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HTC leakfest: Android Vigor, WP7 Omega, Puccini tablet

Feast your eyes on the biggest and baddest of HTC's second-half line-up for 2011; from the Android-powered Vigor to the Windows Phone Mango Omega.

Joseph Hanlon Special to CNET News
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon
3 min read

HTC fans, today is your day, with a veritable pinata of new information about the next batch of HTC smartphones and tablets.

Collected from the four corners of the intertubes, the following looks like the best of HTC's second-half line-up — including its first Android Honeycomb tablet.

HTC Vigor

The front and back of the upcoming HTC Vigor. (Credit: GSMArena)

Feast your eyes on HTC's next big thing. The Vigor (not to be confused with the bad guy in Ghostbusters 2) will be a 4.3-inch Android-powered monster with a chassis design based on the asymmetrical design of the Incredible S. The groovy grip on the underside gives the Vigor's body a more rubber-like appearance than the soft-touch plastic on the Incredible S. We'll be interested to see whether HTC promotes the Vigor as having enhanced durability — the name Vigor does suggest a phone that you use while you're working up a vigorous sweat.

Under the hood, the Vigor will reportedly ship with a single-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm chip (possibly dual-core), plus an Andreno 220 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It will also have 16GB of memory on-board, which will be important for making the most of the new Dr Dre-designed Beats Audio hardware stuffed inside of the Vigor. It should also be the first HTC device to use the updated Sense UI 3.5, which would be a very sweet cherry on top.

What do you guys reckon HTC will call this handset when it hits the shops? Incredible HD? Incredible S II?

HTC Omega

The sleek-looking HTC Omega. (Credit: PocketNow)

If you're excited about Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, but you don't feel like you can talk about it at parties in front of your iPhone- and Android-loving mates, don't worry; we feel you. Microsoft looks to have packed a lot into this update, including the recently confirmed support for front-facing cameras (Skype anyone?) and Wi-Fi tethering, making it a serious platform consideration for even the geekiest of us.

The HTC Omega will be HTC's attempt to capitalise on the Mango update, and it looks super sleek in these leaked renders. Not only that, but it also looks to be packed with a stack of tech to boot. According to Engadget, the Omega will sport a 3.8-inch Super LCD display, a 1.5GHz processor and DLNA media-sharing compatibility, plus a micro-HDMI port for plugging the Omega into your big-screen TV. It will also have an 8MP camera on the back, and, if it's anything like the camera on the HTC Incredible S, then we'll be in for a real treat.

HTC is holding an event in London on 1 September, and the Omega is tipped to be centre of attention at this event.

HTC Puccini

The Puccini tablet with Honeycomb and Sense UI for tablets. (Credit: Engadget)

Alongside its new handsets, HTC is also gearing up for the launch of its first Android Honeycomb-powered tablet, the 10-inch Puccini. New speculation suggests an October launch for the tablet, placing it in the limelight alongside the updated Apple iPhone and a bevy of other October babies. The Puccini is expected to be delivered on Android Honeycomb 3.1 with HTC Sense for tablets, powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM.

CNET blogger Scott Webster reported last week that the Puccini could get the name Jetstream when it launches in the US (what an awesome name), and that it could ship with 4G hardware. An October launch in Australia could coincide with the launch of Telstra's new 4G network, so our fingers are firmly crossed for a convenient tie-in partnership between the two companies.

Via GSMArena, PocketNow, Engadget, CNET Crave