HTC's Version Of iPod Touch May Be On The Way

HTC might be working on its own verson of the iPod Touch – that is, a device that has almost all the same functionality as a mobile phone but without the actual phone part. So, consumers would be able to have apps and games, but wouldn't have to worry about paying for data service or a monthly voice plan. Speculation of this move – and that's all it is at this point, speculation – is coming from a recently unearthed HTC patent application.

The patent in question uses the words "handheld electonic device" to dscribe what the gadget actually is. So, it might seem like the patent is heading for boring town, but HTC is no doubt ready to shake up the mobile market in a way that it hasn't before. Launching the Android equivalent of the iPod Touch could be huge. Android is very popular, but it's prohibitive for consumers to jump on the bandwagon.

Among HTC's proven successful designs for smarphones are the Evo 3D on Sprint and the Thunderbolt on Verizon, both of which are pioneers in the industry. The Evo 3D was the first glasses-free 3D phone to launch in the US, and the Thunderbolt was Verizon's first 4G LTE phone – meaning it was the first 4G LTE phone in the country – to hit the market. There's not much to see from this patent other than the opportunity to raise a few eyebrows.

[via Patent Bolt]