Caged in that small little world of CDMA best served by Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the US? Well alas, HTC has decided to help US Android users escape the iron clad grasp with a CDMA world phone, the HTC Merge. The HTC Merge will be making its rounds through multiple North American carriers this spring and here’s what you need to know.
The HTC Merge run Android 2.2 with HTC’s Sense user interface, dubbed the “Sense experience”. A large 3.8-inch display covers a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for quick messaging. On the back of the handset is a 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, capable of shooting 720P HD video. Other standard features include GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.
Unfortunately data speeds will top off with 3G connectivity so don’t expect compatibility with Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Although, you never know what type of twist Verizon might throw into the mix. Here’s what HTC had to say about their first Android-based CDMA world phone,
“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 traveling around the world.”
No word on pricing or an exact release date just yet, spring 2011 is all we have to go by, for now. Add one more mid-range contender to the ever expanding Android portfolio.
Coming Spring 2011 | TBD | HTC
