Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon

In an almost perfect world, this spy shot would be of the rumored HTC Dragon, reminiscent of the HD2 with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and packing the latest version of Android / Sense UI -- in a more perfect world, this would all have been confirmed last week and in our hands today delivered via unicorn express, but that's obviously not happening. Still, there's something new and exciting about this device, but we're grasping at straws beyond the handful of pics The Unlockr managed to obtain, several more of which can found just beyond the read link.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:42PM]

We donts likes big bezels

[Plexus Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:44PM]

What on earth could make all of you think that HTC would decide the US carrier for a prototype Android phone even before finalizing the project?
Actually if history is any indication HTC has always produced first a 3,5G /UMTS version of their phones and only after a few months ,MAYBE, decide to make a US compatible version of SOME of their models.

That's mainly because US carriers pretend all sorts of modifications from manifacturers before adopting an handset in order to be able to better screw their captive clients.
Even models that were made with the explicit intention to export them to the US, such as the TP2 or the Hero, always came out in Europe 5/6 months before and in Asia even before that.
Also the HD2 will come here in Denmark (and in my pocket immediatly after that) on october 30th while the US version will not be available before spring 2010.
I'm ready to bet that the Dragon when/if will ever be commercialized will follow a similar pattern.
Any takers?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:50PM]

You know what buddy? "Euro Ass Hole". Ha.

Who made you the king of all mobile technology news?

[Herr Synnberg Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:53PM]

Plexus is right. HTC (and most other manufacturers) make handsets first for the world market and then adapt a few selected ones for the US market.

[togusa Posted Oct 18th 2009 11:17PM]

What would help usa consumers to get those nice devices faster is if usa carriers had chosen 2100mhz band for 3G like 60% of the countries.

[XChrisX Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:45PM]

AT&T is the only providor not offering up android so let's see what happens.

[morissen3k8 Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:59PM]

that's cuz ATT is in a spat with Google... http://www.betanews.com/article/ATT-Google-is-an-evil-empire-that-must-be-stopped/1255632624
http://www.crn.com/networking/220600112;jsessionid=4LNFCR2N3WQ0JQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN

[John Doe Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:46PM]

No keyboard? Pass. I want to type. Not sit there all day picking out letters then backspacing when the wrong one was hit.

[jakey Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:53PM]

AT&T please. I can wish, right?

[MegaJapan Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:34PM]

AT&T? nokthx
Most likely T-Mobile/Sprint.

[KSmithInNY Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:53PM]

you know the "with google" thing has nothing to do with sense UI right???

The Sprint Hero has "With Google" printed on the back on the phone and also on the front of the box and has sense UI .... FYI

[soup Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:57PM]

Sprint and htc are secret lovers and sprint at the moment is going through puberty so it's hormones are rushing and if htc doesn't put out then sprint may just leave it for it's sister...or mom if hesse's a cougar, this obviously means that this is heading to sprint.

[maveric101 Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:59PM]

seriously, engadget, why don't these spammers get banned more quickly?

[lie07 Posted Oct 18th 2009 8:59PM]

this could be in sprint, since TMO and Sprint will be mergin soon

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:01PM]

Its a bit plain jane the hd2 is a lil simple but still has appeal... this looks very low end with the color scheme that can be seen hopefully if it is the dragon and a high end device that it will get a better fiinish by release.

[raginghamster Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:11PM]

boobs.

[Ozymandias Posted Oct 18th 2009 11:10PM]

Of course, it all makes sense now!

[iDavey Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:18PM]

I need this in my life. I'm loving the HD2..and I do not want to go back to WinMo...but if I don't get a good updated piece of Android hardware...i really will.

[apop Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:19PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/13/verizon-getting-an-android-phone-with-wifi-tethering-via-open/ Didn't anyone notice it looks just like the one going to verizon just missin the two line bar buttons

[nelagster Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:22PM]

i doubt this is going to Sprint because #1 like the article suggests, the "3G" symbol probably means its GSM and #2, it looks exactly like the Hero so the average consumer would see no difference. (of course all of us techies would spout out the detailed differences down to the processor clock speed right away)

[0to60 Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:26PM]

so i am assuming that this has an accelerometer in it because it has portrait and landscape functions?

[AniMill Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:28PM]

I just got the Hero from Sprint (for my wife - it's great!) and the tech there said that the HD2 was supposed to arrive the same time. I'm really hoping for the Dragon because I want the HD2's capabilities but in an Android factor. Please Sprint grab this puppy!

[SiD4 Posted Oct 18th 2009 11:00PM]

HD2 Arrive the same time as what? the Hero?

[Hydra Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:34PM]

Hope it runs an updated hero , looks like the camera has a flash! woohoo

[irishcafe84 Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:44PM]

this thing looks somewhat longer than the HD2. Wonder if that'll actually fit into my jean's pocket.

[Hydra Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:58PM]

I keep holding out buying a new android device in hopes of something great, with a bigger screen, more ram, faster proc, that has ATT 3g

[ROFL Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:02PM]

http://i38.tinypic.com/2h57cpj.jpg

[Chappie Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:09PM]

If this comes to AT&T I will buy for sure (assuming it uses snapdragon). I'm currently eligible for an upgrade and I'm holding off on getting an iPhone to see if they will release an android device anytime soon.

[Chappie Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:24PM]

Also, would this be running sense?

[SiD4 Posted Oct 18th 2009 10:53PM]

One of the pics has an "Emergency Dial" button... isn't that a standard for at&t phones?

[Razius Posted Oct 19th 2009 6:40PM]

My T-mobile G1 has the Emergency Dialer on it too. So it might come standard on att, but T-mobile has the exact same thing on their Android phones.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 18th 2009 11:08PM]

It is a verizon phone. Their new google phone is to hit late in october, but there is also another google phone scheduled to hit verizon in November. Possibly this is it?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 18th 2009 11:57PM]

maybe this is what vzw has been advertising lately in their drioddoes.com compain?

[ricorich196 Posted Oct 19th 2009 12:58AM]

No, that's the Motorola Droid/Sholes/Tao.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 19th 2009 2:30AM]

I question the authenticity of this shot. Why would an HTC device use the same style of icons under the screen as Moto's Android phones? Seeems fishy to me...

[Chefgon Posted Oct 19th 2009 8:27AM]

The Home, Back, and Search icons are identical to the ones found on my HTC Magic. The Menu button looks different, but honestly hasn't that menu icon been in use on dozens of different devices for decades? I think I had the same icon on an old Palm Pilot.

[Chefgon Posted Oct 19th 2009 8:25AM]

I'm waiting for the first HTC-made (with Sense) Android phone running Snapdragon with T-Mobile 3G. If this is it, I will happily pay whatever it costs.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 19th 2009 12:34PM]

Regardless of the "3G" listed this might very well be for Verizon. First, if you look at the picture of the "mystery" handset in the picture of the CEo from Google, it looks like this one because of the "soft" touch keys above the trackball. Also, Verizon does a lot of "World" phone which are BOTH GSM and CDMA, so the fact that this says 3G is correct and maybe what is being hidden is EV-DO also. I heard a rumor that they were going to do an Android world phone but that hasn't been official. This is all speculation but we'll know soon enough because you know always after a leaked picture it usually becomes official soon after.

[mikeaguilar95m Posted Oct 19th 2009 7:21PM]

Although this is a very beautiful piece of hardware and resembles the sprint hero i dont believe this will be coming out for sprint. Simply because if its running on Sense UI and looks almost identical there isnt much different between them besides the snapdragon or whatever kind of 1ghz processor it has. This would be kind of pointless in my opinion because the resemblance between them is too much so they will be basically selling two of the same products. I would much rather see the phone come out for T-mobile or AT&T even if it does hit the US market which i certainly hope so!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 20th 2009 1:41AM]

wow they are using motorola-like menu button..hmmmm....fishy

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 26th 2009 11:48PM]

The problem with HTC is that their products need repairs around 8-12 months after purchase.
they may look good but they just do not perform.
HTC customer service are just not interested in fixing their faulty and defective product.
Give them a miss and avoid aheap of trouble.