HTC Passion runs Android on 3.5-inch OLED and Snapdragon in Verizon's early 2010?
By Thomas Ricker 
posted December 7th 2009 2:15AM
posted December 7th 2009 2:15AM
Ever since the WinMo-powered HTC HD2 started to drip, drip onto our pages in the form of leaked images and details, we've been asking ourselves one question: where's the Android version? And while we've heard whispers of a supposed Snapdragon-based Dragon device running Android ever since early October, we're left to rely on Motorola's Droid / Milestone to fulfill our Android 2.0 dreams this holiday season. And if DigiTimes is correct, that picture likely won't change until early 2010. Taiwanese DigiTimes' sources have its Taiwan-based neighbor launching its Passion handset running Android 2.0 (or even 2.1 by then) on a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset with 3.5-inch multitouch OLED display sometime in early 2010 (not 2009 as previously tipped) as HTC continues to tweak the device's software. And if previous rumors are true then this CDMA variant of Dragon will be making its debut on Verizon at that time. DigiTimes' sources also claim that HTC will announce a QWERTY-toting Android device, possibly named Espresso, at the huge Mobile World Congress event in February. Of course, all this is rumor for now so hold tight as HTC's roadmap unfolds.
Please give Sprint a good Android phone. Tmobile is getting a ton Android phones and so is Verizon but no love for Sprint it seems. Nothing announced at all.
@ZeRoCo0L what planet are you on? T-Mobile has 3 Android phones, Verizon has 2 and Sprint has 2. nobody really has an advantage here. if anything i should be complaining because AT&T has ZERO!
@kojo87
I mean that for future releases there's nothing announced for Sprint. Oh and AT&T can't handle any more big smartphone releases. Their network can't handle it.
@ZeRoCo0L +1 more web hungry phones on att would bring their network down faster than u can say "edge"
@ZeRoCo0L
I dunno, that Samsung Moment seems pretty badass. I've always been partial to Samsung phones. Made me almost regret getting my G1 on T-mobile 6 months ago.
And AT&T is going to feel stupid for being the last national network to get an Android phone.
@dracoaffectus what do you mean.."going to" I think every self respecting geek on ATT already thinks they are stupid. If the phones name doesnt rhyme with Al Capone, they are not interested. I have come to the resolve that I will be leaving ATT over this. It is just simply pathetic that they refuse tgo give anything but the iphone any airtime.
NEWSFLASH..Everyone doesnt love Apple and Iphones! So alas, I am still clining to my unlocked , hacked, tortured G1. I have started a countdown timer that runs out in March. If ATT doesnt have a subsidized Android device that is 3G and 800mhz or better by then (hell I woould settle for a unsubsized one direct for under $500 if it had the right frequencies), then I will be jumping ship in the order of the best offering Sprint or TMobile. I just can't see myself going back to verizon, so it's a distant 3rd, but not completely off the radar. TMobile doesnt have a deep corporate discount I can use lol.
@ZeRoCo0L I hear ya man. There's next to no news of any of these new HTC phones coming to Sprint =[ I love my Moment and all, but when i'm up for an upgrade next year, i'm going to want something new... and running something in the 2.x variety (or whatever's clever at that time).
@ZeRoCo0L you're kidding right
YES! lol sorry, i need tissue..
@Seven
maybe not have your pr0n window up next to your engadget window next time?
@Mr Oos
teheehee, silly me
the Passion does seem like a killer phone, but it should have been released a month ago. guess there's the Droid for now :P
@varish
yeah it sounds really nice
But honestly I was hoping for something way more like the HD2
AKA - 4.3 inch touchscreen!!!
I mean this will be cool but I don't know how much faster it will be than the Cortex A8 in the Droid and the droid has a 3.7 inch touch sceen.
I don't know I was hoping for that huge lcd face when this thing is probably (assuming the news source is correct) gonna look way more like an android version of the iphone
woop! woop!
This just made my weekend! :)
I never thought about it, but the black level on the screen is really dark which would be a good indicator of an OLED screen. But if it is an OLED, it might have a weird resolution, and possibly not as dense as the droids. I would rather have the 854x480 lcd panel in the droid paired with the snapdragon hardware, then an OLED with less resolution. Here's to hoping its got the same kinda pixel density the droid has.
@Luffy The summary states that it is an OLED screen. You FAIL hard at reading.
@(Unverified)
Insert playoff cat.
@(Unverified)
You idiot, all of this stuff are "RUMORS" rumors are not facts. You're not very bright, are you?
@chaunceyd
You're not very bright either. Hurr derr I'MA SPOUTAN' MEMES
@Luffy
awww... I guess I hit a nerve. Don't be a sad panda! Its all in good fun. If it helps, I agree with you.
@chaunceyd
I'm thinking he was a the one that "hit a nerve"
your nerve. chillax
@ale
NO! He couldn't have touched my nerve w/o asking first! Maybe though, apparently I am slow.
*chillaxing?*... reread comment string... =P
put this on AT&T and my brain will explode with joy. but im not holding my breath.
@kojo87 im literally dying to make my iphone a backup phone, im so sick of it. cant get off at&t, and i want sense ui so badddd, or webos. But if this comes to at&t i will be jumping for joy!!
@kojo87 Never going to happen. AT&T's network is barely able to handle the iphone, and instead of pumping money into improving it, they've decided to blow it all on ads and lawyers.
What does 'early' really mean? Does that mean January, or more like February? My luck, its more like March.
@chaunceyd
"Early" typically means before June-ish, unless it gets delayed.
@chaunceyd I'm probably in exactly the same boat you are: My new every 2 comes up in early Feb. If "Early 2010" is March, I'm going to be so pissed. Then I'm going to go back to playing with the Droid I bought.
Lets see.... 1st this phone was coming to Verizon in late October/early November/late November/early December and now early 2010. And lets not forget that it's also supposedly coming to T-Mobile before the end of December. CrunchPad anyone?! Lol.
@CJ100570
Oh! I can only hope you're right about it coming to T-mobile by end of next year! This is totally gonna be my next phone!
Why is it taking so long? HTC is going to miss out on the holidays when everyone has money. Most people plan to buy this month or next and thats it. How long do they suppose I wait
@Hydra
Or, you could say HTC is brilliant for not releasing a drool-worthy device too early to avoid being bug-ridden ala the original Storm...
i came
@(Unverified)
I saw
@(Unverified)
I conquered
There are two phones that are codenamed Passion by HTC:
1) PassionC
2) Passion
Maybe the PassionC stands for CDMA and the Passion is for GSM/T-Mobile.
http://phandroid.com/2009/12/03/code-leak-rumoredupcoming-htc-android-phone-names/
@PlasmaDragon007 bingo
Damn it, why is this not coming out earlier so I can use my 30 day return to trade in my Eris for this nice device(pref in black).
Wasn't the rumor's it was going to be a larger screen like a 3.8in or 4.3in screen.
@Patlex
5" with minimal bezel and I'll take it. Under 4" is blah.
@(Unverified) why would you want a phone with a 5" screen?! it'd be unpocketable!
Not that excited.
This article starts off with talk about HD2 and asking the question we've been all waiting waiting for: Where's the Android version?
....and then we find out it's got a 3.5 screen??
Sorry, the conversation for an Android equivalent of an HD2 starts off with 2 things (IMHO): 1.) Snapdragon 2.) 4.3 inch screen!!
Sorry, but after all this anticipation and hoopla bout the "mythical" behemoth android phone Dragon...aaand then we find out that it'll be sporting a 3.5 screen?
Just get the droid...it's 3.7 AND with a hardware keyboard (yea, it sucks...but still, it gives you an option to use one)
I'm stoked that's it's OLED screen...I'm stoked that it'll have the Snapdragon...and that it's made by the HTC genius group.
But sorry, this is NO hd2 android version. We've been waiting forever for the dragon with bated breath....I'm expecting to get blown away.
Just sayin...
@JoeyTopolsky
+1
@JoeyTopolsky
and that is why I'm hoping that the Bravo will be more like a android HD2
@JoeyTopolsky
+ eleventy billion
@JoeyTopolsky
"AND with a hardware keyboard (yea, it sucks...but still, it gives you an option to use one)"
Yeah, but if the keyboard sucks and you never use it, why would you want it on the phone when it makes the phone:
1. Quite a bit heavier
2. Quite a bit thicker (compared to HD2)
3. More prone to breakage (hinges)
After my experiences with properly implemented touch screens, I won't ever go back to a hardware keyboard.
@JoeyTopolsky
+1
I wonder if somebody could put (hack) android on the existing HD2? The day that happens my 3gs is going to ebay.
The guy that leaked the roadmap of the new HTC phones on XDA states in that thread he posted awhile back saying that Dragon/Passion/whatever its called now would be called Bravo but was ignored.
He states again that Bravo is the Dragon/Passion phone.
So if he did state awhile back that it would be called Bravo ( I don't know if he did or not) then I would believe that Bravo is indeed this phone.
But, rumors for the Passion/Dragon at first was 4.3in screen and now for the Passion is a 3.5in screen with an OLED screen. I think the Bravo, with its 3.7in AMOLED screen, is going to be different different device from the Passion and maybe even the Dragon.
Unless the phones changed over development. Or maybe it's more like the many many different versions of hero?