HTC readies first LTE handset for Germany, the Velocity
Also known as the Vivid in the US, Raider in South Korea
Published: 9 February, 2012
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While 4G handsets may be soaring in markets like the US and South Korea Europe has been left in the dust where super-fast mobile internet is concerned. However this is starting to change as HTC has announced its first LTE toting handset for Germany, the Velocity. The handset may already be familiar to many as the Vivid (in the US) and the Raider (in Korea) but boasts some serious specs in an attractive form factor.
Key features include a 4.5" qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. As well as this there's 16GB of internal storage which will be joined by a rear-facing 8mp camera and front-facing 1.3mp camera for video calling. Despite its white form factor there's no Ice Cream Sandwich for this device yet and it's set to launch with Android 2.3 installed.
Connectivity-wise the phone offers support for quadband GSM/GRPS/EDGE dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (900/2100MHz) and dualband LTE at 800/2600MHz. At the moment Vodafone has 2,000 basestations in Germany which could potentially provide LTE to 8.5m homes.
It's been confirmed that Vodafone will carry the handset when it touches down in Germany but exact details on pricing and availability haven't been announced yet. With HTC due to unveil its next generation of devices for 2012 in Barcelona at the end of the month it's fair to say that the Velocity will launch soon before the specs seem a little jaded. After its German release it should be making its way to other European countries.
The HTC Vivid landed at AT&T in the US back in November and was one of the first to offer connectivity on its LTE network, currently the carrier is offering it online for $99.99 on a two-year contract.
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