Report: HTC's 4G LTE Tablet Coming Soon To AT&T
The Puccini has been the subject of speculation since May, when a screen shot of the tablet was leaked to Engadget and a possible June launch date was reported by the Taiwan-based technology news outlet DigiTimes. The 10.1-inch Puccini tablet will run Android 3.1 powered by a Qualcomm 1.5GHz processor, according to DigiTimes.
An HTC spokesperson declined to comment on the Puccini tablet, citing the company's policy of not commenting on rumor or speculation.
FCC testing is a requirement in the U.S. for electronics with a radio signal. One of the documents HTC filed with the FCC is a letter requesting that photos, user manuals and technical descriptions be kept confidential until December 30. The same document confirms that the object in question is a tablet computer, while Engadget's analysis of the LTE information in the test reports suggests AT&T will be the carrier.
AT&T's LTE network will roll out to five cities over the summer, with ten or more markets expected by the end of the year, according to a blog post in May by John Donovan, chief technology officer at AT&T.
HTC is one of many companies being sued by Apple for patent infringement related to smartphones and tablets. Apple filed concurrent lawsuits against HTC in March 2011 with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware. Apple's suit claims that HTC infringed upon patents related to its touch-screen user interface, underlying architecture and hardware of the Apple iPhone.
In a preliminary decision, the ITC ruled in July that HTC's Android devices infringe on two of Apple's patents. HTC is appealing the decision on the case, which requires a final determination from ITC by December 6. If upheld, the decision will be seen as a bellwether for similar suits Apple has filed against other phone and tablet manufacturers using Android's operating system.