By If the holiday season wasn’t enough to cheer you up, Verizon customers are going to have numerous reasons to be joyous. First there is the Motorola Droid (Sholes/Tao) which will be announced this upcoming week. Then there is the Verizon version of the HTC Hero, rumored to be called the HTC Droid Eris (Codename HTC Desire) which will launch early November as well. And now what do we have here but none other than the HTC Passion:
We showed you this picture before when it was first leaked but no details came with the images. If the new rumors are true, what you’re seeing above is the CDMA HTC Dragon aka HTC Passion which will head to Verizon Wireless – guess when? This holiday season.
This bad boy is supposedly the Android version of the HTC Touch HD2, has a 1GHz snapdragon processor, Android 2.0 and a BIG ol’ screen. So you’ll have two huge handsets with the Droid/Passion, one with a hardware keyboard and one without, and then the Droid Eris which will attract the more moderately sized phone yearners.
The more these Verizon Android rumors persist, the more pleasantly surprised I am that they are making SUCH a big push. Even ONE Android phone for the holidays would have been fantastic. This? I’m about to have a Droidgasm.
[Via TheUnlockr]
Totally awesome.
Now if we just get some decent rate plans with verizon
WOOT WOOT bring it on. When, when, when?
Damnit! I was set to get the HTC Android device due out in 2 short weeks (finally), but now I’ll be holding out for this bad boy (hope it has Sense). Somebody shoot me. Is it 2010 yet? Is it? IS IT?
I’m going to see if I buy this phone and have my girlfriend buy the Droid. And w/ Google voice on both phones, I will be able to switch btwn 2 Android phones whenever I wanted! lol.
i want this now!!!!!!
Who thinks this will be called the DROID Dragon? Does anyone know what size screen that is?
I’m would give some thought of going to Verizon, but has anyone looked at the rates over there? No thanks. I’ll wait for Sprint..
goodbye sholes… hello dragon
i’ve waited long enough for the sholes… screw moto… im going with HTC
its awesome to see verizon make a push this hard on their 1st android try….I hope T-mobile circles the wagons and makes the effort and gets some better android phones….I luv my G1 but T-mobile is going to the back of the line once again
wow i was really thinking about switching to verizon for the droid but now the dragon has came and sealed the deal i cant wait to get this phone
Everyone knows this is all just a rumor right? This phone may not even come out until 1Q 2009. Or it may not come out for Verizon or it might not have a snap dragon processor.
Smart move by HTC to leak info about its Android plans before Moto gets all the VZW early adopters with Droid and Eris. Smarter if more info is leaked prior to the 28th.
Looks more like a Sprint phone then one from Verizon. ie the moment..
Chris… Shut up.
If rumors are right sign me up, but I might have to get the desire bc I just wanna be in the android realm.. my contract is up and I am just waiting to see when the android phones come out for verizon.
Snapdragon and Sense would sell me on this one. I have to buy it unsubsidized, though. Oh well.
This sounds to good to be true! Has anyone noticed that there are no Verizon logos on this thing..
Would I be considered stupid if I got the Droid instead of this?
I seriously doubt this thing would launch with Sense. Sense is built around Android, so HTC would have to update Sense itself to be compatible with Android 2.0. So, I wouldn’t get my hopes up unless HTC comes out saying they’re going to be updating Sense with this phone.
Sprint what’s the deal we get a halfway hacked rom for the Hero/Moment and Verizon is getting all the best Android Phones?
Okay, I’m about ready to explode now. GIVE ME A RELEASE DATE!!! If true, this is exactly the type of device I want: fast CPU + big screen + Sense UI.
Now, I hate to be pessimistic, but where’s the Verizon logo? Verizon ALWAYS brands their devices with their logo. Granted, it could be a pre-production model without all the tweaks, but it seems like even incomplete devices developed for Verizon are branded as such. Also, we haven’t actually seen Sense on this phone. After all, HTC’s only Sense device is the Hero so far. Also, this would be the first HTC Android phone with a screen larger than 3.2″, a processor faster than 528MHz, and the Android 2.0 OS. That’s a heck of a lot of firsts. I have no doubt that such a device could appear right now as a European GSM version, but it surprises me greatly that Verizon would be the first get a phone like this so quickly.
At any rate, I will be watching intently for more information on this device. If even one shred of evidence appears that this device is coming out on Verizon before Christmas, I will wait for it. Right now a smartphone is not a necessity for me, but could become so soon, depending on my job. As long as I have time to wait, I’ll be patient and wait for this ultimate phone.
wonderful, I love it ~
is it just me or is it getting to the point where there are so many android phones coming out this holiday season that it’s a little much? i love how android is making a HUGE push into the market finally and that there are so many options now. But i can barely keep track of all the different phones that are coming out now. maybe its just the fact that the majority of them are for verizon and if they were on different carriers then it would be easier to remember. haha sorry for the rant, just seeing way too many new phones
I am not convinced this is a Verizon Phone. Says 3G at the top… any Verizon smart phone i have seen says EV, not 3G. Additionally someone deliberately censored two areas on a picture that appears to have been taken with a cellphone – why deliberately do this on a picture from a cellphone? Nine times out of 10 if someone took a picture of a cellphone with their own cellphone, the intent is to share the image – so we are back to why the image was censored? Sounds like someone is trying to create a flurry of “OMGs!”
just my 2 cents….
the more the merrier terran. the more android phones released, the larger influx of good developers android gets. i dont even care that my contract doesnt end for another year… my phone keeps evolving.
@SlickRick
It was said in the earlier posts about the picture that the reasons for the reasons parts are blocked out is because HTC gave this out as a tester phone and included the persons phone number on the screen just so they couldnt post shots online… so to respect the person who was nice enough to supply the pics to the site they decided to black out that area
“The time and the part after “Welcome to” were blocked out to avoid the tipster from being identified – just a safety precaution. “
NOOOOOO!!!! I want this on T-MO!
can’t wait for this verizon hooha to be overwith so other carriers can start pimping their phones. I get the feeling no one wants to get lost in the droid storm, but that there may be more lined up before black friday.
Slickrock,
Verizon has been branding EVDO as 3G for some time now. That would not be a reason to disbelieve this rumor. The fact that HTC has to modify Sense to match Android 2.0 is more of a reason. I hope this is an accurate rumor. I have been a V customer for YEARS and have hated their smartphone lineup. I was waiting for the Eris, but now I will be waiting for this if it ever shows.
@Matty
So you mean to tell me there is nothing physically on the device with Verizon logo and nothing logical within the OS that could provide any indicator to Service provider? There is also still the fact that this phone says 3G and not EV.
Clever story, but i am still not convinced, My copy of Windows 8 actually has Windows with my SSN after so i blacked it out…if you wanna see the pic yourself do a google image search for Windows 7 and black out the 7 and you’ll see what i mean…
This could be a Verizon pone and could NOT be – what i mean is there is no credibility to this image, and anything else is circumstantial, hence the “rumor” notion, but in my opinion i couldn’t even list this as a rumor…
@Yukon
This rumor also suggests that this device will be released this holiday season…think about this for a minute…Why would two Vendors and One ISP release all their phones so close to one another? Moto wants a piece of the action and so does HTC. So it makes sense for them to release their models as close to each other as possible.
But why would HTC release two phones in Q4 with the same Service Provider? This only means hat one HTC phone is destined to fail over the other. If they were smart…Verizon/HTC would release one in Q4 this year, and release the next 6 months from now. This would maximize both companies profits…
PS – Nothing would make me more happy than if this was a Verizon phone…I have long waited for this. The Verizon network is AWESOME, but all their phones SUCK comparatively speaking. I am just trying to look at this from a logical perspective and ask does this make any sense? There could be an aspect i am not thinking about here and if that is the case please chime in…
@SlickRick
All new Verizon phones are display 3G instead of EVDO or EV. BlackBerry OS 5.0 and WinMo 6.5 devices following this setup. Both the Droid & Eris display 3G as well. I’m assuming they’re doing this because the general public has heard of 3G by now, but not each 3G tech, i.e. EVDO. This should also help to simplify the indicator as they transition to 4G.
I’m not saying that I know the above device is bound for Verizon, but keep in mind that their newer devices do show 3G.
@Yukon
PS – Forgot to respond to this part. Why would Verizon wait until so late in 3G life cycle to switch the name from EVDO (as all their customers know) to 3G simply for these two phones? That doesn’t sound like the Verizon that passed on the iPhone because Apple wouldn’t let them brand it. Verizon’s LTE (4G) is about a year out. again – just doesn’t make sense to switch from EVDO to 3G, only to turn around and change it to something else for LTE (4G) about 12 months later. I see it as causing nothing but confusion for consumers…
PSS – If Verizon/HTC waited about 6 months to release the Passion, then they’d be sitting pretty for the next iteration of the iphone that comes out. It is all about strategy. Imagine for a second that Apple says the next iteration of iPhone will support multi-tasking applications, and boast higher HW specs. Everyone who hates the iPhone for lack of multi-task support now has a reason to jump over to AT&T…unless Verizon officially announces and/or releases the HTC passion or something equivalent to be available around the same time…
I really like this phone. I know it is to be the equivalent to the HTC HD2 but I wish it looked exactly like the HTC HD2 with Android. When can we get all of the specs to see how it really compares…
An Android consumer’s paradise. Just think of a year ago when there was only ONE choice for a truly top notch smartphone on the planet.
The best part about this push isn’t just the awesome products coming out, but it’s also about the response. Other companies can only respond in a way that benefits us even more. An exciting time to be in the market.
For me this is excellent! I’ve already saved up $700 to spend for a bad ass Android device this holiday season. Since my new-every-two w/Verizon isn’t available until late 2010 I’m more than willing to shell out that amount of cash right now. Only wish their f*ing plan rates were cheaper. But if this isn’t coming to Vzw then I’m following it to wherever carrier it lands on, PERIOD.
and here i thought for sure i was getting the droid, we’ll see what parts of this rumor come true, specifically the parts about before christmas and that snapdragon processor, but if those are true i will at least be reconsidering
6 months ago i thought verizon would never see a full featured android phone, now the droid will be the best android phone at the time of its release and this might arguably top it soon after
my question: if this comes out so soon after the desire, how do they expect to sell any desires unless they make them like $100?
@SlickRick
if you look at the pics Boy Genius Report posted of the Droid it says “3G” and that is definitely coming to verizon, so you’re incorrect on that front, still, that only means it’s possibly verizon
i wouldn’t analyze the picture so much, the only thing the picture proves is that the person starting the rumor has access to the device, which makes their word on carrier and release date more credible
i’m also pretty skeptical though, not so much that it’s coming to verizon but about the release date, it’s possible that it’s been kept well under wraps but htc isn’t known for its secrecy and usually we find out about a device quite a few months before it’s released
@SlickRick
Dude, please, go look at official pictures of the HTC Imagio. The “3G” icon is CLEARLY displayed in the top status bar. The 3G icon is proof of nothing at this point, other than that it’s a 3G device, which is a given regardless. Also, the spy photo of the HTC Desire/Eris, which has the Verizon logo on it and will most likely NOT be a world phone, also has the 3G icon displayed. It’s been reported that all next-gen mobile operating systems (WinMo 6.5, BB OS 5.0, Android, WebOS, etc.) will standardize on the 3G icon, instead of using the 1X/EV icons, and I say it’s a very smart move to avoid consumer confusion. They don’t care what technology it is providing the speedy service, and 3G is a lot more recognizable term than EV-DO.
As for releasing these phones all back to back, it makes perfect sense. I’m sure for launching a new platform, Verizon wants enough devices so there’s something for everybody, both in features and price points, because not everybody wants the same features on a phone, or can afford the high-end devices. The HTC Desire/Eris would most likely be a low-end device, somewhere in the $150-180 range, subsidized (Sprint’s Hero goes for $180). The Moto Droid will be around $200, I’m guessing. The HTC Passion, being a high end device, I’m guessing will go for $250-300. That’s three price points. Also, the HTC phones look to be touchscreen only (unless the alleged Passion has a keyboard we can’t see yet), whereas the Droid has a slide-out keyboard for those that prefer that to a virtual keyboard, and it would of course be lacking Sense UI, in case somebody doesn’t like it and wants plain vanilla Android 2.0. And then for performance the Desire/Eris would be the slowest, the Droid in the middle, and the Passion on top, providing it has that 1GHz screamer under the hood.
That said, I still have my doubts about this one, specifically due to the lack of a Verizon logo anywhere on this device, and also because absolutely no details about the “research” have been revealed that would give any credibility to the claim. Still, I hope to see more info/pictures of this device soon. If Verizon really does get this device, that would mean they’ve finally gotten serious about getting some good hardware in their arsenal of phones.
ahhh i hope its not Verizon…why can’t tmobile get this phone
or something like it
all of these phones are making things really interesting…i hope the droid increases the profile for android in general…there needs to be more devices like that to really hammer it into the minds of the general public
If you try to fit “Verizon” on the 2 blanked out spaces on the pic, It doesnt seem to fit. Sprint looks more like it. Anyways what are the chances it comes on both Sprint and Verizon. Verizon seems to be releasing the Hero as well.
according the the real source
quoted below
“Its the HTC Dragon! Well, sort of. It’s actually the CDMA version of the HTC Dragon that is headed to Verizon and going to be called the HTC Passion.”
This is the CDMA version… so maybe we will see this on more than one carrier…
@Brad/Carig – I stand corrected on the 3G side of the argument. My apologies.
@Brad – While i will agree that Moto/HTC releasing their own Andriod Phones makes for a competitive market which i stated before and agree with…if HTC releases two phones, they are only competing against themselves for Business. If one of HTC’s had a physical keyboard and the other didn’t, then so be it. This is the exact same product on different Hardware from what i have heard so far. Which means one of these phones (if released together or very close to…) will not sell very well AT ALL. Look at all the people above who were content with getting the Desire/Sholes for Verizon, but are now waiting until this gets released! Think Verizon cares? Heck no! Whatever people buy; Verizon is making money…
It was also stated from a different source that the Desire would have updated hardware when compared to the Hero. I do not have the source URL handy, however that is also still speculation.
I reckon the only thing we can do is put aside our rather small petty differences and both hope that this thing comes out on Verizon…and soon! Because i really want to take a sledge hammer to this Storm! Seen office space? Then you know what i am getting at!
@ everyone
.
why get excited about snapdragon ?
according to rumours, this processor doesn’t have a dedicated (discrete) gpu like omap3 and tegra do.
and the official qualcomm website doesn’t list discrete gpu either.
it should be slower than ti omap3 and tegra.
DROID….ANDROID.. SLIDE OUT KEYBOARD…. TOUCH SCREEN….. BIG SCREEN. WI FI… ANDROID 2.0… 2009-2010… WHATS GOING ON I MEAN SPRINT HAS GREAT PLANS BUT I THINK ITS A RUSH WITH SPRINT…. VERIZON WAS LOOKING.. STUDYING.. AND LISTENING.. AND BOOM WE SEE THINGS ON TV LIKE iDONT. FIRST “THERES AN APP FOR THAT” AND NOW “iDONT”.. WHERE IS SPRINT “iWILL”…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“IPHONE” AND THE DROID IS GOING THAT WAY AS WE SEE. HERO A GOOD PHONE BUT TEXTING IS HARD SCREEN IS NOT THAT BIG NO KEYBOARD AND BEING THAT ITS 1.5 IT CAN GET TIRED VERY FAST IF YOU OWN IT STANDING NEXT TO SOMEONE WITH A IPHONE OR DROID. LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS WHAT IF AND THATS A BIG WHAT IF VERIZON PLANS GO DOWN AND HAVE PLANS THAT PEOPLE CAN PAY EVER MOTNH HOW COSTUMERS WILL SPRINT LOOSE BY THE END OF THE YEAR WHEN DROID COMES OUT? WE NEED NOT A GOOD PHONE NOT EVEN THE BEST BUT A PERFECT PHONE WILL BE JUST FINE FOR US. SO PLEASE SPRINT IM ASKING YOU IM ON MY KNEES REALLY. PLEASE GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DO WHILE IM ON BREAK AT WORK OR ON THE GO. OR EVEN A PHONE THAT I BRING IN A COMPARE GROUP
Troy you are a freaking dipshit.
Verizon Wireless is launching 25 new phones before 2010. 15 of them will be smart phones.
My bet is that there are at least 4 android devices before Christmas.. heck before dec 10th even.
@Jollyradar…
For what it’s worth, it’s only 14 new phones (not 25) by the end of 2009.
Of those 14, they have the:
1. Droid
2. Eris
3. Storm 2
4. Imagio
5. Chocolate Touch
leaving 9 currently unaccounted for.
Until HTC learns aesthetics all these phones will remain second to third tier.
The Hero was uglied up for the US market, the nexusOne “Google” phone is dead ugly and this is just another version of that phone.
Say what you will, but Apple knows how to make a product look amazing … the competitors are not even close. Sure I want a phone that performs but I want it to be sexy as hell.
These phones fail that test.
Hey, this is the Nexus One! -1 for the rumor mill. @rewd, I’ve played with one of these and they are quite lovely.