ThunderBold HTC Phone

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

HTC Thunderbolt for Verizon
Thin is in
While visiting our daughter I took a look at her new ThunderBolt HTC/Verizon phone. It was thin, quick, bright (with a 4.3 inch display) and interesting. When I returned home I asked for and received a test unit from the company. The ThunderBolt is well worth taking a look at if you are shopping for an Android Smartphone. I am going to hate returning it. Retail price $569.99 but $249.99 at Verizon with a 2 year contract (requires a Data Plan) CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK

After charging the ThunderBolt I was happy to see not just a settings app but a setup App as well. Running through that App made the initial setup a cinch. It walked me through creating a backup assistant account to save and make available my contacts. As with all Android phones creation of or signing into a Google account is required. The Setup Accounts App also walked me through setting up Facebook, Various email accounts, and 3 possible Location GPS options. I suggest you have all addresses, passwords, and other important details required before you begin. Doing it all at once saves confusion later. I found boot-up to be faster than many other phones I have tested.

websupportforvideofrtback

CASE:
The back of the case has an built-in extendable stand so you can view video and other items hands free. This is great when you download movies. I never missed a frame. The built-in Surround sound is impressive. I do feel the screen is a little small for eBooks but is fine for games. Colors are bright. Text is easily readable. The phone is thin and light weight but seems sturdy.

Camera SPECS: (Includes a 1.3MP front and back facing camera for family video conferencing) 8MP with autofocus, LED Flash (2x LED). You can Crop, rotate right or left, or use are 13 or more effects to change the look of your photos. This adds some fun to your results FLICKR LINK. The 720p HD camcorder is pretty decent as well. Unfortunately Flickr did not like the file extension for the Video uploads so I had to leave them out.

Many Photo options
Option to log into Flickr to see your, as well as your friends, accounts. Gives you access to upload, edit, replace photos and videos for your account as well as interact with other members’ photos and videos (comments, notes, and favorite) The App cannot delete photos and videos from your account.

Photos and video: No problem with getting them to my Flickr account or sending by message attachment to my desktop. Unfortunately I was unable to get VCast Media Manager or any other USB connection to work so I could move or copy media to or from the Thunderbolt phone.

Calendar and agenda
All Facebook friends birthdays just popped up. Even for people I hardly remember from long ago.

Due to the 2 week limit on my test period I did not test Hot-SPOT, Connectivity to my Flat screen for playing video created in the phone. I did used Wi-Fi frequently and it was fine.

The HTC ThunderBolt Android phone for Verizon is several steps beyond many previous test phones. I liked the phone and was impressed by its features. The number of things I could do with the ThunderBolt was overwhelming. I hardly scratched the surface.


	Harry Skevington has been involved with electronics since 1981. He has taught, written for, and provided support to, computer users since 1985. Information that will help consumers with buying decisions is more important than ever due to the current convergence of computers and other consumer products . Harry attends CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas on assignment as a working press writer each year to find and write about emerging technology that seems to fit the needs of his readers. Contact Harry

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