HTC is believed to have won the contract to manufacture the upcoming Windows Mobile-based version of Palm's Treo smart phone, but the device's release is some way off.

So suggests a report in the Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial Times, DigiTimes reports.

HTC is perhaps best known for its own-design Windows Mobile-based smart phones and PDA-style communicators, produced on behalf of mobile networks like Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone, and handset vendors i-mate, Dopod and QTek.

However, HTC also undertakes contract manufacturing on behalf of a number of partners, and was said in September 2004 to be ramping up production of Palm's Palm OS-based Treo 650.

If that's the case - neither firm will confirm it - then HTC is the logical choice for the Windows Mobile-based Treo, believed to be dubbed the Treo 670, apparently seen in a series of videos here. HTC may even have lent some Windows Mobile development expertise to Palm's design team.

Indeed, the Commercial Times reports indicates that HTC may well have designed the 670 itself, working to the parameters of the standard Treo feature-set and case design.

HTC is certainly on the up. Yesterday, it reported July sales of TWD5.25bn ($164.64m), up 157.6 per cent on July 2004's total, TWD2.04bn ($63.94m), and up fractionally on June 2005's TWD5.23bn ($163.98). Sales for the calendar year to date total TWD33.93bn ($1.06bn), up 99.4 per cent on the same seven-month period last year. ®

Related stories

• Palm sets sail as Microsoft OEM (24 September 2005)
• Palm makes Q1 sales gains (23 September 2005)
• Palm TX Wi-Fi PDA presented on web (23 September 2005)
• Palm to pull Tungsten line down-market? (15 September 2005)
• O2 confirms 3G, Wi-Fi smart phone (14 September 2005)
• HTC smartens up bottom line (31 August 2005)
• HTC 'Tornado' Wi-Fi smart phone storms in (16 August 2005)
• Analysis Palm's Hawkins points to 'secret' product line (9 August 2005)
• Mark/Space brings Windows smart phone sync to Mac (29 July 2005)
• Nokia, Symbian boom as smart phone sales rocket (26 July 2005)
• Motorola unveils would-be Blackberry beater (26 July 2005)
• Orange preps September smart phone splash (25 July 2005)
• Orange UK launches smart phones (14 July 2005)
• HTC 'Universal' 3G, Wi-Fi phone to ship 'late Q3' (14 June 2005)