After months of rumors and leaked roadmaps, HTC CEO Peter Chou announced the launch of three exciting new devices (HTC Desire, Legend and HD Mini) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.  In the same press meeting HTC also claimed that "A record number of mobile operators have confirmed to launch our new devices. HTC Desire has been accepted by almost every key carrier in every key country we work with."

Many of us presumed that the US qualified as a "key country," and were expecting to hear news of US release dates and carriers at CTIA 2010.  But CTIA has come and gone, and the only HTC device to officially launch since then has been the EVO 4G on Sprint.  So, where is the Desire and when will I be able to buy one?

According to Phandroid, it may be sooner than you think.  It looks like someone over at Howard Forums has come across a mail-In Rebate form from US Cellular (the sixth largest carrier in the US) which indicates that they will be carrying the HTC Desire and giving a $70 rebate to those who purchase it between April 16th and July 15th.  Logically speaking, that gives us a three month window to work with.  However, it would be hard to believe that a company would give you less than 30 days to return a device, so my guess is that we'll see the Desire no later than mid-June.

I leave you with this thought: US Cellular is the number six carrier in the US.  If this rebate form is real, you can rest assured that the Desire will be coming to at least one of the Big Four carriers within a similar time frame.  The only other alternative, in my opinion, would be HTC alienating the big four in a major way.

Here's hoping the Desire comes to a carrier near me very soon!  Express your desires (pun intended) in the comments!

Via Phandroid