HTC Vivid 4G Launches as First AT&T LTE Superphone

HTC Vivid 4G LTE:  First we had the mobile phone. Then we had the cell phone. Next came feature phones, then of course, the smartphone. So what’s next in mobile telephone technology nicknames? It appears the “superphone” moniker is here to stay. Far from having any concrete definition, the defining characteristics of a superphone tend to be whatever characteristics are deemed to be “super” by the person giving the definition. However, certain characteristics of the definition are almost universally agreed-upon. A phone must be fully Internet accessible, have at least a 4 inch screen, contain a dual core processor and have access to a large number of applications.

In that case, the HTC Vivid 4G launched November 6 as AT&T’s first LTE handset definitely qualifies as a superphone. But just as the term smartphone began as a sketchy adjective and morphed into a definite set of characteristics, whether you call it a superphone or smartphone, the HTC Vivid 4G appears well-equipped to rival the most powerful phones currently offered in the mobile marketplace.

While most wireless providers have been claiming to offer 4G speeds for some time, wireless systems independent researcher and tester RootMetrics has developed parameters for testing LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G speeds. AT&T’s new LTE network was recently tested, and qualified. The HTC Vivid 4G is the first smartphone to run on that quicker wireless system. And while it may be able to access these improved AT&T LTE speeds, it looks fairly standard physically as far as smartphones go.

Measuring 5.07 x 2.64 x 0.44 inches (129 x 67 x 11 mm) and weighing 6.24 ounces (177 g), the HTC Vivid 4G is average in size and slightly heavier in weight than the average 4G smartphone. The screen ranks as one of the largest in the 4G marketplace, at 4.50 inches, and delivers 540 x 960 pixel resolution on the S-LCD capacitive multitouch display. A proximity sensor is built into the display, and provides auto shut off when the handset is not in use. An onboard light sensor provides auto display adjustment.

Buy the HTC Vivid 4G starting at $159.

The hardware package on board incorporates a Qualcomm APQ8060 Snapdragon chip set, a dual core 1.2 GHz Scorpion processor and Adreno 220 graphics processing unit. 1.0 GB of RAM memory and 16 GB of onboard storage are also included. Dual cameras are present in the form of a rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder and front facing 1.3 megapixel chat cam. Arriving out-of-the-box with Google’s Gingerbread operating system, the HTC Vivid has access to tens of thousands of applications, games and software.