HTC One W8 Windows Phone Smartphone Set to Launch on 19 August

HTC has just issued invites for a press event taking place on 19 August where the Taiwanese company is set to reveal its premium smartphone, Windows Phone 8.1.

Set to be officially called the HTC One (W8) with Windows Phone, the device is reported to be based on the design of the company's flagship Android smartphone the One (M8).

The event will take place in New York on 19 August with reports suggesting that the One W8 could be available for sale just a couple of days later on 21 August.

The phone is likely to come with Microsoft's latest software - Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 - which was confirmed this week as bringing Cortana to the UK and China.

Desirable

If the One W8 does follow the look, feel and features of the Android version, then it could become the most desirable Windows Phone device to date.

Microsoft's Lumia devices are mostly constructed of plastic, and the all-aluminium design of the HTC One would be a step above anything available at the moment.

Until now, Nokia (now Microsoft) has been the manufacturer mainly pushing the Windows Phone platform, though Sony is also expected to launch a Windows Phone device later this year.

Among the features set to make the transition from the One M8 to the One W8 include the market-leading BoomSound speakers and the company's unique Duo Camera system, which allows users to create a number of post-capture photo effects.