HTC has announced in a press release via its Dutch office that a white version of the HTC Sensation is set to be released in the Netherlands on the 1st March, and it will ship with the latest version of the Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The news will be welcomed by existing owners of the HTC Sensation, as it could mean an update to existing handset is due anytime soon, although an exact date isn't indicated in the press release.

The White Sensation will offer exactly the same features as those found in the current Dark Grey handset, utilising a stylish aluminium design for the shell, and sporting a large, 4.3 inch qHD display.

The handset is equipped with an 8.0 Megapixel camera, with 1080p HD video record functionality, and includes the popular HTC Sense user interface. Powered by a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, the Sensation also includes TV Out support via MHL A/V Link, as well as Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi with DLNA and WiFi Hotspot, and high speed mobile broadband via HSDPA.

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HTC are rumoured to be working on an official Facebook phone, that will run on the Android OS, which is currently going by the codename HTC Buffy.

Whether the handset will be called 'Buffy' upon release remains to be seen, as often handsets release under a different name to that which they are known by during development. The HTC Buffy would stand out from all previous 'Facebook phones' as the Android OS will be built to integrate completely with the services you can access from the Facebook website.

Details on the exact configuration and styling of the device are yet to be revealed, and it could be sometime before the device reaches the market, with some suggestions it could be anything from 12 – 18 months away. Given the fast moving nature of the mobile industry, one has to wonder whether that may be too long.

There are other devices currently available that offer strong tie-ins to Facebook, including HTC's very own ChaCha, as well as the INQ Cloud Touch and the Vodafone 555. Whilst Facebook remains one of the leading services accessed via mobile, and has been one of the driving reasons behind the growth of smartphones among users generally, the interest in the Facebook phones already released has been rather muted. It remains to be seen whether the HTC Buffy can change that.

In response to queries about the possible future release of a Facebook phone, a spokesman for the company gave the following reply: “Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social. We are working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world.”

HTC and Dropbox have agreed a deal that will see HTC Android phones come with the Dropbox app pre-installed, as well as offering 5 GB of storage, for free.

For those who have not yet come across Dropbox, the service allows users to store photos, videos and files online, which can then be accessed from multiple devices. Dropbox is an easy way to share content with other users, too, by adding it a public folder.

There is a Dropbox app for iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Phone as well as for Android. Whilst the service is free, accounts are limited to 2 GB of storage. Anything higher incurs an annual charge, making the HTC/Dropbox deal very appealing.

The confirmation of the deal came via the HTC Twitter feed, which stated: “We are proud to announce the we have partnered with Dropbox, bringing 5 GB of storage to all of our Android phones.” There is confusion with the details of the deal, with some suggesting that the additional storage will only be offered for devices running Sense 3.5. However, users of HTC Android phones that run an earlier version of Sense are reporting through forums that they are able to access the additional storage.

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As manufacturer of some of the most popular Android handsets available on the market, HTC have a big job on hand, in making sure the latest Android OS can be integrated into their devices, and co-exist with their Sense user interface.

Many HTC customers will be eager to know what plans HTC have for bringing the latest Android OS to their devices, and following the release of the first ICS device, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, HTC released a statement, detailing their immediate plans:

We are excited about the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans. Our goal for Android updates is to give every customer an improved user experience, which means balancing each phone's unique hardware, HTC Sense experience and the Android kernel. While our goal is to upgrade as many of our recent devices as possible, we are committed to maintaining every phone's performance and usability first. Please stay tuned for more updates on specific device upgrade plans.

As you can see, that doesn't read as a major commitment to Android 4.0, but it should be encouraging for HTC phone owners to see that at some point, they could expect to see Ice Cream Sandwich being delivered to their Android handsets, subject to the usual delays for operator branding, of course.

The recently announced HTC Rhyme is a recent addition to the HTC family of Android smartphones. The device offers a host of features common to most smartphones, but has a decidedly feminine feel to it, as HTC look to market the device to a wider female audience.

The impression seems to be that the smartphone is the preserve of male geeks, and therefore to encourage a wider take up amongst female users, HTC have included additional accessories that are available for the Rhyme, such as light up charms that will illuminate when the handset receives an incoming call or text message.

Such accessories are nothing new, just a few years ago when phones still had external aerials it was possible to purchase flashing coloured aerials that lit up when making or receiving a call. Whether the female audience will respond to such devices as an attempt to win their custom remains to be seen, however the general perception is most female smartphone users manage quite well using their handsets for what they are designed for, and don't need or want these additional gimmicks.

Aside from that issue, the HTC Rhyme is a fairly well featured device. Powered by a 1 GHz processor, the Rhyme runs Android OS Gingerbread, and includes Sense version 3.5. This version of Sense adds additional controls to the phone, such as letting you start frequently used features straight from the lockscreen of the phone, instead of having to trawl through the menu. The shortcuts you can add to the homescreen are entirely customisable, so you can choose the applications that matter most to you.

The S-LCD capacitive touchscreen display on the HTC Rhyme measures in at 3.7 inches, and supports up to 16 million colours. The resolution is 480 x 800, and there is support for multi touch input, as well as an accelerometer for auto display rotation, and a proximity sensor.

Measuring just over 10mm in thickness, the Rhyme weighs in at 130g, and has a sturdy feel thanks to the unibody design of the handset casing. There is 4 GB of internal memory on the phone, with up to 1 GB available for storage. The storage capacity can be expanded with Micro SD memory cards, with the Rhyme able to handle cards up to 32 GB in size.

A GSM quad band handset, the HTC Rhyme offers HSDPA up to 14.4 Mbps, and HSUPA at up to 5.76 Mbps. WiFi support is included, with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and a WiFi Hotspot feature available, which lets you connect another WiFi enabled device to your handset, and use the web access from your phone. This is a feature that is also known as tethering, and charges for access are different across networks, so be sure to check before using this service.

The HTC Rhyme has a full media player onboard, with support for popular video and audio formats. A 3.5mm audio jack lets you listen in to tunes with your favourite headset, with the device also including Bluetooth 3.0, with A2DP support as well as EDR. A stereo FM radio with RDS is available as standard.

The camera onboard the HTC Rhyme is a 5.0 Megapixel camera, with autofocus, LED Flash, and geotagging. The camera offers an instant shutter feature, which means it takes images quicker than previous devices, making it easier to capture those special moments Full integration with social networks means that as soon as a picture as been captured, it can be instantly uploaded to the web to share with friends and family online. The camera is also capable of recording 720p HD video, and there is a front facing VGA camera for video calls.

A GPS chip is included, with A-GPS support, which offers support for a variety of location based services. All the usual Google goodies are included on the phone, including Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Search, Google Talk and Picasa.

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All round, the HTC Rhyme is a decent phone and a welcome addition to the HTC range. The handset is expected to launch during October 2011.

Announced at the same time as the impressive HTC Titan, the HTC Radar is a Windows Phone handset with more mid range ambitions, but at the same time still including an impressive set of features that would grace many a modern smartphone.

The main difference that you will notice with the Radar, in comparison to the Titan, is the smaller, more standard size of the phone. The HTC Radar weighs in at a more pocket friendly 137g, and measures up at 120.5 x 61.5 x 10.9mm. With a smaller sized phone comes a smaller display, yet don't be put off by the numbers, at 3.8 inches the Radar display is still more than acceptable. The S-LCD screen offers good legibility in most lighting conditions, and with support for up to 16 million colours, images on the display appear bright. The screen has a pixel resolution of 480 x 800 which is the normal standard for the average smartphone device, and the screen is protected with a Gorilla Glass covering, offering extra strength and durability, which is an impression you get all round from the handset, thanks in part to the unibody design casing.

The touchscreen supports multi touch input, allowing for pinch to zoom motions to be used, as well as enabling better controls when playing games on the handset. There is an accelerometer for auto display rotation, which automatically flips the display between portrait and landscape mode, depending on how the phone is held, whilst a proximity sensor automatically disables the screen when placed against your face, when making a call.

The camera on the HTC Radar is a standard 5.0 Megapixel camera, with autofocus and LED Flash. The camera has an F2.2 lens and BSI sensor, for superior quality images. Support for Geotagging is included, and the camaera is capable of recording 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. A secondary front facing VGA camera is also included on the Radar, allowing users to take advantage of the many video calling services available.

The handset also includes a full media player, with support for popular digital formats for audio and video, and there is also a stereo FM Radio which includes RDS support. The Radar includes the HTC Watch app, which lets you gain access to movies to download and watch on the go. The way the app works allows you to start watching the movie once downloading has commenced, whilst it continues to download in the background. The device also has a 3.5mm audio jack for usage with standard headphones, and the onboard Bluetooth supports A2DP which lets you listen to music from your device with a compatible wirefree headset.

Powered by a single core 1 GHz processor, the HTC Radar comes with the latest version of the Windows Phone operating System, commonly known as Mango, pre-loaded. The Radar is a quad band GSM handset, offering extensive worldwide coverage when roaming, and includes support for HSDPA up to 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA at up to 5.76 Mbps. EDGE and GPRS data services are included, for times when you are outside of 3G coverage, plus there is onboard WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. The handset offers support for DLNA technology, which enables simple integration of the phone into an existing wireless network.

There is a GPS Receiver onboard the device, which is backed up with A-GPS support on the phone. Bing Maps comes pre-loaded, making the Radar a competent SatNav device. All the usual Microsoft goodies are included on the Radar, courtesy of the Windows Phone OS. This includes the Internet Explorer mobile web browser, which renders most pages easily enough. The handset includes support for MMS, SMS and push Email, with support available for multiple email accounts. Instant Messaging support is via Windows Live Messenger, and with Windows Phone 'Threads' swapping between Facebook, Chat, Text and IM has never been easier. Easy access to Facebook is gained via the 'Me' tile, whilst support for People Hub lets you pull together all your contacts and social networks into one easy to manage group.

Onboard memory on the HTC Radar is set to 8 GB, and as with most other Windows Phone handsets, there is no memory card slot, so careful management of your memory is required if you like to store images, music and videos on your phone,.

The phone is powered by a 1520 mAh Li Ion battery, which should be good for up to 360 hours standby on 2G networks, or 330 hours on a 3G network, with talktime up to seven hours on 2G and up to five and a half hours on 3G.

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The HTC Radar is a strong addition to the HTC range of Windows Phone handsets. The device is expected to launch during October 2011, and will be available in either Active White or Metal Silver.

The trend with smartphones these days is for ever bigger handsets, allowing manufacturers to include large screens that are more suitable for multimedia viewing. One such device from the HTC range is the HTC Sensation XL.

The Sensation XL sports a very large 4.7 inch, S-LCD capacitive touchscreen display, housed in a unibody casing that measures 132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9mm. Almost every available space on the Sensation XL is taken up with the display, which expands to the very edges of the phone, with just a small strip at the top for the speaker, proximity sensor and front facing camera, and a strip at the bottom of the phone housing the touch sensitive control keys.

The device manages to feel comfortable enough thanks to the slimline feel, but the weight of 162.5g lets you know you have a monster smartphone in your pocket. Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the HTC Sensation XL includes the latest version of the Sense user interface, Sense 3.5. As graphically pleasing to use as previous versions, Sense 3.5 also allows you to access favourite applications straight from the lockscreen. Applications are customisable, allowing individual choice of which application are set for quick launch.

The Sensation XL is the latest handset from HTC to support the new audio software, following the HTC collaboration with Beats Audio. Part of the deal sees a set of Beats Audio headsets by Dr Dre included in the box. Should they not prove suitable, the handset has a standard 3.5mm audio jack, which allows any standard headset to be used with the phone.

The media player on the handset supports all the popular music and video formats, and there is also a stereo FM radio with RDS. Internal memory storage on the device is set to 16 GB, which is fairly substantial. Unfortunately that is all you get, as there is no support included on the phone for Micro SD Memory cards.

The Sensation XL includes an 8.0 Megapixel camera, with autofocus and an LED Flash. Geotagging support is also included, and the camera can record 720p HD video. On the front of the phone is a 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera, for video calls and self portrait shots.

The quad band GSM handset is powered by a single core, 1.5 GHz processor. Data transfer is catered for by the inclusion of HSDPA, up to 14.4 Mbps, and HSUPA, up to 5.76 Mbps. The device includes WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, with WiFi hotspot feature and support for DLNA. WiFi Hotspot allows you to use the Sensation XL for tethering. Tethering is where a WiFi enabled device connects to the handset and uses the GSM connectivity of the device to access the web. DLNA is a universal protocol which works on a variety of handsets. The idea behind DLNA allows compatible devices to easily integrate into an existing wireless setup, and exchange data across the network.

The HTC Sensation XL supports Bluetooth 3.0, with A2DP for wireless stereo connectivity, and includes a Micro USB port, which connects to a data cable and is also used charging the phone. There is also a built in GPS chip, with A-GPS support, used for location based applications as well as with the pre-loaded Google Maps.

Powered by a 1600 mAh lithium ion battery, the Sensation XL offers up to 710 minutes of talktime, and up to 460 hours standby.

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The HTC Sensation XL will be available in Black or White, and is scheduled to be released during November 2011.

The HTC Titan is an absolute giant of a handset, in all ways. The device boasts pretty much every feature you could want from a modern day smartphone, with an amazingly large display, which presents web sites in great clarity, as well as proving ideal for watching streaming TV programs and movies on the go.

The size of the phone is something you just cannot avoid with the Titan, with the device almost bordering onto the Tablet territory. Measuring in at 131.5 x 70.7 x 9.9mm and weighing 160g, the HTC Titan truly is a beast of a device. With so much space to play with, HTC have included a huge, 4.7 inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen display, which has a pixel resolution of 480 x 800, supporting up to 16 million colours. An accelerometer is onboard for auto display rotation, with a proximity sensor which disables the screen when placed against the face, and there is also full support for multi touch input.

The HTC Titan offers an 8.0 Megapixel rear facing camera, with autofocus and LED flash, as well as geotagging support. The camera is capable of recording 720p HD video, and there is a secondary 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera for making video calls. Internal memory storage on the device is set to 16 GB, however as with many other Windows Phone handsets there is no memory expansion slot for memory cards.

Running on the latest version of the Windows Phone operating system, commonly known as Mango, the HTC Titan is powered by a 1.5 GHz processor, which helps the device handle the most complex of tasks, without there being any noticeable lag when using the phone.

A capable multimedia device, the HTC Titan has a full media player onboard, which supports multiple formats including MP3, MP4, WAV, WMA and WMV. The handset includes a 3.5mm audio jack, so you can listen to media with your own personal headset, and includes support for Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement, for a supreme audio experience. There is also a stereo FM radio, with RDS support, that allows you to tune in to your local radio station, so you can keep up to date wit the latest news and weather as well as the latest hits in the charts. Full support for social network integration is included on the phone, so you can keep up to date with the latest updates from friends and contacts via major networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Available in Carbon Gray, the Titan includes GPS with aGPS support, along with Bing maps pre-loaded, for all your navigation and mapping requirements. A quad band GSM device, the Titan offers full support for HSDPA and HSUPA, ably backed up with EDGE and GPRS. The device also covers WiFi, with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n onboard, plus there is support for DLNA, making it easy to connect the handset to your existing home WiFi network. The Titan also includes support for active noise cancellation, and includes a second dedicated microphone which helps keep audio clear when on call.

A large phone with a display such as the HTC Titan needs a battery that can last, and the Titan ships with a 1600 mAh Li Ion battery, offering up to 460 hours of standby and almost twelve hours of talktime, when connected to a 2G network. 3G figures offer a proposed standby of 360 hours and almost seven hours of talktime.

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The HTC Titan is a standout smartphone, in many ways, being amongst the first batch of smartphones from HTC to run on the new Windows Mango update. The size of the phone is sure to get it noticed, too. The HTC Titan is set to be released during October 2011.

HTC has officially announced the HTC Sensation XL, the latest addition to the HTC Android family, which will feature support for Beats Audio and ship with a set of Beats headphones in the box.

The Sensation XL will have a large, 4.7 inch S-LCD display, with a WVGA resolution, with the display covered by a Gorilla Glass screen for extra strength and protection.

The handset is powered by a single core 1.5 GHz processor, and runs the Android Gingerbread OS, with version 3.5 HTC Sense user interface running on top.

Onboard is an 8.0 Megapixel camera, which offers an f/2.2 28mm wide angle lens and BSI sensor, and can capture 720p HD Video. There is a front facing 1.3 Megapixel camera for making video calls.

Only 9.9mm thick, the HTC Sensation XL has an internal memory capacity of 16 GB, but unfortunately there is no Micro SD Memory card support. HSPA high speed data is included, with HSDPA speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA at up to 5.76 Mbps. WiFi b/g/n with WiFi Hotspot is included, as well as Bluetooth and GPS.

Other features on the device include HTC Watch, giving access to a library of movies and TV Shows which can be downloaded to the phone, plus an onboard ringtone trimmer, so you can easily cut out a snip of a favourite music track to use as your ringtone.

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The HTC Sensation XL is expected to be available from early November 2011.

HTC has announced another addition to its budget range of Android devices, with the HTC Explorer stepping into the limelight.

HTC claim that the HTC Explorer will be the most affordable budget device to date, and is set to go on sale in the fourth quarter with Three already confirming they will be stocking the device.

The Explorer has a curved, compact look, weighing in at only 108g. The display is a 3.2 inch HVGA screen, with an onboard 3.2 Megapixel camera, and runs Android 2.3 with the HTC Sense 3.5 user interface.

With the latest version of Sense comes the active lockscreen that allows you to set shortcuts to your favourite applications, which can be launched straight from the lockscreen. The applications are customisable, allowing you to choose those applications which you use most often.

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Powered by a 600 MHz processor, the Explorer has a full media player, with stereo FM radio, plus GPS, WiFi, HSDPA and Bluetooth.

The HTC Explorer will be available in a variety of colour options, including Active Black, Active Navy, Mettalic Black and Metallic Navy.