Wirefly: 'no Skype' on Thunderbolt, but simultaneous 3G voice and data is a go; ships on March 17th

Wireless retailer Wirefly is pushing ahead with pre-orders for the beleaguered HTC Thunderbolt starting at midnight Pacific Time this evening with the promise that they'll start shipping this Thursday, the 17th; that lines up with a whole lot of noise we've heard recently, so we can't really argue with it at this point. They're also confirming a couple rumors that have been floating around since the phone's January debut: first, they're saying "no Skype," which we're taking to mean that the promised Skype video calling app won't be installed out of the box. We're also assuming (or at least hoping) that you'll be able to install the standard voice-only version. Secondly, they're saying that the phone definitely does simultaneous voice and data over 3G, a feature that was just recently made possible on Verizon's CDMA network through software upgrades -- and the Thunderbolt, it seems, will be the first retail device to have the pleasure of taking it for a spin.

The HTC Thunderbolt Going To Hit Verizon On March 17th For $249

Finally. The HTC Thunderbolt hit the scene back at CES but HTC and Verizon has been uncharacteristically mum about it sense. No more. The $249 Thunderbolt superphone is set to debut on big red this coming Thursday, March 17th. This will be the network’s first 4G LTE device, but if that doesn’t win over buyers, the rest will: a 32GB microSDHC card, the gorgeous 4.3-inch WVGA screen, a8-device hotspot and the solid feel that comes along with nearly every HTC phone. Too bad the VZW premium pricing sort of chills the lightning-hot phone as the 4G package runs $30 a month and the hotspot function an additional $20 spot. So yeah, that’s $50 a month Verizon will get from buyers that wanna take full advantage of the next-gen phone. Ouch. Click through for our hands-on video demo.

Verizon offering unlimited LTE data plan for HTC Thunderbolt, don't expect it to stick around

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.

About Verizon CTO: 'working through issues' with LTE phones, still on track for first half launch

No blockbusters here -- nothing that's going to give you much insight into an exact launch day for the Thunderbolt -- but Verizon CTO Tony Melone made a few comments about its LTE handset launches at a financial conference yesterday that border on the interesting. Asked whether the company was facing any challengesin getting the phones solid and ready for commercial consumption, Melone responded by saying that they're "facing is what you would expect, and that is a new technology, you are working through issues. And [they] anticipated that, and [they] are pleased at how [they] are working through issues." In the same breath, he reminded the audience that Verizon had said the phones would be coming in the first half of '11 all along and that hasn't changed -- so they're not late by a long shot. Pressed on whether battery life specifically was a concern for the Thunderbolt, Melone said that he thinks the juice "will be acceptable to consumers." Considering what we've been hearing about recent firmware revisions on the test units, we're hopeful he's right -- Verizon has a reputation for testing the crap out of devices prior to release, after all.

HTC Thunderbolt Been Pushed Back To March 4th Or Later?

If we were going by Verizon’s own announcements, the HTC Thunderbolt and it’s big ol’ Android-powered screen would have hit the shelves by mid-February. And yet, nothing; a quick glance at Verizon’s current smartphone line-up makes nary a mention of the Thunderbolt, and the dedicated Thunderbolt page is still promising info “before it hits” to anyone who will fork over an e-mail address.

According to one Best Buy store out of Roseville, CA (or, as us Bay Area jerks call it, “Where?”), the Thunderbolt has quietly slipped back to a launch date of March 4th or later. No matter how you look at it, March 4th doesn’t quite fit within the “mid-February” window. So, why the delay? Are they giving their shiny new iPhone more room to breath? Are they worried about the new MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt feature confusing folks? The world may never know.

HTC Thunderbolt delayed until March 4th, saying a Best Buy store with a Twitter account

Wondering why the Thunderbolt isn't in stores yet? Hard to say -- apart from the reeling HTC and Verizon employees might be doing in light of the Apple / Intel news -- but a Best Buy in California spilled the bad news on Twitter last night that it's now expecting Big Red's first LTE phone on March 4th. AsAndroid Police points out, the store appears to have confused the day March 4th falls on (it's a Friday, not a Thursday), but we're figuring it's far more likely the date is right, not the day of the week. And if Best Buy has a launch exclusive on this thing, that means it could be another week or two beyond that before the phone shows up in Verizon retail locations and elsewhere. Bummer, eh?

Update: We just got an image (you can see it for yourself after the break) that seems to set the ThunderBolt's Best Buy arrival date even later than March 4th. According to the Best Buy Mobile document, it looks like it will be on sale on March 10th. Either way, we think it's pretty safe to say that this one continues to be pushed back.

HTC ThunderBolt Review and Information - By ShoppingKoo

HTC ThunderBolt

Description

The HTC ThunderBolt will be part of Verizon's lineup of 4G devices as it will be one of the world's first LTE smartphones.

It will be a high-end model with a tablet shape and a 4.3-inch, WVGA screen.

The ThunderBolt is going to sport a 1.3 megapixel, front-facing camera and Skype vide-conferencing software, as well as an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera.

Quick Specs

Operating System: Google Android OS 2.2
Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
Screen Resolution: 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA)
Screen Size: 4.3 Inch
Keyboard Type: On-screen
Communications: Bluetooth, CDMA, EVDO, Wi-Fi, LTE
Meda Type: microSD, microSDHC
Camera Resolution: 8.0 megapixels
GPS: Yes
Release Date: 2/14/2011