HTC ThunderBolt at FCC, Accessories at Best Buy

Verizon Wireless is nearing the day when it would make available for purchase the first Android-based smartphone that would connect its customers to the newly launched 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, namely the HTC ThunderBolt, and it seems that the device already received the necessary FCC approvals.

The smartphone went official last month during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and was rumored to be released as soon as next week, though nothing was confirmed officially on the matter until now.

With the FCC approvals received, the smartphone should not be too far behind either, though it remains to be seen when exactly would Verizon start selling it (Phandroid suggests that the carrier might have delayed it).

Another proof of HTC ThunderBolt's near arrival comes from a leaked image, attached to this article below, which reportedly shows that Best Buy started to receive accessories for the smartphone.

The accessories for Verizon’s first 4G LTE handset that were spotted at the retailer include two cases for the device, namely a Platinum case with belt clip that costs $34.99, and a gel case by Rocketfish that will be priced at $24.99.

According to Phandroid, since Best Buy is usually receiving accessories about one week before a handset's launch, there are great chances that the phone would indeed arrive next week, and that it was not delayed at all.

Even so, since nothing was confirmed for the time being, only an official announcement from Verizon would unveil the specific launch date for the HTC ThunderBolt.

For those out of the loop, we should note that the new mobile phone sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel photo snapper with HD video recording capabilities, and Google's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system on top.

Moreover, the new device would arrive with support for both LTE and CDMA networks that Verizon operates, as well as with Mobile Hotspot capabilities (up to 8 devices), wireless DLNA, and with a 32GB microSD memory card in the box.