HTC Thunderbolt dummy phones arrive, but it looks like the phone is delayed

The good news: It looks like dummy units -- nonworking shells, really -- of the eagerly awaited HTC ThunderBolt are starting to show up. The bad news: Looks like the phone's going to miss that officially non-official Feb. 14 launch date.

Let's start with the picture you see above, which is of said dummy unit. That's a pretty good sign that things are all but ready to go. Only problem is, things aren't ready to go. Droid-Life purloined a screen shot that flat-out says "launch from 2/14 has been delayed. No ETA at this time." It adds that "HTC-created elements WILL arrive this week. Agents are not to display ..."

In other words, things are pretty much ready to go, but something's holding up the works, and word around the campfire is that the new Skype Mobile has something to do with it. That said, Veizon's never publicly announced a launch date -- and now you see why.

Check out the leaked shot after the break if you need the knife to be twisted just a little more. [@v3rdict, Droid-Life via Android Central Forums]

Phil Nickinson