Reports: HTC Touch HD To Drop Windows For Android

Handset maker HTC is reportedly working to release the update to the company’s Touch HD smartphone, currently running on the Windows Mobile operating system (OS), which is instead powered by Google’s fledgling Android OS.

Technology newswire, Register Hardware quoted sources from the company saying the company is making the switch for the handset, for which a release date hasn’t yet been set.

The source also said the updated handset will use a faster 628MHz Qualcomm chip and feature a 3.8-inch touchscreen. HTC’s decision may not come as great surprise to some, as the company has launched previous handsets with Android, including T-Mobile’s G1 (the first phone to the market that used the Android mobile device platform) and the Vodafone Magic, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February and Hero (the first Android device to support Adobe Flash).

Earlier this month, US wireless carrier Sprint announced the availability of the long-awaited HTC Touch Pro2 this week, on 8 September, when customers can pick up the smartphone for $350 (£213) including a two-year contract. The device offers Windows Mobile 6.1, TouchFlo user interface and entertainment options like Sprint TV with live and on-demand programming.

However, HTC isn’t quite ready to migrate completely over to Android, if the company’s recent announcement in collaboration with Sprint is any indication. Announced earlier this month, the HTC Touch Pro2 features a 3.6-inch WVGA variable-angle tilting touch-screen,a wide, slide-out keyboard that is larger than its predecessor—and the Windows Mobile 6.1 OS. Features like TouchFlo 3D bring information important to the user—such as quick access to contacts, messaging, e-mail and weather—to the top level of the user interface, and battery life has been expanded by 20 per cent.