The HTC Thunderbolt offers a few firsts for the growing Taiwanese-based smartphone manufacture. According to IHS iSuppli, there are the key features.
- It is the first handset to offer long term evolution (LTE) connectivity over the wide 10MHz bandwdith Verizon spectrum in the 700Mhz space.
- It offers the first simultaneous voice and data over CDMA – putting CDMA-based 3G handsets finally on par with what WCDMA networks have enjoyed for the past few years.
- A level of complexity and feature sets not seen before in CDMA-based smartphones including Qualcomm’s first LTE solution, use of multiple RF transceivers, a massive 32GB microSD card (the highest cost item in the Bill of Materials (BOM)) and the second generation MSM8655 SnapDragon processor.
Next time you want to buy a phone, never say who is HTC. That company has emerged to become a big player in the industry. It is innovating and taking market shares from the likes of Nokia and Motorola. It is firing on all cylinders. From Indulge for MetroPCS to this new Thunderbolt, this device is solid. Recall that the first 4G in America in Sprint was made by HTC. So they are in the business of becoming firsts in many things now.