The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the government agency that checks electronic equipment for radio interference before it can reach the marketplace, has performed a series of tests on an unknown HTC smartphone sporting a big four inch touchscreen and running the Android operating system.
It looks like a device that could belong to the Droid family of smartphones, but there’s no way of confirming this because it lacks any such branding. According to the documents published on the FCC’s site, it’s designated with a model number “PD42100.” Such a cryptic name is most likely used internally and we’d be surprised if Verizon sold it under that moniker.
The Verizon branding is evident pretty much everywhere. The logo at the top of the front cover as well as the back panel painted in red are a dead giveaway. A QWERTY slide-out keyboard also sporting Verizon’s distinct red color add to the evidence.
According to the FCC’s tests, the HTC “PD42100” supports Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n WiFi technologies, in addition to CDMA 2000, GSM 850, and EV-DO Rev. That suggests it can run on both Verizon’s CDMA-based network and GSM networks operated by AT&T, T-Mobile, and other carriers.
Read more at Engadget
If the HTC “PD42100” is really the first dual-mode Droid device, it could only mean one thing – Droid handsets will be going places. This doesn’t neccessarily mean a dual-carrier strategy in the US, but why use a dual-mode chip if not to support the two radio technologies in some markets?
I’m a bit confused as to how this might play out in the US where Verizon Wireless is an exclusive Droid carrier. I don’t see how they can sell the device on a rival’s GSM network unless they lost the Droid exclusivity, which is highly unlikely. My guess is that dual-mode support is to simplify international sales stemming from a single hardware solution that runs on the two most widely used radio technologies. Besides, it means you’d be able to buy a contract-free phone from Verizon and use it on, say, AT&T’s network.