The melding of camera and phone may soon become an even tighter fit if a leaked, unnamed HTC handset hits the market. Images of the device, which appears to have a 12 megapixel camera and RAW format shooting capabilities, were leaked by Russian techster Eldar Murtazin, who is known around the world for his pre-release tips and leaks.
A 13-minute video of the device posted to Murtazin’s Twitter page shows the device in action. While Murtazin calls the handset the HTC “Mazaa,” it appears to be nearly identical to the HTC Trophy, but with one important addition: a 12MP camera that can shoot in RAW format, a popular file type among photography professionals and enthusiasts. Not only is a 12MP nearly nonexistent (the Nokia N8 has one), but the RAW format is normally reserved for devices dedicated exclusively to shooting pictures.
Perhaps even more interesting to many tech observers is that the device is running what appears to be Windows Phone 7 “Mango,” the most recent update of Microsoft’s mobile operating system — and one that has yet to hit the consumer market.
Microsoft debuted Mango at press conferences last week, though the inclusion of HTC on the handset makers list was originally excluded from any talk of Mango devices. HTC chief executive Peter Chou later revealed that his company would also release Mango phones.
Other phone manufacturers that have Mango-based devices in the works are Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE, which are all new to the Windows Phone family. Samsung and LG are also on the list. And Microsoft revealed that Mango would be the OS to run on the first Nokia devices to be released with Microsoft’s software.
