HTC Announce The 8X and The 8S, Windows Phone 8! Aussie Availability, Specs and Video!

The HTC event in New York has just wrapped up, and besides the fact that there was very little new to reveal, HTC CEO Peter Chou and Steve Ballmer took the stage in a display of partnership and commitment between the two companies. They also made a point of emphasising the longevity of their partnership, fifteen years going back to Windows Mobile.

Of course there was a lot of mutual back slapping, but the real message from Peter Chou, was that in taking on Windows Phone 8, the simple yet advanced featured OS that HTC had one thing in mind, to create a real “Hero Phone” to showcase and compliment the OS. In doing so that they would have to depart from their design standards and come up with something that was as visually stunning, that embodied the OS, Its UI, taking the tile and representing it in 3D. But It’s the phones you want to see.

NEW YORK, 19th September, 2012 — HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, and Microsoft today unveiled the first signature Windows Phones, the stunning Windows® Phone 8X and 8S by HTC®. The smartphones feature the new Windows Phone 8 operating system and boast iconic design, studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™ and incredible camera capabilities.

Now these are being called Signature Windows Phones, and I have to admit the range of colours are stunning, and it looks like the phones will be available in November, on 150 networks/carriers world wide, in over 50 countries. Some good news there for Aussies, with the devices coming toTelstra and Vodafone Australia.

Availability
The Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC will be available beginning in November. Available through more than 150 carriers in 50+ countries, the Windows Phone 8X or 8S by HTC will be available from the world’s top carriers including: United States: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. Europe: Orange, O2 Telefonica, MTS, Three UK, T-Mobile, and Vodafone Asia-Pacific: Chunghwa Telecom, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel), Smartone, Telstra and Vodafone Australia.

Windows Phone 8X by HTC specification
SIZE: 132.35 x 66.2 x 10.12mm
WEIGHT: 130 grams with battery
DISPLAY: 341ppi super LCD 2 display, with Gorilla® Glass for greater durability. Optical lamination for superior sharpness & clarity plus reduced light reflection
SCREEN: 4.3-inch touch screen with HD 720p (1280×720) resolution
CPU SPEED
Qualcomm® S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
PLATFORM
Windows® Phone 8
SIM
Micro SIM
MEMORY
Total storage: 16 GBi RAM: 1 GB
NETWORKii
HSPA/WCDMA:
 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
SENSORS
 Proximity sensor
 Ambient light sensor
 Digital compass
 G-Sensor
CONNECTIVITY
 3.5 mm stereo audio jack: plug any headphones with a standard-sized 3.5mm connector
 Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
 Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5GHz)
 micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port
 NFC capableiii
MAIN CAMERA
 8 megapixel camera with auto focus, LED flash and BSI sensor (for better low-light captures)
 f/2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
 1080p HD video recording with stereo sound
 Dedicated HTC ImageChipTM for fast focus speed and clearer, sharper shots
 Dedicated camera button
FRONT CAMERA
 2.1 megapixel camera
 f/2.0 aperture and ultra-wide-angle lens
 1080p HD video recording
 Dedicated HTC ImageChipTM for fast focus speed and clearer, sharper shots
SOUND ENHANCEMENT
 Studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™ built in
 Enjoy bigger sound and superior fidelity with exclusive built-in Amplifiers
MULTIMEDIA
Audio supported formats:
 Playback: .amr, .aac, .wav, .mp3, m4a, .asf, .wma (version 9 and 10)
 Recording: .wav (with OneNote)
Video supported formats:
 Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .m4v, .asf, .wma (version 9 and 10)
 Recording: .mp4
BATTERY
Capacity: 1,800 mAh Embedded and rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery
i The available user storage is less due to phone software
ii Network bands in regions other than Europe and Asia Pacific may be different, depending on the mobile operator and your location. Upload and download speeds also depend on the mobile operator.
iii NFC availability depends on the mobile operator and your location. Please check with your mobile operator.
Note: Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

Windows Phone 8S by HTC specification
SIZE: 120.5 x 63 x 10.28mm
WEIGHT: 113 grams with battery
DISPLAY: super LCD display, with Gorilla® Glass for greater durability
SCREEN: 4-inch touch screen with WVGA (800x 480) resolution
CPU SPEED
Qualcomm® S4 1 GHz dual-core
PLATFORM
Windows® Phone 8
SIM
MicroSIM
MEMORY
Total storage: 4 GBi RAM: 512 MB
EXPANSION SLOT
MicroSD card
NETWORKii
HSPA/WCDMA:
 Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
SENSORS
 Proximity sensor
 Ambient light sensor
 G-Sensor
GPS
 Internal GPS antenna with GLONASS
CONNECTIVITY
 3.5 mm stereo audio jack : plug any headphones with a standard-sized 3.5mm connector
 Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
 Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
CAMERA
 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash
 f/2.8 aperture and 35mm lens
 720p HD video recording with stereo sound
 Dedicated camera button
SOUND ENHANCEMENT
 Studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™ built in
MULTIMEDIA
Audio supported formats:
 Playback: .amr, .aac, .m4a, .wav, .asf, .mp3, .wma (version 9 and 10)
 Recording: .wav (with OneNote)
Video supported formats:
 Playback: 3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .m4v, .asf, .wmv (version 9 and 10)
 Recording: .mp4
BATTERY
Capacity: 1,700 mAh Embedded & rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery
i The available user storage is less due to phone software.
ii Network bands in regions other than Europe and Asia Pacific may be different, depending on the mobile operator and your location. Upload and download speeds also depend on the mobile operator.
Note: Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.