Verizon Prepares For HTC Incredible While Sprint Gets Nexus One

Google is looking at a few solid months ahead with some high profile Android releases coming up. This goes to show that Apple’s lawsuits won’t keep them from progressing in their line of work. Leading the way in the upcoming Android releases is the HTC Incredible, which is confirmed to arrive at Verizon Wireless stores in two weeks. Alongside with this news, Verizon just began a test deployment of Android 2.1 to the Motorola Droid smart phones, the same OS that is going to power the Incredible.

The Android 2.1 was announced a while back and even includes some features that weren't expected. The features include: improved pinch-to-zoom in the browser, better voice-to-text-support, animated wallpapers, and tweaks to Google Maps. The Droid originally launched with Android 2.0 last November and in December received a minor bump to Android 2.0.1 via an over-the-air update.

The Verizon-carried HTC Incredible could really hit it off for the Android market as it brings some of the best stats on an Android handset to this day. The phone will have a 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250 Snapdragon ARM CPU and 512 MB of DRAM, just like the Nexus One. Unlike the Nexus One though, the CPU will be underclocked to 768 MHz. It may seem like a bad thing at first, but it should be enough to handle most apps, while providing longer talk times than the Nexus One. The phone also comes with an 8-megapixel camera with a noticeably larger lens, much better than the Nexus One. The camera on the phone makes it a little thicker than the Nexus one, measuring in at 117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9 mm. It is rumored to come with 6 GB of flash (much more sizeable than the Nexus One’s 512 MB), a microSD expansion slot, and an FM tuner, with a 1300 mAh battery.

Verizon’s decision to carry the new HTC Incredible could lead into the Nexus One being supported by the carrier as well not too far off. Sprint, on the other hand is racing to deploy the Nexus One on its 3G network. It is currently available on the T-Mobile and AT&T networks, direct from Google. Sprint mentioned announce official release dates and pricing in the near future. Fared Adib, the vice president of product development for Sprint has mentioned:

“Nexus One is a powerful device that belongs on a powerful network. This is another step in our continued partnership of innovation with Google. Sprint customers already have the option of two amazing Android devices with Samsung Moment ™ and HTC Hero ™. It is a natural fit for us to add Nexus One to the list of choices available for Sprint customers who want the best value in wireless with the best in Android.”

He added:

“While a pricing plan has not yet been determined for Nexus One, we are confident that it will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors and keep pricing simple. Right now, our Sprint Everything Data 450 plan with Any Mobile, Anytime(SM) gives customers unlimited calling with any mobile phone in America, unlimited text and unlimited Web for just $69.99 per month – the same price AT&T and Verizon charge for just unlimited talk. Our Everything Data plans include unlimited GPS Navigation at no extra charge and annual phone upgrades with Sprint Premier.”

It looks like the major U.S networks besides AT&T have largely given up on the Apple iPhone and are aggressively moving towards deploying the new upcoming Android headsets. The Apple’s next iPhone, set to release this summer, could see a substantial challenge from the Android market and the recently announced Windows Phone 7 Series market.