thunderbolt

Smartphone maker HTC took home record profits and revenue in the first quarter thanks to surging consumption of its smartphone lineup.

For the quarter ended March 31, the Taiwanese company earned $14.8 billion in Taiwan dollars (US$513 million), almost triple the NT$5 billion profit from the year-ago quarter. Net income easily surpassed the average analyst estimate of NT$12.8 billion as compiled by Bloomberg.

Revenue soared to NT$104.2 billion, a gain of almost 175 percent from the prior year and a leap over the NT$95 billion forecast by the average analyst, said Bloomberg.… Read more

Apple has been granted a patent for a dock connector that would combine powerful new connectivity technology like USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt with its proprietary 30-pin connector for mobile devices like iPads, iPhones, and iPods.

As reported by AppleInsider, "The invention, entitled 'Reduced Size Multi-Pin Male Plug Connector,' was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday and describes a smaller 30-pin dock connector with updated connection standards."

The dock connector could also support regular DisplayPort technology, currently found in many Apple notebooks. Combined with the recent filing for a power adapter with a built-in battery, … Read more

Google's face recognition scares us with its privacy implications, Hollywood gives us $30 dollar movies, and its not an April Fool's Day joke. Honeycomb needs to bring more native apps to the platform, ASAP, and a SmartFart App already exists!

It's an Android-stravaganza in Orlando for CTIA 2011. CNET's Justin Eckhouse reports on the newest tablets while his second in command, JT Tabencki fills in as co-host. Amazon's app store is finally here and it's sort of hard to get into. Plus, Antuan Goodwin shows off his newest phone the HTC Thunderbolt on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly for March 24th 2011.

Sprint announces partnership w/ Google Voice http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-20044748-85.html… Read more

The HTC Thunderbolt is one of the first 4G LTE phones available on the Verizon Wireless network and, as we've seen in our review, its download speeds are superfast. However, as users are starting to note, you'll pay for that speed with abysmal battery life. This is even more frustrating for users who operate in areas where 4G hasn't yet been rolled out. Unfortunately, it would seem that there is no obvious way to toggle between the Thunderbolt's juice-sapping 4G mode and its more battery-friendly 3G antenna. There is, however, a hidden menu that will let … Read more

Verizon's 4G network proved the fastest and most consistent among those of the four major U.S. carriers, according to a study (PDF) out today by mobile testing company RootMetrics.

With the four (but soon to be three, what with yesterday's surprise announcement that AT&T plans to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion) major carriers all trumpeting the respective performance of their own high-speed mobile networks, RootMetrics set out to determine which was truly the speediest by testing 4G-capable phones from each one.

Included in the study were the HTC Thunderbolt running on Verizon's LTE network, … Read more

Sony is readying a "hybrid" Vaio laptop equipped with Intel's Thunderbolt tech, according to a report.

Thunderbolt, formerly known by its codename Light Peak, is a new connection technology that combines high-speed data transfer and high-definition video on a single cable. The Intel-developed technology has come to market through a technical collaboration with Apple and is being made available first on Apple's new line of MacBook Pro laptop computers.

Though Sony did not publicly endorse Thunderbolt at the Intel roll-out last month, the company has previously offered public support for the technology. "Sony is excited … Read more

Wireless subscribers looking for the fastest data network available have been waiting with bated breath for Verizon Wireless's first 4G smartphone. And now the HTC Thunderbolt is here. But one reader wants to know if he should wait for what might be an even snappier 4G phone on Verizon.

In this week's Ask Maggie column, I answer the age-old question of whether to buy now or wait. I also help another reader determine if he should compromise luxury phones for more affordable service fees. And I discuss whether I think we'll all be buying stuff with our … Read more

Recent studies show that Android's browser is faster than Apple's, but what does that really mean? Amazon and Google may be about to face off in an app price war, while Motorola's Xoom WiFi gets priced to match the iPad. T-Mobile tries to make the Sidekick relevant again and Antuan attempts to put together the details of night of drinking that ended in a his finally upgrading from his first-gen Droid. All of that and plus your email questions answered this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly with Justin Eckhouse and Antuan Goodwin.