htc

Telstra's senior executive announced today that HTC will be releasing a new touchscreen handset that will become a direct competitor to the iPhone and the new Palm Pre. In particular he stated that the upcoming HTC phone is "better and more functional" than the Pre (whatever this means). The new handset is supposedly developed using an HTC's combination of the Google Android OS and Linux based software.

By the looks of it the HTC's 2009 line-up has leaked in the Web. The source provided several new phone names alond with pictures of the corresponding models, including Topaz, Willow W, Thoth, Whitestone W, Rhodium, Citrine and others. You can see them all by visiting ppcgeeks.com forum.

A few days back a new HTC phone called Iolite was leaked on Expansys, and today we know its real specifications thanks to jouwmobiel.nl, where the device is now featured. Check them out below:

• 528 MHz CPU;
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro;
• 512MB ROM/288MB RAM;
• 3G support;
• HSDPA/HSUPA with Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE;
• Wi-Fi connectivity;
• 3.

The new yet unannounced HTC Iolite smartphone has been spotted at the Expansys.com online store. Most likely, it is the first phone for the company's 2009 lineup. Known specifications are as follows:

• 2.8" WQVGA (240x400 pixels) touchscreen;
• Quad-band GSM/3G (900/2100 MHz);
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS;
• TouchFLO 3D interface;
• Built-in GPS;
• Wi-Fi

We expect it to be annonced at CES 2009 in a couple of days, but who knows.

Just to let you know: according to some sources, HTC might soon stop using Qualcomm’s sluggish 3G chips, and will instead go for Ericsson’s Mobile Platform (EMP), especially since the latter produces one of the smallest tri-band 3.5G chipsets.

HTC has unveiled its latest smartphone at CES 2009 today, called S743. At first glance it looks like an ordinary candybar phone with a non-touchscreen display, but inside it packs a  nice set of features which include a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and HSDPA support.

No word on pricing and availability yet.

Features of the S743 include:

• 12-key keypad design;
• Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard;
• Windows Mobile 6.

If you want to play with the Android, but hate T-Mobile G1, then the Android-powered HTC Touch HD is your choice. Here's a video demonstrating the device. The quality is poor, but it's normal for such kind of videos.

The service manual for the HTC’s Touch HD has surfaced today. The most intriguing thing about the handset is the said availability of 850 and 1900 HSDPA bands, which means the phone supports U.S. 3G coverage. This could also mean the Touch HD is likely to be released in states.

While we don't know that for sure now, those who will manage to bring the phone stateside will apparently be able to use 3G on it.

Just a quick update: here's a video proving the authenticity of the yesterday's photo.

It's hard to tell whether this is real or not, but judging by picture it looks like it's a BlackBerry Application Suite running on a HTC Touch Pro. Rumors of such a thing were going around back in 2007, and assuming that the photo is real, it's very nice to finally see it on a live shot.