Live from HTC's London 2010 launch event

By Vlad Savov

Guess where we are. Yes, the HTC event important enough to be crashed by Nokia's guerilla marketing crew is just about to get started and your favorite tech blog is here to bring you the moment-by-moment account. Join us past the break as we set out to discover what desirable new handsets HTC has on tap!12:44PM And that's it! We'll be busting out soon enough to see if we can get some hands-on time before darting back to Nokia World.

12:41PM Vodafone is getting a Desire Z exclusive in some markets — he mentioned Spain and Australia

12:36PM They're both available next month!



12:35PM The Z Hinge! HTC views this new slider design as a way to allow top-row keyboard access without trouble. We're sure loyal Xperia users know what he's talking about. Keyboard shortcuts (i.e. R for Reply) have been built right in. Still waiting on internal specifications, though...

12:32PM 8 megapixel camera alongside a dual flash on the HD; a 4.3-inch display, too. Hello, Euro Evo!


12:30PM Taken 'the most challenging material of all, metal, and made a phone out of it.' Aluminum construction on both Desire HD and Desire Z. Boy, sounds delicious already.

12:26PM Damn, our hunches were spot on. Silly little intro speech right now. we want specs!


12:18PM Peter Chou takes a moment for a dramatic pause.


12:17PM Desire HD and Desire Z announced!

12:16PM HTCSense.com can send messages from your computer onto the lock screen of your phone.

12:13PM Now we're being told about HTC's ringers being louder when in a handbag and other "so simple, why didn't I think of it" HTC enhancements. "Turning an everyday moment into a perfect moment. That is HTC Sense." HTC Sense adding pre-cached maps! No more waiting for maps when zooming or panning.

12:12PM HTC is no longer just about putting a phone in your hand, he says. It's about letting you manage and control your data through your phone and PC. And with that Peter Chou hands off for an in-depth explication of the new Sense.

12:10PM HTC Sense.com is a series of new interconnected services. Looks like cloud backup goodies.

12:09PM New HTC Sense!

12:09PM "HTC is now a top 4 smartphone maker." Ooh, teasing windows phone 7!

12:07PM In the last year, HTC brand awareness has doubled. "We want people to view HTC as a brand that is different."

12:06PM HTC has "broken new ground", introduced the smartphone to new consumer segments. "The smartphone has arrived!"

12:05PM Peter Chou's on stage!

11:52AM Eric Lin promises this presentation will be "insane!" It'd better be. We're seeing a lot of smoke at the bottom of the recurring animation on stage, repeating the theme from the event invitation. Our guess: HTC is launching the first phone with an internal combustion engine!

11:46AM We're in and seated. Swanky music, sexy lighting, et cetera. You know the drill.

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