After attending the Techlicious mom blogger tour and panel during the CE Week Expo, I continued with the group for an exclusive lunch with HTC at BLT Fish.

Please Note: I was invited as media to the Techlicious and HTC lunch. I received a gift bag after the event that included the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE for review purposes. Views expressed are always 100% my own.



As I got ready to hear the presentations, I enjoyed a yummy meal of Salmon, followed by rich delicious chocolate cake and ice cream. Sorry I didn't get a photo of the BLT Cheddar & Chive Biscuits (ate those quickly). Those biscuits are SO good!


Since everyone in the group was given a phone to check out during the lunch, I also got a first look at the soon to be release HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE. It didn't take me long to start checking out the features of the phone like the camera, video and social media apps. I was curious to see how this phone could stand up to tweeting, facebooking and living a dual life online and offline.

I was thinking about this when I saw one of slides in the presentation highlighting this same exact point. The slide was titled Problem Solving with Your Phone and highlighted how

In a given month, cell phone users (46% smartphone):

• 41% coordinate a meeting or get-together.
• 30% decide whether to visit a business.
• 27% get information to help settle an argument.
• 23% look up a score of a sporting event.
• 20% Check for up-to-the-minute traffic or public transit information.
  

19% have used their phone to get help in an emergency situation.

I can certainly agree with those stats. In so many ways people are living with their smartphones and need them to do more then just make a call or a take a photo. The next generation of smart phone needs to multitask!

During the presentations it was highlighted that the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE gives an intuitive user experience

• Simplified home screen and integrated functions
• Sync personal and work calendar so it's in one place
• Widgets can be added to home screen for current information access
• HTC Video Pic allows you to shoot video and take photos at the same time
• Facebook for HTC Sense allows you to upload photos to a specific album as well as tag them.
  

After learning so much about the HTC Droid Incredible, I was excited to hear the group could take devices home for review.


For the past week, I've used the HTC Droid Incredible in a variety of ways from taking photos, being on social media and even editing videos.

After doing a bit of research I learned that the device has changed compared to the original model. To start the HTC Droid Incredible uses Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and includes 4G LTE connectivity for use on Verizon Wireless’s 4G network. Also the soft-touch plastic cases is a bit more bulky and has groves, which gives the device a nice firm grip

So how was my user experience? I was impressed with the ability to easily add widgets, surf online and edit photos and video. During my research I learned that you can shoot HD video and take still photos at the same time but I never did learn how. Still, the editing software was smooth and nice. It saves time to be able to take a photo/video, edit and then upload to share all within the same device.

A few things I noticed and wish were better was the keyboard screen. It seemed a bit cluttered and finding what I needed to type quickly took a few moments longer then I wanted. Same thing for some of the menu screens. Some of them had so many options it took a bit longer to set up what I needed and get on with using the device.

But overall the phone offers a lot of features and functions for everyday use including

Lifestyle features:

• Authentic Sound: Beats Audio™, an enhanced auto tuning technology that allows users to hear music the way the artist intended. Beats Audio is incorporated across the entire experience for richer, more authentic sound and whether watching a video or playing a game.

• Read Later: Active readers who are constantly on-the-go can use the Read Later feature to save online content, such as news articles and website pages, to view later, even when they are offline.

• Android Beam: Allows you to share YouTube videos, Google Maps locations and more with others faster and easier. Android Beam is as simple as tapping two compatible phones together for users to instantly share information.

Additional features

• 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, BSI, f/2.2 and 28 mm lens
• Front-facing camera for video chatting with friends and family
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
• Mobile Hotspot-capable to share a 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• Support for up to 32 GB microSD™ memory card

The DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC is available in Verizon Wireless stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com