Mysterious HTC Titan III appears on Xbox Live Rewards survey

Prior to the launch of the Windows Phone 8, it was believed that HTC would be launching three handsets that would run on Microsoft's latest mobile OS, but the Taiwanese manufacturer announced only two handsets, the HTC 8X and the 8S. However, it is now rumoured that a third WP8 smartphone may be in the works after all. An Xbox Live Rewards survey mentions the HTC Titan III — rumoured as HTC's flagship WP8 device — in a list of handsets already available in the market.

The Titan III was rumoured to be the third WP8 smartphone HTC was supposed to launch and went by the code name Zenith. However, this could very well be a typo on the part of Xbox Live Rewards and they could have actually meant the HTC Titan II, which made its debut early this year. If not, there is a good chance we could see this yet-unannounced flagship handset make an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in January next year.

A report by WPCentral states, “Every month Xbox Live Rewards conducts a survey that is an easy way for Rewards participants to earn points. Well the December survey makes reference to something that is a bit of a mystery. The survey asks participants how excited they would be if they received the following smartphones as a gift. The survey includes the iPhone 5, Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD, Nokia Lumia 920, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC Titan III. Not the Titan II but the Titan III.”

HTC's new handset may have been accidentally revealed, or it could just be a typo.

This is not the first time rumours about a high-end Windows Phone 8 handset have surfaced. Early in June, prior to the launch of the HTC 8X and 8S, it was rumoured that HTC would be launching three handsets that would run on WP8. These handsets went by the codenames Rio, Accord and Zenith. When HTC announced its new handsets, the Rio was branded as the 8S and the Accord was christened as the 8X. It is widely speculated that HTC may be launching a high-end Windows Phone 8 handset and it's rumoured that the Zenith will be known as the Titan III when it hits shelves.

The Zenith appears to be HTC’s flagship offering for Windows Phone 8 and is expected to feature a 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 display with a 720p resolution and an 8 megapixel camera.

In early November, HTC unveiled its first signature Windows Phones 8 smartphones, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S at a regional launch event in Singapore.

Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 in October. One of the highlights of the new operating system was the improved Start screen. Windows Phone 8 was designed to be the best companion to Windows 8, adds the company in its official statement. Windows and Windows Phone now share common underlying technology, which allows for shared tools, increased hardware support for multi-core processors, and a wide range of other platform capabilities. It also shares a common look and feel with Windows 8, which makes shifting from phone to PC easy.