HTC Dragon/Passion Gets Delayed to 2010

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Although I’d love to tell you that the HTC Dragon/Passion is coming by Christmas, I’m afraid I can’t be the bearer of such good news. Although not officially official, it looks like HTC won’t be able to launch the phone this year and the new Android flagship device has been delayed to early 2010.

Furthermore it’s rumored that Verizon will be the carrier that will launch the Dragon/Passion once HTC is ready to send it our way. Anxious already?

After we’ve seen the upcoming HTC lineup earlier here on TFTS, we can safely say that next year HTC will surely have a few interesting phones. Will we really want this Passion in 2010 or will we wait for some other Android handset?

Sources say that HTC is working hard on software issues on the Passion. Rumored to come with features like Android 2.0/2.1, a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset and a 3.5-inch multitouch OLED panel, the Passion will be the first Android 2.0 phone coming from HTC.

It’s surprising not to see HTC launch the Passion this year especially since Motorola already managed to launch an Android 2.0 phone. HTC has been the first manufacturer out there to launch an Android handset and it looks like it will face some fierce competition from everyone else especially in the Android business.

The Motorola Droid seems to be the hottest cell phone of the end of 2009 and HTC’s upcoming Passion will have a tough time fighting against the Droid.

What’s also surprising is that Verizon is rumored to launch the Passion. I’m expecting T-Mobile and Sprint to be more interested in the HTC Dragon/Passion. And dare I say AT&T too? For some reason AT&T is still reluctant to enter the Android game. Maybe the carrier should do that in style by getting a device like the Passion. After all, that iPhone exclusivity deal will not be available forever, will it?