Verizon has finally released the long-awaited over-the-air software update for the popular HTC Thunderbolt. Right now the update needs to be downloaded manually and it brings with it several important fixes that users will appreciate. There’s a fix for data problems when accessing Verizon’s 3G network and it will also stabilize the performance of data-heavy apps.

GPS updates are said to be faster when using Google Maps and VZ Navigator with the update. Also, SMS and MMS messages will be stored properly and location information in the Weather Widget will now display accurate information.

It looks like tomorrow is finally the day that the HTC Merge gets real on Verizon’s network. We’ve all been waiting for this device. It was rumored to be getting an LTE radio and other upgrades, but so far it has been acting like it’s scared of store shelves.

Well, tomorrow is looking very likely though it hasn’t been upgraded, but it does have global capabilities and a good looking keyboard. Most anyone who wanted it has probably moved on by now. What do you think?

So you’ve been waiting for a phone with a dedicated Facebook button. Drooling in fact. Well, Amazon UK is ready to take pre-orders for the Salsa and ChaCha handsets with a June 26th delivery. The ChaCha boasts a portrait QWERTY keyboard and a 2.6-inch touchscreen.

The Salsa packs in a 3.4 inches does without the keys. Both also have 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processors and 512MB of RAM, and Android with the Sense overlay. It is £250 ($409) for the ChaCha and £320 ($524) for the Salsa.

Verizon’s long-delayed and long awaited version of the HTC Trophy might just finally show up this week. We hope. A new rumor has the Windows Phone 7 device shipping on May 5, though the rumor didn’t specify a price or explain why it was delayed from the April 15 date on the Verizon roadmap.

The device features a 3.8-inch 480×800 screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon chip, and a five-megapixel camera. Verizon’s edition might have dual-mode CDMA and GSM but we know it will ship with Microsoft’s NoDo update for copy-and-paste text and other upgrades. Software changes include Slacker Radio and a My Verizon Mobile account app.

We knew it was coming and now Verizon has gone and made it official by announcing that the HTC Droid Incredible 2 will be available on Thursday, April 28th. So how much will it cost you? Not an arm and a leg. Just the usual $200 with a two-year contract.

To refresh your memory, the device features a 4-inch super LCD screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, as well as WiFi mobile hotspot support. It also happens to be a world phone.

A new video ad has emerged that reveals that HTC is reportedly planning on releasing a Windows Phone 7 smartphone with a 16-megapixel camera, which would be a first for the industry. HTC’s most advanced smartphones currently have only eight-megapixel cameras. The phone in the video looks like the Desire S, though that phone uses Android and is probably just a temporary stand in for now.

We don’t have any other specs for this unnamed WP7 phone, but the video shows dual LED flashes. We will just have to wait and see what else emerges.

What’s this? If our eyes don’t deceive us this is the HTC Droid Incredible 2. These images come from PocketNow without even a named or anonymous source. We don’t care, we just enjoy spying new gear.

To refresh your memory, the Incredible 2 is little more than a rebranded Incredible S. According to a purported leaked roadmap from last month, the best guess we have for a launch date is April 28th. We will let you know more when we know.

By now we’ve all seen the HTC Merge, so these press shots don’t show us anything we don’t already know, it just confirms that this Android-powered QWERTY slider is bound for Verizon any time now. And that is welcome news.

In fact, the CDMA Desire Z will likely hit shelves before the end of the week, because regional carrier Alltel has already begun taking pre-orders on its own version of this 800MHz, 3.8-inch handset. We know you’ve been waiting for this one.

The HTC HD7 arrived at the FCC in October of last year, but they are just getting around to showing us it’s internal and external photos. It was originally called the HD3 since it will succeed the HTC HD2 , but they decided on the HD7 name to be consistent with Windows Phone 7 branding.

The device’s teardown photos show off its Qualcomm SnapDragon processor, Qualcomm Power Management chip and internal memory, which is a 16GB SanDisk chip. Hit the link below to check out it’s guts in a variety of images.

HTC’s Arrive handset has now been listed at online retailer Wirefly, where pre-orders are currently underway and priced at $150 with a two-year contract. The device is Sprint’s CDMA version of the 7 Pro, a Windows Phone 7 handset that features a tilt-slider QWERTY keyboard. Both share a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a five-megapixel camera, but the Arrive takes the integrated storage up to 16GB.

Sprint has also customized the device with its own home tile and with preloaded apps for Sprint TV and other content like NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Arrive is set to ship on March 20.

The HTC Incredible S was shown off at the Mobile World Congress last month and was scheduled to be released in Q2 this year. The FCC has already taken a look at the device, and now we have some images of the device in the wild, so we hope that the Android phone will arrive very soon.

Until that happens, the guys at Android Spin recently got their hands on the Incredible S and have provided some photos. They will be also be posting their hands-on experience with the device and sharing it. To refresh your memory the HTC Incredible S features a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM 8655 processor, a 4″ WVGA LCD screen, Android 2.2, 8 megapixel rear camera with flash, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, 4GB of internal storage, 768MB of RAM, and a 1450mAh battery.

After several delays and some missed release dates, the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon is starting to look more like a mirage than an actual phone. And according to a recently discovered Verizon chart, we may have the reason for the 4G LTE phone’s delay.

According to the chart, the Thunderbolt is only scheduled to arrive after the iPad 2, so that means it won’t happen this week. The iPad 2 comes out on Friday, so the earliest that we’ll see the Thunderbolt would be next week. However, Verizon hasn’t officially announced anything yet, so who knows?

It looks like HTC has been having some drama regarding their upcoming “Facebook phone”. The HTC ChaCha was recently sued by ChaCha Search Inc for infringement of the ChaCha trademark. And now the ChaCha name has gotten HTC into trouble once again.

Apparently, the HTC ChaCha will be renamed the ChaChaCha in Spain because the word “chacha” is offensive in the country. In the future they obviously need to do better market research when naming their phones.

It looks like the HTC Thunderbolt’s delays might be due to battery life issues. Verizon’s 4G phone is reportedly suffering from battery life that is so poor, it can drain out in two to three hours. Firmware was said to be to blame according to Engadget’s sources and there may be a fix coming in software.

Verizon has reportedly had to delay the Thunderbolt’s official launch date six times, which explains the multiple release dates that have surfaced. Hopefully they get things sorted out quickly and get the phone out.

HTC is getting into the tablet arena with its first Android tablet called the HTC flyer. It features a 7-inch display, a powerful 1.5Ghz Snapdragon CPU, 32 GB of storage and support for a whole bunch of audio and video formats.

The tablet is driven by Android with HTC Sense. Some other features include two cameras, one a rear-facing 5MP camera with auto focus and a 1.3MP front camera for video calls. It also comes with a stylus for HTC’s new Scribe application that lets you write.