HTC officially announced their new smartphone HD2 “Leo” today. The HD2 will be available in Europe “later this month”, and will then move out to carriers in other regions. It will be one of the first devices on the market with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro, but have the new version of HTC’s custom user interface layered on top. This used to be called TouchFLO, but has just been renamed HTC Sense to reflect a greater focus on consumers. The HD2 will also be powered by Qualcomm’s new 1GHz Snapdragon mobile processor and boasts a 4.3-inch WVGA (480×800) capacitive touch screen. Other highlights include Bluetooth 2.1, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.

Battery life is listed as up to 380 minutes of talktime, and up to 490 minutes of standby time. It will be possible to increase battery life by more than double the length with the addition of an extended battery pack, which will go on sale after the HD2 launches. It includes a handy stand for the mobile, so users can place it on a table and watch films on the hi-res screen.

On sale in late October, the HTC HD2 won’t be exclusive to any network in the UK, with T-Mobile and O2 already being confirmed.

HTC HD2, or Leo finally makes an appearance in something official — namely, the catalog for O2 UK. The HD2 is listed as having “the largest screen yet on a mobile”, which is actually a 4.3-inch capacitive panel. Inside there’s Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and Windows Mobile 6.5; interestingly, rather than showing the usual TouchFLO 3D UI O2 have shown the HD2 with the Start menu open, presumably to highlight the fact that the handset runs the new Microsoft OS.

Via [ engadget ]

Rumours abound that the HTC Leo will be launched on O2 much sooner than expected, the 12th of October to be precise. The Leo is the first Windows Mobile phone to be launched under the HTC banner for some time, with the company more recently choosing to focus on the Android mobile phone operating system (OS). Features of the Leo, which will run on the latest edition of Microsoft’s OS include a powerful 1GHz Qualcomm processor, to allow lag-free, simultaneous use of its functions, a 4.3-inch touchscreen and a five megapixel camera with a dual LED flash.