HTC planning e-book, app store

HTC is apparently hiring staff to create an e-book and application store for its smartphones, according to the Financial Times.

According to their sources HTC has been hiring content editors for a planned online HTC store for its phones, including for e-books and magazines as well as for applications. The team is understood initially to include a small number of staff based in Taiwan, with plans to expand to 100 people in different locations around the world.

When asked to comment HTC said it is “growing very fast and we are hiring for a variety of positions including marketers, developers, technical writers and many others. We are always exploring new areas we can add value to our customers but we can’t comment on our future plans.”

It is not clear if this move will impact HTC’s Windows Phone 7 offering in any way.  While Microsoft forbids alternate application stores in Windows Phone 7, OEMs are allowed their own segment in Marketplace, an area which LG is currently using to very good effect and which does provide HTC with a distribution route on that platform.

Read more at FT.com here.