HTC posted a timeline for Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts some time over the last few days on their support pages and it includes more details than we have seen to date. The HTC Rezound and Rhyme will see Android 4.0 in either June or July, Thunderbolt in July or August, and the Incredible 2 is now up-in-the-air as to whether or not it will see it. Previously, the Incredible 2 was listed as a device on the upgrade list, so this is a new development. If you own one of HTC’s tablets, you are stuck on Honeycomb. 

Last night, while making the rounds in New Orleans, I had a chance to spend a few minutes with the newly announced DROID Incredible 4G LTE. This will be Verizon’s next major LTE release and has easily been the topic of the week here at CTIA. The phone in hand, feels great. It only carries a 4″ display, so it really is like a 2012 version of last year’s Incredible 2. The size is almost identical, but the build materials and internals make it quite the upgrade.

One thing to note is that this does not have HTC’s ImageChip (we were told that was reserved for One Series phones) which means that some features of the camera will be slightly different than on the One X or One S. In our short time with it, I wouldn’t say that it seemed worse off, but features like burst mode did not appear to be included. It should still be the same high-end 8MP shooter from the One Series, but with slightly different software.

We should have the opportunity to dive deep into the phone within the next couple of hours, once the show floor opens, so stay with us. Enjoy the pics for now and let us know what you think about a 4″ screen – too small for 2012? 

Yesterday we reported that the HTC Incredible 2 had hit “out of stock” status in Verizon’s store, but one of our readers noticed today that the device is gone completely. If you search for it, you won’t find a sales page and are instead left with support and device over sections. We know that the Incredible 4G is essentially ready for prime time (pictures of it), so this move by Big Red is not all that surprising. The last release date we saw for the Inc 4G was April 26, which is next Thursday – be sure to keep it close as we may finally see a new phone on Verizon that is worth talking about.

If you need something to compare it to, check out our HTC One S review. The Incredible 4G should be that phone, but with LTE, an NFC chip, and expandable storage – three things we knocked the One S for not having.

Cheers Brent!

The Incredible 2 is now listed as “out of stock” at Verizon’s online store. While it does say “temporarily,” the device has been out for a year now and as we all know, has a successor on the way. Is this a sign that the Incredible 4G will be here any minute? We are sort of expecting it to drop at any time now that the device, in a finalized looking state has surfaced thanks to one of our tipsters (more pics here). Previously seen targeted dates had it pegged for an April 26 launch, which would be next week, but here we are on the 19th without a peep from Big Red or HTC. As we all know by now thanks to Bionic and Galaxy Nexus drama sagas, these “unofficial” dates, even if from within Verizon walls mean almost nothing until the press release arrives.

The Incredible 4G is expected to be the “DROID” version (LTE, NFC, and expandable storage) of the HTC One S which we reviewed yesterday. It should be a solid device for those in the market for an upgrade this Spring.

Cheers CG!

Verizon has a trade-in program of their own, but the prices they are willing to offer on some phones are anything but high. For those that did not know, Amazon has a similar program. While some of their prices are laughable even when compared to Big Red’s, a couple of phones in particular are going for almost double what anyone else is willing to give you. The Incredible 2 and DROID X, a pair of devices that are far past their prime, can be traded in for $156 and $59 respectively. For comparison sake, Verizon will give you just $78 and $33 for these two.

If you are in need of some extra cash (Amazon gift card in this case) as we approach the end of tax season, this might be worth a look.

Via:  Amazon

Cheers Jigga_Z!

Verizon has been silent for the most part when it comes to Ice Cream Sandwich updates for their lineup of Android devices. Many of the OEMs that they deal with have informed us in one way or another, but we were waiting for Big Red to make some things official since they sign off on final software. Their list is now public and is as follows.

For HTC devices, we will see Android 4.0 on the Thunderbolt, Incredible 2, Rhyme and Rezound. Sorry original Incredible owners. For Motorola devices we will see it on the XOOM, Bionic, RAZR, RAZR MAXX, DROID 4 and XYBOARD tablets. Sorry DROID X, DROID X2, and DROID 3 owners. For Samsung devices it looks like only the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 7.7 will see it. No DROID Charge. From LG, only the Spectrum will receive ICS.

Sooo, quite a few devices missing including a couple that should have more than enough power under the hood to run Android 4.0.

Update:  Yes, I see that it says “4G LTE devices currently scheduled” in the press release which has led many to believe that this is simply a 4G LTE only list and that some 3G devices were specifically left out. I’m having a hard time following that logic since the Incredible 2 and Rhyme were also listed and are 3G-only phones. Also, the DROID Charge which is 4G LTE, is left off. This is an assumption of course, but I would tend to lean towards this list being pretty complete.

No dates were given.

Oh you thought HTC was going to leave you out Thunderbolt owners? OK truthfully, we did too. But that has all changed! According to their official Facebook page, not only will the Thunderbolt see Ice Cream Sandwich, but so will the Rhyme and Incredible 2. Yessir, HTC doin’ big thangs.

No timeframe for release was given, but they have confirmed that upgrades “are planned.”