HTC Desire HD out next week, new BlackBerry Bold 9780 on Vodafone?

Carphone Warehouse has confirmed it will start selling the HTC Desire HD in the next week or so, with suggestions that it could be available free on a Vodafone package from £35 a month.

The HTC Desire HD on Vodafone appeared on Carphone Warehouse systems with a 10 October release, according to an anonymous tip-off reported by coolsmartphone.com. We contacted Carphone for confirmation, but a spokesperson wouldn't give a specific date, saying the Desire HD would be available "mid-October".

It seems unlikely that a retailer would start selling a phone on a Sunday, but it's possible the Carphone system shows when the units are being sent to stores for sale the following day. Amazon UK is listing the Desire HD for sale on 11 October, next Monday.

The Vodafone tariff on £35 a month would give you a free Desire HD together with 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 'unlimited' Internet, which in reality would have a fair-use cap. This is similar to what's already on offer from online retailers through phone plus SIM deals. Vodafone couldn't comment on tariffs, but did say the latest version of its retail catalogue included the HTC Desire HD. HTC offered a cheery "no comment" too.

If 11 October is correct, it's the same day when Windows Phone 7 makes its debut. It's an extremely busy time for HTC, with eagerly awaited devices expected on multiple platforms. As well as the debut of the HTC Desire HD and keyboard-sporting Z on Android, we expect to see more than one phone running Microsoft's new mobile OS.

Vodafone is also close to releasing the BlackBerry 9780, the new smart phone in the Bold series, according to BerryReview.com. The 9780 is probably the same phone we saw back in August under the name BlackBerry R020, noting back then that nothing much has changed looks-wise since the last Bold. But it should run on the new BlackBerry 6 OS, and carry more memory as well as a better camera. With a free Bold on a two-year, £35 contract, you'd reportedly get 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of data.

As autumn sidles in, we're expecting a rootin' tootin' smart phone shoot-out, as exciting handsets blast off all over the place. Which one are you aiming for?