FCC Approves HTC Maple with T-Mobile 3G

The HTC Maple was rumored a few weeks ago to be heading towards United States, expected to come in T-Mobile's stores, and it seems that the rumors prove to be true, as the handset has just passed through FCC and it sports 3G connectivity with the aforementioned operator's bands.

HTC even introduced the handset at CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show two weeks ago, only that it named it Snap, Maple being only a codename. The mobile phone is also known as S522, but, regardless of its moniker, it is expected to soon make it to T-Mobile's offering featuring support for AWS 1700MHz bands.

In the FCC documentation, the handset can be spotted as the HTC MAPL100, a smartphone that runs under Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, which means that it should be the first such device to also include support for T-Mobile's 3G networks. The specification list of the HTC Maple/Snap shows that the manufacturer packed it with quad-band GSM and HSDPA/HSUPA 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequency support, as well as with a 2.4-inch LCD screen and a trackball for navigation.

In addition, the new smartphone also includes a 2-megapixel photo snapper, as well as full MP3 and video player, WiFi connectivity, not to mention GPS capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 4-row QWERTY keyboard. A Qualcomm 7501a processor powers the device, which also includes 256MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM. According to HTC, we should see the Maple (Snap) launched on the market with a new email application called Inner Circle, allowing users to stay connected to those who matter most to them.

T-Mobile is expected to come live with the new HTC Maple on July 1, though the launch date hasn't been confirmed yet. At the same time, there are no details regarding the price tag it should sport upon release.