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HTC is the company behind more Windows Mobile smartphones than an other; 85 percent of them in fact. As an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), it has traditionally sold its wares to operators, who offered them under their own brands. When it did deviate from this norm, HTC slapped its in-house Qtek brand on the smartphones.

Not anymore. The Taiwanese company is stepping out in front of the camera and dropping the Qtek brand for its HTC moniker with two new phone models, the TyTN and the MTeoR. These devices, set to launch in Europe in July, represent HTC's move into the limelight.

The mobile-device builder will, of course, continue with its bread-and-butter business of building and supporting products for carrier and OEM partners. HTC CEO Peter Chou emphasized, "Our operator and OEM strategy remains key to this success, and we are committed to further strengthening our partner relationships by providing customized and differentiated offerings."

HTC said it'll provide the new branded products to established Qtek channels, distributors, enterprises and operators who do not carry operator-branded products. So it doesn't step on anyone's toes.

The company will also offer its own technical support centers, for handling repairs, usage enquiries and product advice. The package for HTC partners will include richer device propositions, dedicated customer support, product training and toolkits, online and marketing support. It has also launched its first range of accessories, including Bluetooth headsets and in-car kits.

TyTN, formally known as Hermes, is a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDG/UMTS 3G Pocket PC Phone. It also delivers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a mini-USB port connectivity. There's 64 MB of RAM, 128 MB of ROM, a 2.8-inch touch screen, a slider QWERTY thumb-keyboard keyboard, micro SD slot, jog wheel and a 2-megapixel camera. It weighs 6.3 ounces (180 grams).

MTeoR, formally known as Breeze, is a Windows Smartphone, with a candy bar shape in the mode of T-Mobile's SDA, also a HTC handset. The small device measures 4.4 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches (112.4 x 49 x 14.8 millimeters) and wieghs 4.2 ounces (120 grams). As a Windows Mobile Smartphone, MTeoR's 2.2-inch QVGA display won't be touch. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera.

Both TyTN and MTeoR will ship with Microsoft Direct Push e-mail technology enabled.