HTC Ruby pictures surfaces in dubious spy shots

There's no better way to view an early prototype product than in the reflection of another product in a dark photograph taken on the factory floor.

So it's lucky, really, that those are the circumstances behind the latest spy shots of what is supposed to be the upcoming HTC Ruby.

This supposition is based on the fact that Exif data for the photos lists 'HTC Ruby' as the camera used to take them.

Ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby

Not a great deal of detail can be gleaned from the photos; there's a back-mounted camera with what looks like a dual flash, and we can see a headphone socket on the top panel of the phone.

Its rounded design suggests it could be towards the lower end of the smartphone scale, recalling the cheap, toyish looks of the HTC Tattoo.

We're going to guess this is an Android handset, although there's always the chance that it could be a Windows Phone 7; it's very likely to be a prototype though, so design may vary drastically – that's if it ever actually sees the light of day.

If you fancy perusing 11 pages of photos of the reflection of the HTC Ruby, you can head over to Raymi0402's Flickr account now.

Meanwhile, we'll score this a 'quite likely' on the TechRadar rumourometer – it could go either way.

If you simply cannot wait and are in the market for a smartphone right this second, you may want to check out our guide to choosing the right one:

From Flickr via Ubergizmo