HTC Vivid 4G release date, retail price, specs and features of the newest AT&T Android phone

The HTC Vivid 4G Android smartphone joins the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket as the first mobile handsets to arrive on AT&T’s newly developed 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. As Android devices they are the 20th and 21st such devices to be released on the AT&T wireless broadband platforms in 2011. The HTC Vivid launches on November 6 at a retail price of $159 with a two-year contract, and arrives with the second largest screen in the entire mobile smartphone marketplace at 4.5 inches. The Vivid will run Android’s 2.3.4 Gingerbread operating system, and arrives in the familiar candy bar form factor, as a flat, rectangular, black slab measuring 5.07 x 2.64 x 0.44 inches (129 x 67 x 11 mm). The HTC Vivid 4G already priced right at only $159 for new customers and two year contract. That 4.5 inch touch screen delivers 540 x 960 pixel resolution using S–LCD display technology, and is a capacitive touch screen which accepts multitouch gesture navigation. HTC employs a dual core 1.2 MHz Qualcomm APQ8060 processor, a graphics processor is also on board, and 1.0 GB of RAM memory is also present. The built-in storage is 16 GB, and that can be upgraded to 32 GB utilizing the microSD slot that is built in. Most 4G phones these days offer dual cameras, and the HTC Vivid is no exception, delivering an 8.0 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (1080p HD), and records video at a 4G-best 60 frames per second. There is also a front facing chat cam of 1.3 megapixels. Built-in audio and video players support all major file formats, and a YouTube player is also pre-installed. Full HTML web browsing is supported, as is Adobe’s Flash media player. Buy the HTC Vivid for as little as $159 on the reliable AT&T network. For wireless connectivity options other than AT&T’s 4G, Bluetooth 3.0 is present, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n access is also on board. A microUSB 2.0 slot is available for charging the device and accessing other personal electronics and PCs. While the HTC Vivid will operate on AT&T’s 4G LTE network, it is also compatible with their HSPA+ network, which will allow users to access a stronger signal whichever is present.