By Keri Algar

SYDNEY, NSW: In its last smartphone launch of the year, HTC last night unveiled the new large-screen Desire HD, which as expected will be available in November for free on a $59 cap, exclusively through Vodafone Hutchinson Australia (VHA).

From the seventeenth floor of the Star City Casino in Sydney, Anthony Petts, sales and marketing director ANZ, HTC, said the company had experienced an amazing year of growth, before summarising some of the 200 new enhancements of the Desire HD, a step up from its predecessor, the highly praised Desire. 

“The HTC Desire HD includes the new version of HTC Sense which introduces a number of key innovations including a series of connected services called HTCSense.com, that broadens a user’s mobile experience,” said Petts.

The stack of enhancements include a 4.3-inch LCD screen, a fast boot feature to start the phone, a unified inbox, increased personalisation options, an HD 720p camcorder, DNLA for video sharing, Dolby full surround sound and a 1GHz processor.

Petts was joined by Ross Parker, general manager devices and pricing, Vodafone, who said the Desire HD was the most anticipated device VHA has seen in the last year and that it would challenge the popularity of the iPhone.

"The HTC Desire HD is one of the most highly anticipated Android smartphones this year, and will give customers an even simpler and more amazing experience,” said Parker.

“Available to our Vodafone and 3 customers, we expect the HTC Desire HD, with its stunning features and multimedia performance, along with a competitive price point to be one of the hottest Android devices this Christmas.”