While the iPhone has an on-again off-again relationship with the Chinese market, seemingly unable to commit to that most populous of nations, unlocked HTC G1s are said to be selling like gangbusters there, a tidbit that surely didn't escape HTC's notice. By the sound of it the company is ready to make its feelings official, pledging its undying love (and Android handsets) to arrive in Asia-Pac markets in the first half of 2009. Additionally, the Touch 3G should be on sale in Taiwan as of now, with the Touch HD hitting there before the end of the year. While China isn't specifically mentioned in the report, it's certainly the major market in that region. If HTC could beat Apple to the streets of Shanghai that would be a coup of epic proportions, setting the stage for a global battle of smartphone dominance. Place your bets, folks.

HTC's "Jade," as the Touch 3G is known internally, has just earned FCC approval -- that's the good news. Unfortunately, the only approval it's going to see in the FCC's jurisdiction is of the 2G sort, because the blasted thing only features WCDMA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands. Those lucky enough to enjoy the handset at full speed will be the lucky beneficiaries of 7.2Mbs HSDPA, while North Americans have the luxury of poking along at a theoretical max of 200kbps or so (and we can just forget about chatting and browsing at the same time). But hey, at least we'll have the FCC off our backs when we're doing it.

HTC just can't stop the leakage. That Touch HD page was wild enough, but under the "Product Tour" section there's even more magic: instead of a Touch HD Product Tour, as the title would suggest, there's a colorful cadre of the unannounced phone referred to as the Touch 3G. Sporting a slightly refined design and, well, 3G, there's literally nothing else we know about the device. It does seem slightly different than the budget-friendly, EDGE-strapped Opal, but it's all hearsay until HTC actually announces these puppies.

Update: Wow. Just when you though HTC was out of the woods, our friendly neighborhood tipsters have tracked down the full product page for the Touch 3G. Peep the new read link for every spec, dimension and salty tear direct from HTC. Highlights include a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, Europe-friendly HSDPA, 3.2 megapixel camera and 14.5mm of thickness. Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS and 802.11g WiFi all make an appearance as well.

[Thanks, Ben]