HTC have announced the HTC Snap, a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone with HSDPA, GPS, WiFi b/g and a full QWERTY keyboard.  Launched at CTIA today, the HTC Snap has a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) non-touchscreen display and a 2-megapixel camera that supports video capture.

The HTC Snap measures 4.59 x 2.42 x 0.47 inches and weighs 4.23oz.  Its standard 1,500mAh battery is rated for up to 8.5hrs GSM talktime (5hrs WCDMA) or up to 15.8 days GSM standby (20 days WCDMA).  Two versions will be available, one with US-spec 850/1900MHz HSDPA/WCDMA, and another with European-spec 900/2100MHz HSDPA/WCDMA.

Other specs include a jog-ball navigator, Windows Live Search, one-touch hotkeys for messaging, email and Inner Circle (HTC’s new email-management system in TouchFLO 3D), together with a microSDHC card slot.  The HTC Snap runs a Qualcomm MSM 7225 528MHz processor with 256MB ROM and 192MB RAM.

No word on specific availability or pricing, but the HTC Snap will launch in the UK and the US (as the unlocked S522) come the Summer.

Press Release:

HTC Snap™ makes staying in touch with more people less complicated

HTC’s newest QWERTY smartphone features “Inner Circle”
to automatically prioritize email from life’s most important people

LAS VEGAS – April 1, 2009 – HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.

Many people find they are overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.

“Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button,” said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. “The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC’s mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers.”

With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favourite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.

The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.

The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S721 during the summer.