The much-hyped, Android-based HTC Droid Incredible has finally been launched by Verizon – the handset will hit the stores April 29, and its pre-orders will begin April 19. The cost of the smartphone is $200 with a two-year contract.

Boasting a host of notable features – like a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive 800x480 screen; the newest HTC Sense user interface; 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor; integrated GPS; Wi-Fi; 3G; “leap” view feature for quick navigation; 8MP camera with dual-LED flashes - and running the Android 2.1 OS, the Incredible is being considered the latest of the so-called ‘iPhone challenger’ handsets.

Meanwhile, noting that HTC has become the fourth-ranking mobile handset manufacturer worldwide, Pund-IT analyst Charles King told eWEEK: “HTC has gone from the edge to the cutting edge. It stands as evidence that the game should not be handed to Apple by default. There are people out there with great ideas and great design concepts, and with Android they have an OS to build those on.”

With the better consumer acceptance of the Android phones having given a substantial boost to the demand of HTC phones, the company shipped 3.5 million handsets in the 2010 first quarter; and as per the Dow Jones Newswires, will likely ship 30 percent more handsets – to 4.6 million units - in the second quarter.