HTC phone pictured running Windows Phone 7, said to be final hardware

Some pictures showed up in Engadget’s tip box of a mysterious and nameless HTC phone running Windows 7. The pics aren’t that good but they look legit, and the source is quoted as saying that the hardware is “ready,” though “final” may be a slight exaggeration, since these things always get little flourishes put on ‘em before release. It’s got an 8-megapixel camera, the requisite three face buttons, and most importantly, is not running any kind of skin over WP7. Whether that’s Microsoft’s prerogative or not, I can’t say, but I’d guess so considering their relatively restrictive hardware requirements.

It’s said to be CDMA and possibly for Verizon. We’ll probably be seeing this one again soon. HTC isn’t exactly tight as a drum when it comes to new handsets.