HTC stabs at Nokia with first 'signature' Windows Phones, 8X and 8S

HTC is teaming up with Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) for a joint marketing push to sell its newest Windows Phones, the high-end Windows Phone 8X and the mid-range Windows Phone 8S. The branding is deliberate, with both Microsoft and HTC wanting to raise brand awareness about Windows Pone as a platform. According to a live blog account by The Verge of HTC's media event, Jason Mackenzie, HTC's global president of sales and marketing, said that the two phones are going to be the signature devices of Microsoft's Windows Phone advertising push this fall. That could be a poke in the eye at Nokia (NYSE:NOK), which has been Microsoft's closest Windows Phone partner and is also releasing two Windows Phone 8 phones this fall, the Lumia 920 and 820. For what it's worth, Nokia released a statement that essentially called HTC's new phones a "tactical rebranding." HTC confirmed that the 8X and 8S will be available this November from Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), and T-Mobile USA, among 150 other carriers around the world, but did not reveal pricing or specific launch details. Click here for a slideshow of HTC's new phones.