Vodafone confirms delayed shipping date for HTC Desire HD

Handset expected on 22 October, but still no word on the Desire Z

The launch of the HTC Desire HD smartphone has been pushed back to 22 October, despite hopes that it would start shipping this week.

The Desire HD, which will run on Android 2.2, could have failed a last-minute Google Type Approval test, according to various reports.

Google refused to comment on the matter, and HTC said that it is "looking into this" at the time of writing.

This is likely to be the most logical explanation, with no indication coming from Vodafone that the delay is a problem at its end.

Customers who pre-ordered the device with the operator will be the first to get it. A Vodafone spokesperson told V3.co.uk that the firm is operating a first come, first served policy.

Business users who may be more likely to opt for the Desire Z with its slide-out keyboard face an uncertain wait, however.

"There is no time scale at the moment on when the Desire Z handset will be released. The original [and revised] shipping dates refer only to the Desire HD and not the Z," the Vodafone spokesperson said.

Some Vodafone customers may have received an email late last week stating that the operator had sold out of HTC HD handsets. This was due to an error in the ordering as the operator has not sold out, Vodafone added.

The Desire HD has a 4.3in WVGA multi-touch screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1.5GB of internal storage and a 1GHz Qualcomm 8255 Snapdragon processor.

The HTC Desire Z, meanwhile, continues the manufacturer's strong heritage of business devices, but will also appeal to social networking consumers, according to HTC.

The device is capable of 720p HD video recording, and comes with a 5-megapixel camera with automatic flash. It is powered by an 800MHz Qualcomm 7230 processor, and boots up in a claimed 10 seconds using HTC Fast Boot.