HTC Droid Incredible 2 Gets Official Press Release; Coming April 28th for $200

[dgstorm]

We knew that the HTC Droid Incredible 2 was coming soon, and it looks like Verizon didn't disappoint. The new global smartphone will be available on April 28th for $200 bucks on-contract. As reported previously, it has 4-inch LCD screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and WiFi mobile hotspot support.

Just like the Droid Charge, this phone has me scratching my head... While the original Droid Incredible was a pretty "incredible" phone when it first arrived, this one isn't even dual-core and doesn't have 4G. It just seems like a "refresh", and since you can get the TBolt for only $130 bucks on Amazon, I can't understand why anyone would choose this one. What do you guys think? ...Bad market timing on Verizon's part I suppose. Regardless, here is their official press release below.

The Next Generation Of Incredible: DROID Incredible 2 By HTC Delivers Style And Performance To Verizon Wireless

DROID Incredible 2 by HTC Available Beginning April 28

BASKING RIDGE, NJ - Verizon Wireless and HTC today announced that DROID Incredible 2 by HTC, exclusively from Verizon Wireless, will be available beginning April 28 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at Cell Phones - Smartphones: Cell Phone Service, Accessories - Verizon Wireless for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

DROID Incredible 2 by HTC follows in the footsteps of the popular DROID Incredible by HTC and features the Android™ 2.2 platform, a crisp 4-inch super LCD display, next-generation 1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon® processor and 3G Mobile Hotspot that can connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Equipped with the hallmark HTC Sense™ experience, DROID Incredible 2 by HTC offers advanced personalization options, consolidated email capability and unique camera effects and filters. With its sleek, all-black design, DROID Incredible 2 by HTC combines functionality and speed into one stylish package. DROID Incredible 2 by HTC is a global-ready Android smartphone, allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice and data service in more than 200 countries, with more than 125 with 3G speeds.

Additional features include:

8.0-megapixel main camera with dual LED flash
1.3-megapixel front facing camera
720p HD video capture plus DLNA® to share multimedia content with a compatible TV
Adobe® Flash® Player
SRS WOWHD™ surround sound
Automatic face detection for more accurate pictures
Integrated noise-cancellation technology
Verizon Wireless customers that purchase DROID Incredible 2 by HTC will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access and an unlimited smartphone data plan is $29.99 for monthly access. Verizon Wireless customers traveling outside of the United States should contact Verizon Wireless' global customer support team at 1-800-922-0204 before embarking on their trip to ensure their phones have the right features for global usage.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to Cell Phones - Smartphones: Cell Phone Service, Accessories - Verizon Wireless.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit Cell Phones - Smartphones: Cell Phone Service, Accessories - Verizon Wireless. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit HTC - Mobile Phones, Smartphones, Cell Phones, PDAs.

 

[SquireSCA]

I think that the phone companies are out of control. They are working at such a frantic pace to get phones to market before the competition that they either release phones that have serious issues(HTC TB), or they end up releasing a phone that is already obsolete(Incredible 2), or they scrap the phone entirely(Bionic)...

They need to slow the pace down. We don't need a revolutionary new phone every 5 months. I would rather have a new line of phones hit every January for the coming year, but know that they have the bugs worked out(TB battery life), or that the OS will actually be able to make use of the hardware(dual-core not supported by current OS), etc...

But to release a phone takes time, to contract with the manufacturer, spec it out, test it, build it, get the OS ready, set up the infrastructure and support channels, markets it, distribute it and sell it... That process has it's own cycle and time frame, and when they are trying to release phones on a cycle that is faster than that, the above problems that I listed are what we the consumers get screwed with...

Phones that we wait for and get scrapped, phones that we buy and the battery won't last more than 4 hours unless you disable all the features that you bought the phone for in the first place, phones that we purchase and are told that we won't get to use the second core till next year after the phone's replacement will be released.

It really is a stupid cycle that they are on. They need to be more strategic about this.

 

[sst45jeff]

new phones - yawn

I don't know why anyone would buy this unless they just don't know any better.

I agree they need to quit pumping out every concept phone they come up with & just offer up a good solid phone with improvements once a year.

Eventually the public is going to get educated or get disgusted because they realize they have a new/old phone that they are locked into for two years and stop buying.
The manufactures will have to stop pumping out all this rehash of the same thing out if they want to recoup the development cost of the phone.

Right now it seems like they are making as much money as they can selling what ever they can on hype & the new trend.
Eventually they will have to get serious & focus on making really good phones with new features to be able to sell a phone.

 

[fishfood]

I think that the phone companies are out of control. They are working at such a frantic pace to get phones to market before the competition that they either release phones that have serious issues(HTC TB), or they end up releasing a phone that is already obsolete(Incredible 2), or they scrap the phone entirely(Bionic)...

They need to slow the pace down. We don't need a revolutionary new phone every 5 months. I would rather have a new line of phones hit every January for the coming year, but know that they have the bugs worked out(TB battery life), or that the OS will actually be able to make use of the hardware(dual-core not supported by current OS), etc...

I agree with pretty much everything said, although I'm not sure I classify the TB battery issues at release as a serious problem. If anything, I think the battery itself (woefully underpowered for a device with that kind of firepower) is the bigger issue. And HTC (or VZW) did end up pushing the release of that phone back a bit in an attempt to fix those issues.

I agree with the statement that this DInc 2 is a bit of an anomaly considering that the specs are comparable or, in some cases, inferior to the TB and yet you can get the TB for 35% cheaper elsewhere... I guess they're aiming this release at the impulse buyer who will reach for the latest, and not necessarily the greatest...

 

[SquireSCA]

With them getting rid of 1 year contracts, they need to slow this stuff down. If they expect me to have to use a phone for TWO YEARS, then they shouldn't be charging top dollar for a phone that is inferior and more expensive than what they released 2 months ago.

I understand having different phones and price points to choose from and having a diverse product line, but seriously, why would anyone buy this phone? Because the screen is marginally larger?

 

[tcayton49]

I was just at a vzw store. They had signs up already for this phone. the sign said "The New Droid Meh. Buy It...Or Don't...Whatever"

 

[Fightnfire]

Sometimes you guys make me chuckle.

People will buy it because not everyone reads the Droid forums and wants the best of the best. For a person who isn't or doesn't want cutting edge this is a great smartphone for them. Dual core processor .. for what? Bigger screen ... that doesn't fit in my pocket nicely. 4G omg!! .... not in my area.

Most people who visit forums and actively chat about a product are cutting edge and the top percentage of that consumer base, product education wise. This phone will sell simply because it's an Incredible 2 ... and a lot of people, not on these forums, will buy it because they loved their Incredible 1.

 

[jonwgee]

Those Verizon stores have a lot of slots on the shelf to fill. And every new phone means a ****load of new accessories to go with it. There are new customers entering the marketplace every day. Choice is good. The more phones, the better. Most people I work with who have smartphones wouldn't know an sbf file from an std . They buy what looks cool or just feels right in their hand. Why does Ford sell the Explorer and the Edge? They're both midsized SUVs.....

Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums

 

[Fightnfire]

No edit.

Was going to add .. Honda sells a lot of Civics. The arguments could be easily made that there are better vehicles performance and technology wise for the same money.

 

[Wantec]

There's a couple of things going for it. A lot of places online seem to like 4" screens more than 4.3" b/c it's still a big screen, but a little easier to fit in the hand/pocket/etc. (I don't agree with it, but some folks do). Second, with the coming move to tiered data plans (at least on LTE if not on 3G as well), this phone avoids those tiered data plans. And lastly, it's a global HTC Android phone.

 

[SquireSCA]

Sometimes you guys make me chuckle.

People will buy it because not everyone reads the Droid forums and wants the best of the best. For a person who isn't or doesn't want cutting edge this is a great smartphone for them. Dual core processor .. for what? Bigger screen ... that doesn't fit in my pocket nicely. 4G omg!! .... not in my area.

Most people who visit forums and actively chat about a product are cutting edge and the top percentage of that consumer base, product education wise. This phone will sell simply because it's an Incredible 2 ... and a lot of people, not on these forums, will buy it because they loved their Incredible 1.

But why sell and support a phone that is the same as what you already offer?

Either way, VZW is taking your $100 a month for your plan. The less phones they have to subsidize and support, the better their profit margins would be.

I know that people want choices and all that, but I just wonder at what point they will hit the tipping point.

The TB had battery issues. Whether it is a design flaw, an OS issue or just too small of a battery. They knew about it, and they sold it anyway because they had a deadline. So it was better to push a defective phone to market than it was to push a quality phone to market.

All the hype around the Bionic, and for what? How many millions did that blunder cost them?

I guess that I just get irritated when you see companies like VZW going crazy with the "New New New spend money on this please we are desperate!!!" sales pitch, and half their crap is either half-baked, still-born or a mild rehash of last year's model that you will be stick with until 2013...

 

[kyler13]

I think that the phone companies are out of control. They are working at such a frantic pace to get phones to market before the competition that they either release phones that have serious issues(HTC TB), or they end up releasing a phone that is already obsolete(Incredible 2), or they scrap the phone entirely(Bionic)...

They need to slow the pace down. We don't need a revolutionary new phone every 5 months. I would rather have a new line of phones hit every January for the coming year, but know that they have the bugs worked out(TB battery life), or that the OS will actually be able to make use of the hardware(dual-core not supported by current OS), etc...

I agree with pretty much everything said, although I'm not sure I classify the TB battery issues at release as a serious problem. If anything, I think the battery itself (woefully underpowered for a device with that kind of firepower) is the bigger issue. And HTC (or VZW) did end up pushing the release of that phone back a bit in an attempt to fix those issues.

I agree with the statement that this DInc 2 is a bit of an anomaly considering that the specs are comparable or, in some cases, inferior to the TB and yet you can get the TB for 35% cheaper elsewhere... I guess they're aiming this release at the impulse buyer who will reach for the latest, and not necessarily the greatest...

I wonder if this fits into the plan to charge more for 4G on a 4G device without a choice to the consumer and regardless of coverage. I could see the 3G-only options being attractive to those who don't need/want or can't use 4G. The problem is, at launch, no such pricing scheme has been revealed. I'm sure this will launch cheaper than the Thunderbolt with third party retailers. The $199 is Verizon direct pricing and is still cheaper than the vzw-direct Thunderbolt. Just saying.

 

[SquireSCA]

There's a couple of things going for it. A lot of places online seem to like 4" screens more than 4.3" b/c it's still a big screen, but a little easier to fit in the hand/pocket/etc. (I don't agree with it, but some folks do). Second, with the coming move to tiered data plans (at least on LTE if not on 3G as well), this phone avoids those tiered data plans. And lastly, it's a global HTC Android phone.

Those are not bad points.

Although the screen size is weak. I mean, the difference on overall dimensions between my DX and an iPhone 4 is actually pretty minimal, yet my screen is almost an inch bigger diagonally.

 

[Fightnfire]

Sometimes you guys make me chuckle.

People will buy it because not everyone reads the Droid forums and wants the best of the best. For a person who isn't or doesn't want cutting edge this is a great smartphone for them. Dual core processor .. for what? Bigger screen ... that doesn't fit in my pocket nicely. 4G omg!! .... not in my area.

Most people who visit forums and actively chat about a product are cutting edge and the top percentage of that consumer base, product education wise. This phone will sell simply because it's an Incredible 2 ... and a lot of people, not on these forums, will buy it because they loved their Incredible 1.

But why sell and support a phone that is the same as what you already offer?

Either way, VZW is taking your $100 a month for your plan. The less phones they have to subsidize and support, the better their profit margins would be.

I know that people want choices and all that, but I just wonder at what point they will hit the tipping point.

The TB had battery issues. Whether it is a design flaw, an OS issue or just too small of a battery. They knew about it, and they sold it anyway because they had a deadline. So it was better to push a defective phone to market than it was to push a quality phone to market.

All the hype around the Bionic, and for what? How many millions did that blunder cost them?

I guess that I just get irritated when you see companies like VZW going crazy with the "New New New spend money on this please we are desperate!!!" sales pitch, and half their crap is either half-baked, still-born or a mild rehash of last year's model that you will be stick with until 2013...

I think a couple of reasons actually. There are a lot of people that just want a solid, sleek phone that works well and costs less.

Again I go back to the car manufacturer Honda. Look at the Civic and the Civic SI. There are FAR more civics sold than SI's .... why? Reliability, comfort and cost. A lot of people look at the SI's but in the end they make a conscious decision to buy the standard Civic. It's not as new, actually the same for 5-7 years at a time, it's not as fast, not as pretty and way less technology inside. But, it's what I NEED. Not what I want.

This phone is a solid phone, great for someone who doesn't want to pay $250 or $300, doesn't want to have to deal with some unknown issues .. ie: The TB battery and 3G/4G issues. (My wife didn't care about the battery, but we and many others had huge 3G issues)

For a lot of people who NEED a smartphone for work or whatever this phone is perfect. They don't need a dual core processor, or a 4.3" screen, or 4G, or any of the other new technology offered. Those are WANTS, but not NEEDS.

We as readers of this forum inherently buy what we WANT. Not what we really need.

It's funny to blame VZ or phones companies in general for pumping out technology to fast. Yet, in this same forum ... thread .. I can point out people who are waiting for the Dual core 4G phones. Phone companies are just pumping out what people want. Supply and Demand.

 

[SquireSCA]

I think a couple of reasons actually. There are a lot of people that just want a solid, sleek phone that works well and costs less.

Again I go back to the car manufacturer Honda. Look at the Civic and the Civic SI. There are FAR more civics sold than SI's .... why? Reliability, comfort and cost. A lot of people look at the SI's but in the end they make a conscious decision to buy the standard Civic. It's not as new, actually the same for 5-7 years at a time, it's not as fast, not as pretty and way less technology inside. But, it's what I NEED. Not what I want.

This phone is a solid phone, great for someone who doesn't want to pay $250 or $300, doesn't want to have to deal with some unknown issues .. ie: The TB battery and 3G/4G issues. (My wife didn't care about the battery, but we and many others had huge 3G issues)

For a lot of people who NEED a smartphone for work or whatever this phone is perfect. They don't need a dual core processor, or a 4.3" screen, or 4G, or any of the other new technology offered. Those are WANTS, but not NEEDS.

We as readers of this forum inherently buy what we WANT. Not what we really need.

It's funny to blame VZ or phones companies in general for pumping out technology to fast. Yet, in this same forum ... thread .. I can point out people who are waiting for the Dual core 4G phones. Phone companies are just pumping out what people want. Supply and Demand.

Well, I guess that makes sense...