As far as smart phone consumers go, most sport fans are the total package or perhaps the perfect storm. They put demands on their devices that most other consumers do not. They need a phone that has game streaming capabilities as well as checking sports fantasy line ups. They also need a cell phone that is rugged enough to withstand the rigors of their activities, such as bike treks and pickup basketball games. And they’re usually working on a budget, so they can’t just throw money away. Does such a phone exist? Yes, one in particular is the new Android-based HTC Thunderbolt.

Let’s start with the build. The HTC Thunderbolt is sleek enough for professional use, but it also has a sporty design and a build strong enough to take the abuse. Like with most phones, you will need to add an HTC Thunderbolt case and/or an HTC Thunderbolt screen protector. Fortunately, there’s a great selection of HTC Thunderbolt accessories on the market. So you shouldn’t have a problem finding the right accessories at prices that actually fit your budget, especially if you stick to cases with built-in screen protection.

The main features of the sports fanatic dream phone are streaming video, playing music, and running applications at the same time. And this is why we think the HTC Thunderbolt is such a good choice for the sport fan. In this regard, few phones bring it the way the aptly named Thunderbolt does. Of course, all of that power comes at a price. This 1.2GHz dual-core phone is power hungry, and HTC only includes a 1400mAh. That’s not enough, so most users will want to consider buying a spare battery and a travel charger with both a USB and a cigarette lighter connection.

We’re not complaining about the power-hungry nature of the Thunderbolt though. Like any sports fan, we desire applications but we can’t have the best of both worlds. The 1.2GHz dual-core CPU is a true beast, and with the 8GB of internal memory you won’t have any trouble having the game playing while you have you fantasy lineup editor and research apps open as well. After conducting several tests, we were able to watch a game, visit forums, watch Twitter, change our line ups without going overboard on the HTC Thunderbolt’s memory and processor.

One issue with owning a popular smart phone is standing apart from the crowd. But as we mentioned earlier, the HTC Thunderbolt has unrivaled selection of accessories available for it. So what does this mean for the sports fanatic? Well, there’s a whole range of sports-oriented gear available too. You can purchase skins and cases that have your favorite team’s logo painted on. You can also buy pouches and charms that have logos, helmets, uniform numbers and so forth. And the gear covers all the major sports, such as NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, MLS, European Soccer and so on.

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