HTC Desire HD headed VHA's way

Mobile telco Vodafone-Hutchison Australia (VHA) has secured an exclusive deal with HTC to launch the Asian manufacturer's new Android-based HTC Desire HD handset in Australia, one-upping Telstra's existing control of the original Desire.

"VHA is excited to be the exclusive carrier for the HTC Desire HD, an outstanding and stylish Android device that brings further strength to our current Android range," said VHA general manager of Devices and Pricing Ross Parker in a statement, referring to the handset announced overnight in the UK.

"We look forward to providing our customers on Vodafone and 3 such a highly anticipated, powerful device."

Anthony Petts, sales and marketing director (ANZ) for HTC, said: "We are pleased that we are expanding our partnership with VHA in the Australian market with the launch of the HTC Desire HD on the Vodafone and 3 mobile network."

However, neither the telco nor HTC itself has disclosed any further information about when the new handset will be launched in Australia, saying only that pricing and availability would be announced closer to the launch date, which will be "later this year".

The Desire HD offers a number of improvements over the original model, including a new unibody aluminium case (similar to that found on the HTC Legend — another Vodafone offering), a bright 4.3-inch LCD screen, Dolby Mobile and SRS virtual sound, and a 1GHz Qualcomm 8255 Snapdragon CPU.

Included is 720p video-recording functionality, as well as an 8-megapixel camera with dual-flash. One additional new feature is a fast boot option that enables people to quickly make a call or check emails, shortening the power-up time.

However, it remains unclear how another handset announced by HTC overnight — the Desire Z — will be launched in Australia, if at all. The device is similar to previous high-end HTC Android handsets, with one notable exception, it comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.