Feb 12, 2011 09:37 GMT  ·  By

Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless is expected to make its first LTE smartphone, namely the HTC ThunderBolt, available for purchase before the end of this month, and some more info on the pricing and availability of this device emerged.

Just as previously rumored, the new device might be on its way to be put on sale at the wireless carrier on February 24th, some of the latest reports on it suggest.

Moreover, the HTC ThunderBolt is suggested to be on its way to land on shelves with a price tag of $249 attached to it upon the signing of a 2-year contract agreement with Verizon.

The full retail cost of this smartphone is rumored to have been set at $749.99, which sounds pretty expensive, that's for sure.

Especially since another LTE device set to land at Verizon soon, namely the Android 3.0 Honeycomb-based Motorola XOOM tablet, might be priced at $799 (one month of mobile broadband service required for the activation of its Wi-Fi chipset).

Undoubtedly, the HTC ThunderBolt would indeed be one of the nicest handsets on Verizon's offering when made available for purchase, with a fast processor packed inside, and with support for the carrier's new 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network.

The smartphone already received the necessary FCC approvals, and was rumored to be on its way to make an appearance at Best Buy sometime next week, along with a series of accessories to enable users customize it.

The specifications list of this handset includes a 1GHz Snapdragon application processor, along with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, an 8MP photo snapper with HD video recording capabilities, Wi-Fi Hotspot capabilities, a 32GB microSD memory card in the box, wireless DLNA, GPS receiver, and more.

The HTC ThunderBolt runs under Google's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system. No official confirmation on its availability or price tag emerged for the time being, but more might be unveiled soon, so stay tuned.

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

HTC ThunderBolt
HTC ThunderBolt at Best Buy
Open gallery