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The idea seemed impossible just a couple of weeks ago.  But recent events have moved it squarely into the maybe column. I’m not saying HTC is on the verge of discontinuing the Incredible, but there’s now enough circumstantial evidence to make it a possibility. 

Here’s why:

During the weekend of July 10, I was contacted by two unrelated people reporting they had been told, with different explanations, the Incredible was being discontinued.  The first said a Verizon sales rep told him the Droid X would soon take the Incredible’s place in the carrier’s Android lineup; the other said a Verizon salesperson told him not to bother ordering an Incredible (which was – and is – backordered) because it was about to be discontinued.

I largely dismissed the idea that one of the most widely-praised Android smartphones would be discontinued barely two months after its release.  But I did assume there was some truth in the information provided to these two men.  The AMOLED display used in the Droid Incredible had been trickling out of Samsung’s production facilities much more slowly than HTC wished, which was responsible for the smartphone’s chronic backorder status.  Perhaps a new version of the Incredible with a different SKU was in the pipeline, which may have caused the Verizon reps to think the Incredible wasn’t long for this world.

So I contacted Verizon Wireless PR for clarification.  I assumed the response would be something along the lines of a flat-out denial or vague information on a display technology transition.  It wasn’t. 

When I got a response, the message read:

“Verizon Wireless or HTC have not made an announcement about the Incredible. It’s a popular device and we continue to sell it.”

Continue to sell it?  Not “will continue to sell it”?  Hmm…  Qualified and evasive wording is nothing new in PR, but if the Incredible’s shelf-life was assumed to be the normal year or so, why the couched response?

Then, today, HTC announced it would begin using Super LCD (SLCD) displays in its current 3.7-inch AMOLED smartphone offerings later this summer.  This move is an effort to get more smartphones onto the market in light of the ongoing AMOLED shortage.  Mentioned in the press release were two 3.7-inch-screened HTC smartphones: the Desire (which isn’t yet sold by a U.S. carrier) and Nexus One (which seems to be on its way out). There was not word one about the Droid Incredible, which is certainly more popular in the U.S. than either of these devices.  I wasn’t the only person who found this omission odd.

So, there you have it.  Three unrelated events which together point to the Incredible’s possible demise. 

Any thoughts? 

Matthew Nichols, Products Editor

Many of HTC’s current smartphone models feature AMOLED displays, a type of screen technology often touted as the best available for mobile devices. AMOLED has its critics, but the most frequent complaint leveled against it – particularly of late – concerns supply shortages. It seems Samsung (the primary manufacturer of the AMOLED screens) has been unable to churn out enough of the displays for HTC to manufacture desired quantities of Desire, Nexus One, and Droid Incredible smartphones, sometimes resulting in long delays for the consumer.

In order to combat this problem, HTC announced today what many have long suspected: that it will transition from AMOLED to Super LCD displays in some of their smartphones, namely the Desire and Nexus One. 

Super LCD, or SLCD, displays have many of the advantages of AMOLED, and even trumps AMOLED in some utility comparisons such as viewability in direct sunlight.  HTC also claims new SLCD displays have “approximately five times better power management” than older LCD technology, which should at least mitigate AMOLED’s biggest advantage: battery life.

HTC will release SLCD versions of the Nexus One and Desire “later this summer.”  There was no mention of the Droid Incredible, whose AMOLED screen has reportedly been responsible for frequent shortages of the smartphone since its April 2010 release.

The Verizon Wireless direct price for the LG Fathom VS750 remains $149 with a new two-year service agreement.  But as is so often the case, third party retailers are offering the Windows Mobile smartphone for much less.

Amazon.com and LetsTalk.com are each offering the LG Fathom for $0.01 with a two-year contract, which is pretty great. 

But Wirefly.com does its competitors one better, letting the Fathom go free with the same new contract agreement (new or existing upgrade eligible Verizon customers).

Learn more about the LG Fathom Windows Mobile phone…

Android v2.2 is, at present, limited to the Google Nexus One in the United States.  Other newer, even high-end Android handsets like the Droid Incredible, Samsung Captivate or Motorola Droid X are running the older v2.1.

But according to information provided to BGR by a tipster, at least one of these devices will also be getting Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo) in as soon as two or three weeks.

That device is the HTC Droid Incredible.  The tipster says that the popular smartphone will be getting the Froyo upgrade by early August which will add sought-after features like 802.11n connectivity, 3G Mobile Hotspot functionality, 720p HD video recording and new widgets for email and news.

This has not been confirmed by Verizon or HTC.

Aside from the official Microsoft announcement in February and the steady stream of leaks and rumors that followed, it’s been fairly quiet on the Windows Phone 7 front of late. And other than the HD2 and the LG Fathom, 2010 hasn’t exactly been a banner year for Windows Mobile 6.5 either.

But this week marks a milestone in the Windows Phone 7 journey.  Now, for the first time, reviewers and developers have prototype Samsung smartphones running a near-final version of Windows Phone 7 in their hands.  And that means, among other things, that Windows Phone 7 will quickly shift from chatter and conjecture to any-week-now reality.

Engadget, Boy Genius Report and SuperSite for Windows have each posted first impressions of the Windows Phone 7 OS based on experiences with the prototype devices.  The response is mixed, as you’d expect, and each source highlights aspects of the OS that delight, confound and disappoint. 

If you’re interested in Windows Phone 7 – and if you’re reading this, you very likely are –take a look at the posts and judge for yourself what you think of Microsoft’s upcoming mobile reboot. 

The first smartphones based on the operating system are scheduled for release in Q4 of 2010, so it’s crunch time. 

UPDATE: TechCrunch, ZDNet and Gizmodo have also posted preview pieces.

Almost a month to the day after it was officially announced, the Samsung Captivate is available for purchase.  This phone is the first high-end Android device to be sold by the carrier. 

The Captivate is a Galaxy S variant, similar to the recently-released T-Mobile Vibrant.  Features include Android OS 2.1, a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird SoC CPU, 16GB of built-in flash storage, a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, and a 5MP camera with 720p HD video recording.

The direct AT&T price is $199 with a two-year service agreement.  Wirefly has it today for $149.

Learn more about the AT&T Samsung Captivate…

Just in case you needed reminding, the Motorola Droid X and T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant are here – today.  The two Android-powered smartphones have been anticipated for months; one, a keyboard-free update to a popular Motorola handset, the other the first of many Galaxy S Samsung smartphones coming to United States wireless carriers.

The retail price for the Droid X with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract is $199; WireFly has it for $179.  The Samsung Vibrant is also $199 at T-Mobile after a $50 mail-in rebate; Amazon has it for $149 shipped.

Android fans – today’s a good day.

Already have one of these new phones?  Let us know how you like it in the comments section.

The Pocket PC Central Accessories Center has been updated and now includes accessories for the Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid X Android Smartphone.  There you can find cases, sync cables, and other accessories for the newest Droid smartphone.

The Droid X Accessories Center will continue to be updated over the coming weeks.

Learn more about the Motorola Droid X Smartphone…

• Motorola Droid X Cases

• Motorola Droid X Car Accessories

• Motorola Droid X Batteries & Extenders

• Motorola Droid X Chargers

• Motorola Droid X Sync & HDMI Cables

The first word from AT&T concerning the Samsung Captivate suggested we’d have to wait a few months to get our hands on it. Well, it looks like “the coming months” has been updated to July – July 18th to be exact.  That’s the day that AT&T Mobility will release the Captivate, the carrier’s first top-tier Android phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S variant will sell for $200 with a two-year service agreement, and will require a data plan (DataPlus costs $15 per month for 200MB of data useage); the price is at checkout, no rebate required.

Of course, third party retailers will almost certainly begin offering the Captivate for less shortly after the handset is released, so if you’re looking to spend less on the new AT&T Android phone, we’ll post other retailers’ prices once they’re available.

Learn more about the AT&T Samsung SGH-i897 Captivate…