At Mobile World Congress, today Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC, said that the HTC ThunderBolt will be
shipping this week. There has been no word yet from Verizon Wireless although leaked documents suggest a February 24 launch date.
Update 02/24/11 5:56 pm- At a Verizon VIP event a launch date of 3/3 or 3/4 was
mentioned as well as an unlimited 4G LTE data plan for $29.99. A tweet
from Roseville Best Buy store suggests a March 4th launch date.
To tease fans of LTE and the HTC ThunderBolt, there is a teaser video on YouTube from Verizon (video appears at the end of this article). A voice counts down, and there are thunderbolts in the sky over a city. Finally it says when the HTC ThunderBolt will come......"Coming Soon."
Verizon has also launched a landing page on its website. The headlines proclaim it is "the only device that can harness the power of 4G LTE. Prepare for scorching speeds, HTC ThunderBolt strikes soon!" The sound in the background is thunder.
Verizon doesn't like to announce their smartphone release dates too
early. They like to keep their customers happy, and after the original HTC Droid Incredible
sold-out in only a few days, they cut the time from when they
announce smartphone availability and when the smartphones go on sale.
Sometimes the time between when the phone's availability is announced
and when it goes on sale can be a week or a few days. For example, Verizon announced today, February 15, that the HP Pre 2 will go on sale Thursday February 17.
If you can get to a Verizon store early on the 24th, it may work for you. You can also preorder the HTC ThunderBolt in any Best Buy store with a deposit. However, you still have to find a parking space. A reader commented below that Best Buy is making appointments for customers to pick up their HTC ThunderBolt. If you ordered an HTC ThundberBolt, check with your Best Buy store to see how they are delivering them to customers.
From our experience in dealing with Verizon's potentially bestseller smartphones, you should check into Verizon online the day before the sale date at 12 am PST (3:00 am EST) and on the day of sale to order online. Besides free shipping, you will be ensured that you get an HTC ThunderBolt and can avoid the crowds. We've also found that it is really important to refresh your browser to show any changes in the Verizon website.
The HTC ThunderBolt is a 4G LTE Android 2.2 smartphone with HTC
Sense,
4.3-inch touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Skype video calling,
mobile hotspots, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other features include a
built-in kickstand, Dolby/SRS surround sound, and DLNA support.
Read more HTC ThunderBolt news.
To the author:
Not sure how the other Best Buys do it, but at the one I pre-ordered my Thunderbolt at, they are calling people to schedule appointments to get the phone so we won't have to, as you put it, "brave the crazed crowds". Being I got the first pre-order at that store, I will be sure to let you know what happens that day.
Thank you. We have changed the article to tell readers to contact their Best Buy store to make an appointment.