A newly uncovered patent design from the “quietly brilliant” HTC indicates that the mobile phone maker could be developing its very own Android-powered media player.

The submission, that was initially discovered by Patent Bolt, reveals that the company applied for the patent in Q1 of 2011 with the design of the rumoured device appearing to fall in line with that of HTC’s recent smartphone offerings.

The front face of the device has speakers across both the top and bottom, the backside has yet another set of speakers and a camera as well as the familiar HTC kickstand. While there so no mention of the Micro-USB and/or Micro-HDMI ports, they can be clearly seen in the image below. The device also boasts a touch screen, a feature that will put it up against that of the iPod Touch and one that has been attempted by other companies with very little success.

While this device may look like a smarthphone at first glance, Patent Bolt points out that the patent makes no reference to mobile network access or other phone features and given that it only suggests Wi-Fi connectivity, it is possible that the device will be similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Player.

Considering HTC’s investment in Beats by Dr. Dre technology, it was only a matter of time before this type of device emerged.

Google recently introduced Google Play, which serves to  better organise content for its Android operating system and extend its push into storing and providing apps, games, movies and other content via the cloud. Therefore, the move to a media player device for HTC makes sense and with Android’s growing presence in the market place, could potentially serve a huge audience.

Source: CNet