HTC unveils their first Android 'world phone'

HTC has announced their first Android 'world phone,' the Merge.

The slider CDMA phone will go on sale in the U.S. during the "spring," and will likely be available on Sprint and Verizon.

Featuring a 3.8-inch multi-touch display, HTC did not say what the resolution of the Merge will be.

For the QWWERTY slide-out, it is unclear whether the phone will feature a four or five row keyboard.

As standard for other HTC smartphones, the Merge will run on Android 2.2 Froyo, include a 5MP camera with autofocus and flash, GPS, Wi-Fi, 720p video and Microsoft Exchange. There doesn't look to be a front-side camera.

Says HTC (via PCM):

HTC prides itself on creating unique solutions that meet the needs of different customers, and with features like a full keyboard and global 3G roaming, the HTC Merge smartphone is the perfect example of this commitment. Combining the functionality of Android with the HTC Sense experience, the HTC Merge is the perfect device for those customers who are looking for a reliable mobile experience with the features and functionality of a smartphone, whether it's at home or travelling around the world.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Feb 2011 20:15

Joshewah

Any Android with a single core processor, at this point, is not worth looking at.

Move along folks. nothing to see here.

X360 - iXtreme1.4 ||| Xbox - EvoX Dash ||| PS2 - CC 2.0 PRO SLE ||| Dreamcast ...lol ||| NDS - Acekard 2/M3 Simply/EZ Flash 3-1 ||| Rooted HTC Hero with Ic3rom

27.2.2011 23:18 #1

xtago

How does a CDMA phone be a world wide phone it would not work in Australia for a start as CDMA got shut down years ago.

28.2.2011 02:23 #2

dirtyash

Originally posted by xtago: How does a CDMA phone be a world wide phone it would not work in Australia for a start as CDMA got shut down years ago.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. It must have a gsm radio w/ card slot as well.

28.2.2011 21:53 #3

Qolwool

Originally posted by dirtyash: Originally posted by xtago: How does a CDMA phone be a world wide phone it would not work in Australia for a start as CDMA got shut down years ago.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. It must have a gsm radio w/ card slot as well.
It does have a GSM radio. In the US, the CDMA network is more dominant than GSM (which I reckon puts the US a couple of paces behind the rest of the world), which makes this type of feature quite invaluable for getting comms everywhere, and anywhere. Predictably though, the carrier that is adopting the phone first, will lock the GSM radio within the US, forcing locals to use the CDMA network of the said carrier. The bast scenario, is that an MVNO like Straight talk, that has access to both types of networks, gets this phone unlocked, to adapt to the best network at the time, and place. I am however not going to hold my breath.

10.3.2011 02:44 #4

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