Find the full PR below.

Continue reading Verizon offers unlimited LTE data plan for HTC Thunderbolt, don’t expect it to stick around

Verizon offers unlimited LTE data plan for HTC Thunderbolt, don’t expect it to stick around originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We said it’d be coming on the 17th, but you didn’t believe us. Why didn’t you believe us? No matter, Verizon‘s finally fessing up and letting us know the good news: the HTC Thunderbolt drops on March 17th for $249.99. In the PR, which is conveniently embedded below, VZW predictably talks up the phone’s status as the first 4G LTE device on its network, offering up to 12Mbps down and 5Mbps up, a connection that can be shared with up to eight Wi-Fi devices — if you pay the extra $20 per month for Mobile Hotspot service. Verizon is generously including a 32GB microSD card, which means you can take video along in a format that will do that 4.3-inch WVGA display justice. In case you haven’t looked at a calendar lately the 17th is just two days away, which doesn’t leave much time to find pants with pockets big enough for this beast.

Update: If you’d like to save 50 bones and are setting up a new account for handset, Emilie wrote in to let us know that you can get a little thunder for $199.99 at Wirefly.

Continue reading Verizon Wireless stops being coy, confirms HTC Thunderbolt for March 17th at $249.99

Verizon Wireless stops being coy, confirms HTC Thunderbolt for March 17th at $249.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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