HTC officially announced the Merge smartphone back in late-February and at the time they told us that it would be coming to “North American operators” during the spring. Well, it looks like spring has sprung for Alltel Wireless.

Read: HTC Merge Android Smartphone Pre-Orders Go Live With Alltel On March 28th [HTC Merge Coming To Alltel, Will Bring 3.8" Display, 5MP Camera, Android 2.2 & $124.99 Price Tag]

Yup, Alltel has announced the soon-to-be-availability of the HTC Merge smartphone. Or more specifically, they have announced that the handset would be available for pre-order beginning on March 28th. In terms of price, expect to pay $124.99, which comes after a mail-in-rebate and along with a two-year agreement.

That said, while we are happy to see that March 28th is relatively close (next Monday), there are still some details that Alltel has yet to mention. First, when the actual availability is going to come and second being the mail-in-rebate — how much is it?

Otherwise, $124.99 on a two-year agreement sounds like a fairly respectable price considering the specs. Just to begin with, the HTC Merge features Android 2.2 Froyo and HTC’s Sense user interface. In addition you will also find a 3.8 inch touchscreen display, 800Mhz Qualcomm processor, 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and a landscape slide-out QWERTY. Other goodies include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack and GPS.

With that, while this announcement was for Alltel, the Merge is also expected to come available with Verizon, which sort of makes sense considering the handset is a CDMA world phone. And coincidentally, is also HTC’s “first Android-based CDMA world phone.” And lastly, while this announcement was less than complete, we will remain on the lookout for a bit more information – you know, such as when the phone will actually be available for purchase as opposed to a pre-order. And if nothing else, the HTC Merge does make a nice addition to the current Android lineup with Alltel which consists of others such as the HTC Desire and the HTC Wildfire.

Read: HTC Merge Android Smartphone Pre-Orders Go Live With Alltel On March 28th [HTC Merge Coming To Alltel, Will Bring 3.8" Display, 5MP Camera, Android 2.2 & $124.99 Price Tag]

Best Buy has been doing a lot of work when it comes to be the exclusive retailer in the US to carry new mobile technology. Now, another product they’re adding to their portfolio is the Wi-Fi only HTC Flyer tablet. This is the same tablet that was announced by Sprint under the name EVO View, just without the cellular radios. The specs of the flyer in case you aren’t aware are:

7” 1024×600 multi-touch display

HTC Scribe pen

Android 2.2

Adobe Flash 10.1 support

5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front facing camera

16GB built-in memory with microSD card slot

4,000 mAh battery

The press release doesn’t give an exact release date, just mentions it will be launching this ‘spring.’ And the price also isn’t mentioned.

Best Buy® and HTC Announce Exclusive Launch of the Wi-Fi HTC Flyer Tablet at CTIA Wireless 2011

Wi-Fi HTC Flyer slated to launch this spring

ORLANDO, Fla., March 22, 2011 – Best Buy and HTC today announced the exclusive launch of the highly-anticipated Wi-Fi only version of the HTC Flyer™ tablet. All Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores, as well as BestBuy.com, will have the tablet when it launches this spring.

The HTC Flyer is a fast, portable, light-weight tablet that integrates the immersive and highly intuitive HTC Sense™experience and enables content including videos, music, games and more to be easily accessed and enjoyed. For those attending CTIA, Best Buy and HTC will have devices on-hand at Pepcom’s Mobile Focus event on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

“Over the past few months we’ve seen several new tablets enter the market, and we’re especially excited to partner with HTC to bring the Wi-Fi version of the HTC Flyer to our customers as a national retail launch exclusive,” said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. “We have worked hard to bring a large assortment of great tablets to Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores, and the HTC Flyer is a great example of that effort.”

The HTC Flyer features a strong aluminum unibody case that is lighter than an average paperback book. Truly separating the HTC Flyer from the pack is the integration of the acclaimed HTC Sense experience and unique HTC Scribe technology. The new HTC Sense experience offers an interface rethought for the tablet format which allows users to easily scroll and locate photos, entertainment, weather, calendar and mail. An optional HTC Scribe™ digital pen unlocks HTC Scribe technology, which enables the ability to capture and annotate any on-screen content with notes and drawings. Also, with Timemark, handwritten notes taken with the digital pen are synchronized with audio, as well as the popular Evernote™ application, turning handwritten notes into true meeting minutes. Additionally, with front and rear cameras, people can also make live video calls using a variety of available video chat applications available in the Android Market.

“Best Buy offers a number of the hottest products on the market, including the all-new 4G LTE HTC ThunderBolt™and now the Wi-Fi version of the groundbreaking HTC Flyer, which brings the acclaimed HTC Sense experience to a tablet for the first time,” said Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC Americas. “Like all HTC Sense products, the HTC Flyer was inspired by our customers, and offers the most simple and natural experience available on a tablet.”

Other key features of the HTC Flyer include:

Integration/compatibility with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® 3.0

7″ 1024×600 display with multi-touch capability and an optional digital pen that enables users to take synchronized notes and annotate content

Built-in dual microphones for noise reduction

Android™operating system

Adobe® Flash® 10.1 support

5 MP Color CMOS camera with auto focus

1.3MP front camera for video chatting

16GB eMMC memory plus microSD card slot

4,000 mAh battery

Best Buy Mobile offers an array of services aimed at improving customers’ experience, including Walk Out Working, Geek Squad Black Tie Protection, Buy Back and a full array of accessories for customers to protect and personalize their devices.

What do you guys think of the Flyer? Something you’re willing to invest in?