The HTC Desire HD will be available in Australia next month through carriers Vodafone and 3. The smartphone, which is HTC's answer to the iPhone 4, would be available through Vodafone for $0 upfront on a $59 monthly plan that has a duration of two years. The handset would also be released on 3 at the same time; however, the company has yet to provide details of its launch.

The new smartphone is the updated version of the HTC Desire, which was launched earlier this year. The Desire, which runs on Google Android, have been adjudged by critics as superior to Apple's iPhone 3GS.

The HTC Desire HD will be based on Google Android version 2.2. The handset has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, 720 p video recording, support for Dolby/SRS sound and an aluminum unibody shell. The smartphone comes also has the latest version of Sense, HTC's user interface overlay. Sense allows user access to a new range of online services located on HTCSense.com, which is similar to the Mobile Me offering from Apple.

The service allows users to keep track of their phone in case of loss. HTCSense.com can also be accessed through PCs and lets users trigger the phone to ring loudly, erase all saved data, lock the phone and forward calls to a different number. The service also offers a wallpapers and plugins for download.