HTC Thunderbolt Photos Leak! #htcthunderbolt

Take a look before you, smartphone aficionados. This is the smartphone to get. The HTC Thunderbolt as it is being called, oozes sophistication and bleeding edge features. For starters, it is the first LTE-supporting smartphone to launch on Verizon’s LTE network. Thus far, the jury is still out on whether or not the Thunderbolt actually features a dual core processor. Obviously, our fingers are crossed. Finally, a kickstand and “Made with Google” branding ’round back finish things up. As for the latter feature, being explicitly labeled a “Google Phone” is awesome news for end users. What it means is no custom skin crap ruining the overall experience or delaying critical updates. Furthermore, carrier-branded crap and other non-Android features should be at a minimum, and at best completely absent.

But enough talk. We’ll get you more info next week at CES. For now, hop on past the break for a gallery of pictures showing every fine angle of the HTC Thunderbolt…

Windows Phone Marketplace Eclipses 5,000 Apps. #wp7

Microsoft has reason to celebrate today as new estimates put the current app total in the Windows Phone Marketplace at over 5,000 individual applications. Not bad for a two month old platform, eh? Last month, Palm supposedly eclipsed the 5,000 app barrier themselves, though their situation is rather dissimilar to Microsoft’s — Microsoft has many more phones and upcoming devices in the pipeline which ultimately help push developer interest and app sales. Not to mention, they did spend quite a bit of money early on enticing developers with monetary gifts to jump their current platform’s ship and join Windows Phone 7.

Celebrating a 4-digit number may seem trivial compared to Android’s 200,000+ news or iOS’s 300,000+ app count, but it is important nonetheless. It will be interesting to see Windows Phone 7′s progress this time next year. On that note, I’m going to guestimate roughly 50,000+ apps available in late 2011. Anyone want to toss in a guess?

Hack a GSM Network with a $15 Phone, Laptop, and Open Source Software.

We’ve heard tales of GSM’s rather weak security many times before. But the big kicker with such stories was that it was incredibly expensive to purchase all the required hardware and software. But at the recent Chaos Computer Club (CCC) Congress), a small group of researchers were able to crack GSM transmission with nothing more than (4) sub-$15 phones, a laptop, some open source software, and programming skills.

The short version of the story goes like this: It’s far cheaper and faster to hack GSM devices in 2010 and beyond, though most of the security holes can be strengthened considerably. Simple things like randomizing “buffer bytes” (“Are you there” messages GSM networks constantly send to track devices) and stronger encryption would go a long way towards safer, more secure GSM networks.

Knowing the amount of secure transactions and conversations carried out over GSM as well as the pathetic security isn’t very reassuring. But hold off wide scale panic for now. First, check out the full article over at Wired before jumping to conclusions.

Android Market Now Over 200,000 Apps According to AndroLib.com. #android

Apple may continually receive media attention for it’s ever increasing 300,000+ strong App Store, but Android is making headway — and quick. Android Market tracker AndroLib.com now pegs the “official” number of available apps at a touch over 200,000. Google, meanwhile, hasn’t officially confirmed this new figure. Another thing to consider is that AndroLib’s quoted numbers have been wrong before. Further adding to the skepticism is an app download counter on this page that is showing over 100 Android Market downloads every second. It just seems a little fast, personally.

Nevertheless, it’s no secret that the Android love-fest continues to push forward and will only continue to pick away Apple’s lead.

Palm Pixi With Front Facing Camera Spied on Sprint’s Website. #palm

Anything look strange to you top left of the Palm Pixi image? How about that front-facing camera? The Palm Pixi doesn’t currently have a front-facing camera, meaning this image is either a Photoshop spoof or mistakingly posted image of Palm Pixi refresh destined for CES. Sprint and Palm have yet to reply to our emails to confirm or deny the information before us. For now, the speculation lives on.

T-Mobile To Pad 2011 Lineup with 24+ Data Devices. #tmobile

When T-Mobile isn’t busy relentlessly bashing AT&T’s network, they’re actively boasting of their own. This time however, it’s not so much the network that is getting attention as it is upcoming devices.

Next year, T-Mobile is set to release ~24 new data devices ranging from smartphones to tablets. Some of the bigger names on their list include the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, LG Optimus, Dell Streak variants, and plenty more.

Just a few short years ago, T-Mobile was far from the bleeding edge of new consumer electronics. That title was often traded between Verizon Wireless and AT&T. My how time changes things. Even though T-Mobile’s network may not be as advanced as Verizon and AT&T’s (future) LTE networks, the speeds are certainly boast-worthy and the devices look to be rolling in.

Combined with a general lower cost over the long term, is T-Mobile starting to look more appealing for your next-gen wireless aspirations?

A Trio of ASUS Eee Pads “Leak” Before CES. #asus

ASUS is set to unleash quite a trifecta of new Eee-branded devices at 2011′s Consumer Electronics Show. And yet here we are in late 2010 looking at several of their new devices already. The “leak” as it’s being called gives us a glimpse at several different 10″ models that will reportedly vary in internal hardware. Android and Windows 7 are rumored to be on board as are Nvidia Tegra 2 and Intel Oak Trail processors. The combination certainly sounds promising. And from the few pictures we currently have, the new devices look rather stylish. Look for more information and hands-on pictures to follow next week.

More pictures after the jump…