HTC and T-Mobile launch HTC Ameo

No word as whether coming to the UK

24 January 2007 10:29 GMT / By Stuart Miles

HTC has launched its latest smartphone exclusively with T-Mobile in the Germany and the Netherlands, however, when questioned by Pocket-lint both companies refused to comment as to whether the phone would be available on the T-Mobile network in the UK.

The new phone originally codenamed Athena and now called the HTC Ameo is a Windows Mobile-powered device which boasts a 3.5-inch touchscreen display and fold out QWERTY keyboard unlike anything currently available on the market.

Other specs include a 400Mhz Samsung processor, b/g Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3 megapixel camera. The phone also boasts 64MB RAM and 256MB ROM.

"It is likely to be coming to the UK, however more details will be announced at 3GSM in Barcelona next month", a spokesman for HTC told Pocket-lint.co.uk. "The Athena is being launched as the Ameo with T-Mobile later today in an event pre-CEBIT. T-Mobile has a short term of exclusivity on this device for Germany, the UK, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic"

A spokeswomen for T-Mobile however wasn't so sure saying they had no details on whether or not the phone would be either coming to the UK on the T-Mobile network or whether or not it would be exclusive to them.

We are waiting on a response from O2 as to whether or not it will be offering the phone on its network.

In the past T-Mobile and O2 have been the first to take new HTC models, however last year HTC started to brand its phones with its own label and offer them to the UK market regardless of which mobile phone operator a customer was with.

We will keep you posted.