HTC has collaborated with Optus for the Australian launch of the HTC Aria, the smartphone maker's new Android model.

The HTC Aria would be available exclusively through the carrier for three months. The smartphone is a mid-range Android handset that is based on the operating system's 2.1 version. The smartphone has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and features the HTC Sense user interface, which is the same interface found on the HTC Desire. The handset also has features such as a 600MHz processor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.

The Aria bears a lot of similarities to the HTC Legend, however, unlike its predecessor, the phone has a more compact plastic body and weighs just 115g.

Anthony Petts, the company's sales and marketing director, said that the smartphone's compact size sets it apart from competing devices.

The smartphone will be released in October and will be availabel for free upfront with the carrier's $49 cap plan over 24 months. The $49 plan comes with 1GB of data, $450 worth of calls and unlimited access to social-networking Web sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Foursquare.

HTC also said that it is "hoping" to upgrade the Aria's software to the latest version of Android 2.2 in the future. However, the company provided no firm date.