As Apple continues to delay the launch of the iPhone 5, other competitors have stepped in to fill the gap left by the Cupertino-based tech giant.

And one such competitor, Taiwan-based electronics device-maker HTC, is releasing another phone, the HTC Eternity, which adds Windows flavor to the growing list of superphones vying to upset the iPhone's dominance in the market.

Unlike other smartphones from the HTC camp like the Thunderbolt, EVO 3D and Sensation, which are Android-based phones, HTC Eternity is a Windows Phone.

HTC Inside leaked a report stating that HTC Eternity features the recently announced Windows Phone 7 update Mango. The phone has a 4.7-inch WVGA Super LCD display. It is powered by a single-core 1.5GHz MSM 8255 processor with 512MB RAM and 16GB internal memory. The phone weighs about 5.9oz and is about 0.38-inch thick. The phone also comes equipped with an 8MP rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash. The camera offers 720p video capture capability. HTC Eternity also features a 1.3MP front-facing camera. It also offers WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and DLNA support and has a 1,650mAh battery.

It is rumored that Apple's iPhone 5 will also come with an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash. Recently, HTC also launched an Android 2.3 or Gingerbread-based phone myTouch 4G Slide for T-Mobile. The phone also features an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash.

Apple's iPhone 5 is also expected to be powered by a dual-core A5 chipset that powers its iPad 2. The phone is also surmised to feature a 3.7-inch curved glass screen, teardrop design, edge-to-edge display, 1080p video playback and will come with in-built iOs 5.

HTC Eternity will feature Microsoft's updated version of Windows Phone 7, called Mango. Recently, Micorsoft showcased Mango in May and it was also reported by Reuters that HTC was planning to build smartphone on the Mango platform.

Thus, Apple just does not have to fend the Android threat with the next version of Android, the Ice Cream Sandwich, coming this Thanksgiving. It will also have to tackle Microsoft's Mango, which ushers in 500 new features. The new Windows Phone OS is touted to consolidate the Smartphone experience around communications, apps and the Internet.

Mango departs from the Android and iOS styled grid-like UI and instead offers hub-like UI. It collates apps and content around subject-specific hubs, thus, contextualizing apps. Mango is also well integrated with Microsoft's cloud-offerings Office 365, SkyDrive services and Xbox Live.

The new Windows Phone OS also stitches Facebook, Outlook, LinkedIn, Windows Messenger and twitter together. If a user wants to send a message to someone, Mango will quickly ascertain if the person is online and then suggests the best medium to connect.

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