Updated version of HTC Desire smartphone rumoured for October release

The immensely popular Desire smartphone, from burgeoning Taiwanese manufacturer HTC is currently undergoing a revamp and is likely to be released by October, according to a post on Android-HK.com.

A picture on the site shows a redesigned chassis, minus the optical trackball feature, which has proved so popular on the current incarnation of the Desire. The chassis is said to be integrated aluminum, with rubberized edges, while the buttons on the front are now an integral part of the screen area.

The specification is beefed up too, with a possible 4.3 inch touchscreen, as opposed to 3.7 inches on the current model. The already very decent 5 megapixel camera is to be bumped up to 8 megapixels and there'll be 720p HD video capture and playback.

A 1GHz Qualcomm processor will continue to propel the Android OS (2.2) along nicely, there could also be SRS audio technology plus a built-in 4GB SD card, which should be expandable to 32GB.

Considering the current popularity for the Desire, and indeed Android phones in general, the new version is likely to be heavily in demand. Smartphones running the Android operating system are already overtaking the iPhone, with a recent report in the US suggesting that Android has a 27 per cent marketshare compared to 23 for the Apple device.