HTC has been one of the most prolific Windows Phone manufacturers to date, releasing devices like the HD7, Titan, Titan II and Windows Phone 8X, and it looks like the company doesn't plan on changing that any time soon. Speaking to CNET, HTC VP for Global Product Planning Tai Ito said that his company is "fully committed" to Windows Phone. Ito went on to tease that HTC's collaborating with Microsoft on a new product that's due later this year. The exec didn't spill any details about it, but he did say that it's unlikely that its Windows Phones will borrow any bits of design from the HTC One.
The good news is that while Ito didn't open up about specifics of upcoming products, the rumor mill is perfectly happy to do so. A new report from @evleaks claims that HTC is prepping a new Windows Phone unit codenamed "Tiara." Interestingly, it's said that the Tiara will be one of the first devices to feature Windows Phone 8 GDR2, which is the next WP8 update. The Tiara's spec list reportedly includes a 4.3-inch WVGA Super LCD 2 display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear and 1.6-megapixel front cameras, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage and an 1,800mAh battery. And for those that may be wondering, the Tiara is not expected to feature any HTC One design elements, which lines up with Ito's comments.
The HTC Tiara is rumored to be slated for launch in mid-May. If the specs hold true, it sounds like it could be a nice mid-range Windows Phone 8 offering from HTC. Even with those not-quite-high-end specs, the Tiara could be the focus of attention for a lot of Windows Phone fans phans when it comes out if the device is indeed running the mysterious Windows Phone 8 GDR2 update. We've heard that Microsoft is prepping a substantial "Blue" update for Windows Phone with some UX tweaks and core app improvements with a planned release sometime in the summer/fall. That's a tad later than the Tiara's rumored mid-May launch, but perhaps we'll see devices preloaded with the update a tad earlier than expected. Stay tuned and we'll bring you more details as we get 'em, folks.
Via CNET, Unwired View
