HTC Thunderbolt Strikes March 17, Brings LTE To Verizon Customers

The first LTE-enabled Verizon phone is official. The HTC Thunderbolt will strike Verizon Wireless stores on March 17 for $249.99 on a two-year contract. This phone marks the next evolution of mobile network technology for America’s most popular mobile carrier.

Thunderbolt is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Android 2.2. It has a 4.3″ WVGA screen, an 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera, and 1.3 Megapixel forward-facing chat camera, 8GB of onboard storage and support for microSD cards up to 32 GB.

But the biggest draw of this phone is the support for Verizon’s 4G/LTE network. While LTE access isn’t available everywhere, there are certain marketplaces that already have the infrastructure in place. The supported cities include Phoenix, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Washington DC, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauterdale, Miami, Athens, Atlanta, Chicago, West Lafayette, New Orleans, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, St. Louis, Las Vegas, New York, Rochester, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Akron, Columbus, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Nashville, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Seattle.

Unlimited 4G data will cost $29.99 per month, and you better get it now before Verizon goes to tiered pricing this Summer.