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November 30th, 2009, 10:50 GMT · By

HTC Passion for Verizon Moves Closer to Launch

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HTC Passion gets a website, might be launched very soon
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Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless has been rumored for quite some time now to plan launching on the market a brand new HTC mobile phone that would run under Android and would include a 1GHz processor, yet nothing official emerged until now. However, the said device, dubbed HTC Dragon / Passion, seems to be getting closer to its release date, as an htcpassion website has been just spotted around.

For the time being, however, there are no exact details on whether the website is legit or not, especially since Verizon reportedly answered “We don’t discuss phones that we don’t currently sell” when asked about it, but that doesn't mean that we cannot hope it will prove real. Moreover, considering that the website shows a “coming holiday 2009” fine print, there are great chances that the official announcement will emerge in the near future.

The HTC Passion has been rumored for the first time a few months ago, and it was said to come around with Google's Android platform, while expected to land on Verizon's airwaves. Soon after, we caught some details on the HTC Dragon, a 1GHz Sanpdragon-powered phone, and the two devices were shortly said to be one and the same. However, the details available on the phone are still scarce at the moment, but, if the release date is as close as believed now, we might learn all about it very soon.

If earlier rumors pan out, the HTC Dragon / Passion should come to the market with Google's recently launched Android 2.0 OS, as well as with the HTC Sense navigation solution from the Taiwanese handset vendor. The phone should prove to be as powerful as the Windows Mobile-based HTC HD2 device, and will enable Verizon deliver a very appealing Android offer to its users, as it already sells the high-end Motorola DROID.

Take a look at the HTC Passion website here, and stay tuned for future updates on this.

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READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: Jack on 30 Nov 2009, 12:52 UTC reply to this comment

It seems a little strange that Verizon would remain so quiet about a potential HTC Dragon/Passion (assuming the rumors are true) now that the Christmas shopping season has started. One possible explanation is that it will not be out in time for Christmas and they want people to put one of the existing android-based devices under the tree instead of waiting for an upcoming bigger and better device.

However, there is another possible explanation. Verizon released the Droid on November 6. Just prior to that release they announced they were doubling their early termination fee from $175 to $350. At the time it seemed strange that they would make that announcement prior to releasing the Droid but have it go into effect 9 days after the release date. It was almost like they were telling people to hurry and buy the Droid if they wanted the “best deal” and that may be exactly what they were doing.

The problem with brining out a bigger, faster, better Android device immediately after the Droid is that everyone has a 30-day grace period to bring back any device they purchase for a full refund. They don’t want mass returns of the Droids they have sold so their challenge is to sell as many Droids as fast as possible and then wait 30 days before releasing the next device. By setting a November 15th deadline to get the “best deal” they were attempting to capture the maximum number of buyers in the first nine days and clear the way for a December 15th release of the next device.


Comment #2 by: bola on 30 Nov 2009, 13:26 UTC reply to this comment

i am hoping like everyone else for the passion/dragon to arrive on the verizon network. i just cannot believe that website though. i've seen it a few times over the last week and the more i see it the more it looks like someone is playing games and that someone is not verizon. i will not buy the droid but will buy the htc android that verizon is offering if the passion does not come to market by february.


Comment #3 by: observer on 30 Nov 2009, 15:25 UTC reply to this comment

Somehow I don't think HTC or Verizon corporate policy would support registering domain names with namecheap.com:

Querying whois.internic.net]
[Redirected to whois.enom.com]
[Querying whois.enom.com]
[whois.enom.com]
=-=-=-=
Visit AboutUs.org for more information about htcpassion.com


Registration Service Provided By: NameCheap.com
Contact: support@NameCheap.com

Domain name: htcpassion.com

Registrant Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected ()

Fax:
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Administrative Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected (a61918b6a7624a608988e8d3194a8d99.protect@whoisguard.com)
+1.6613102107
Fax: +1.6613102107
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Technical Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected (a61918b6a7624a608988e8d3194a8d99.protect@whoisguard.com)
+1.6613102107
Fax: +1.6613102107
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Status: Locked

Name Servers:
ns1.made2own.com
ns2.made2own.com

Creation date: 16 Sep 2009 22:25:01
Expiration date: 16 Sep 2010 22:25:01


Comment #4 by: surge on 30 Nov 2009, 15:39 UTC reply to this comment

What website are you talking about?
It's a blank page.
Great "news" reporting.
Looks like 100% rumor and no fact to me.


Comment #5 by: Sean cooper on 30 Nov 2009, 15:57 UTC reply to this comment

Htcpassion.com is a fake site. Don't take anything on there seriously.


Comment #6 by: xStewieGriffinx on 30 Nov 2009, 19:02 UTC reply to this comment

The website has been proven to be a fraud on multiple sites. It's a shame so many people write articles without ever researching.

1) The website is registered to domain protection, so the actual registrar can't be seen
2) The coding on the website is very amateur. It does not match verizon's coding throughout their websites, nor HTC's.
3) The image has the opacity set low because the creator couldn't replicate the verizon logo correctly. If you look, it does not match up to the colors of the original logo.
4) The site is hosted by a VERY cheap host, I believe it was something like "freesites.com".

Shame to search google for updates on the phone only to come across the same fraudulent site still being portrayed as real. BTW, another site did check with verizon PR and they didn't say much about the phone but did say that is not a site they own.


Comment #7 by: yopauly.com on 30 Nov 2009, 19:18 UTC reply to this comment

Anyone can register a webpage.
This one is registered via enom.com

Don't you think if HTC was going to advertise this device, they would do it from their own website?

Silliness!


Comment #8 by: Fake on 01 Dec 2009, 00:28 UTC reply to this comment

This is a non-story. That website is an obvious fake!


Comment #9 by: Bob on 01 Dec 2009, 06:06 UTC reply to this comment

This is the most misleading article I have ever seen on softpedia. A website with a 99% chance of being fake goes up, and instantly the "HTC Passion for Verizon Moves Closer to Launch"?

We don't even know for sure if the phone is for Verizon....


Comment #10 by: phatphone1 on 02 Dec 2009, 00:01 UTC reply to this comment

First off yes youre probably right that they are not commiting themselves to a date in the event that the Passion is not ready to ship by Christmas. Also they could be keeping quiet bc with the recent launch of the Droid and Eris they would like at least a few more sales before this monster takes them away. Heres my concern though: I am a true phone junkie, but lets be honest, as great as this phone may be, there will probably be two more versions of it out in the next 24 months following. And even more importantly.... LTE is ready to launch early 2010, meaning better service, better possibilities, maybe even the new iphone. Many of these new phones will not run automatically on LTE. Maybe waiting it out is the best bet.


Comment #11 by: Pawn on 03 Dec 2009, 22:00 UTC reply to this comment

I'm not sure if it's the passion/dragon but i know someone who works for verizon and he was just told, by upper managment, that htc is coming out with a new phone soon but not to say anything cause no one is suppose to know it yet.


Comment #12 by: Sarah on 05 Dec 2009, 18:02 UTC reply to this comment

I think that Verizon is having this BOGO on the Eris right now to try and sell as many of them before the Passion comes out this month. Once another HTC Droid phone comes out, they may see sales drop with the Eris.. this may be a final push.
I'm waiting for the Passion though!!

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