technology trends 2010: HTC Merge on Verizon today, but Big Red won't actually be selling it

Sunday, May 15, 2011

HTC Merge on Verizon today, but Big Red won't actually be selling it

Read our exclusive HTC Merge preview

Well, will you look at that. More than seven months after we first got our hands on the Verizon-branded HTC Merge, it's finally headed to Verizon. But according to this screen shot we just got, it's only going to be available through third-party distribution, so don't look for it in a Big Red store.

Not familiar with the Merge? It first surfaced in the fall of 2010, sporting a great keyboard and world phone capability, meaning you can use it on overseas GSM networks (no LTE on this guy). But it had (and from what we've heard, still has) a fatal flaw -- Bing. It's had its Google location and search functionality stripped out and replaced with Microsoft's Bing. The Merge at one point was slated for a Q4 release on Verizon, but that never materialized.

So instead, we now find it relegated to third-party distribution only. That's not quite the same thing is a death sentence (and the Merge has since been announced on Alltel and Cellular South, which piggyback Verizon's network), but it's still a damn shame for such a nice piece of hardware from HTC. But these things happen.

We're trying to track down pricing and such, but figure it'll be in the $150-$199 range. Any more than that might be pushing it for, considering the pace at which newer (and faster) hardware is being released.

Thanks, anon!

HTC Merge Specs | HTC Merge Forums | HTC Merge Accessories