HTC unveils two Desire smartphones

Smartphone maker HTC unveiled two new Android-based phones, along with an updated version of its own user interface, HTC Sense, and a new online service called HTCSense.com, to let users manage their phones from a computer.

The two phones are the HTC Desire, with a 4.3-inch display, and the powerful 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor; and the Desire Z, with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a slightly less powerful Qualcomm chip. Both run Android 2.2, the Froyo version of the OS.

The Desire HD also has an 8 megapixel camera, which can record 720p HD video, and dual-LED flash. It supports Dolby Mobile with SRS virtual surround sound.

The Desire Z is said to resemble the just-available T-Mobile G2 Androidsmartphone. It runs runs an 800MHz Qualcomm processor. Its 5 megapixel camera also records 720p HD video. One big difference is the flip-out QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard was designed for “for people with long fingernails and chubby thumbs,” according to a story by UK tech news Web site Electricpig, which was present at the announcement. Pricing was not announced.

Both phones can connect to HTCSense.com, where users can locate a lost or stolen phone, sound the ringer, and remotely lock it. Through the Web site, users can add images, plug-ins and sounds to their phone.

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The updated HTC Sense UI, which sits atop Android, includes a battery of new features, including a unified in-box. Maps can now be pre-cached, reducing the wait times in loading and zooming. Another addition is HTC Fast Boot, which cuts the time it takes to complete the phone’s power-up sequence to 10 seconds or less from about 45 seconds, according to reports.

The phones will be available in Europe and Asia starting next month. The Desire Z will ship in North America later this year, HTC said. See more details on HTC official site.