HTC One (M8) for Windows goes official with Duo camera

Same phone, same name, different OS – meet the HTC One (M8) for Windows. Don't let the name fool you, it's a Windows Phone 8.1 device but other than that it's almost an exact copy of the Android-powered HTC One (M8).

For now the device is a Verizon exclusive and is available online immediately and in stores tomorrow. Just don't forget to specify "for Windows," or you'll get the wrong device. Great job on the naming scheme, HTC!

Anyway, the phone has a 5" 1080p screen wrapped in an aluminum unibody. The screen is flanked by BoomSound front-facing speakers. It's basically all our favorite parts of the HTC flagship taken outside the Android domain.

The HTC One (M8) for Windows is powered by a Snapdragon 801 chipset making it the fastest WP8.1 device yet (the Lumia 930 is based on Snapdragon 800). It comes with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot.

HTC has ported over the unique Duo camera setup that uses a 4MP UltraPixel camera and an additional camera for depth-measurements and special effects. The main camera can record 1080p video with HDR and there's a 5MP front-facing camera. The One (M8) for Windows relies on the proprietary HTC ImageChip 2 to work its magic.

Aside from the new Cortana digital assistant the phone comes with the trademark One feature, BlinkFeed (a combination news reader and social networking app).

This being a Verizon phone means you get CDMA connectivity (but also regular GSM 2G/3G for roaming) and 4G LTE. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac with Miracast, Bluetooth 4.0 with apt-X, NFC and a microUSB. Using Microsoft Project My Screen you can view mirror the phone's screen on a Windows PC and operate it from there (it works over a USB connection).

The HTC One (M8) for Windows is available from noon today at a "promotional" price of $100. We put that in quotes since this is how much a Verizon One (M8) with Android goes for right now. You could also get it for $30 a month on the Verizon Edge program.

This phone gets the HTC Advantage program meaning the first time you crack your screen, HTC will replace it for free. Or you could use an HTC Dot View case to protect it. The Dot View cases have a grid of holes in them to show through pixelated notifications.

Unlike its legendary grand-daddy, the HTC HD2, the same HTC One (M8) unit can't freely switch between OSes, you buy either an Android phone or a Windows Phone one.

Before you settle on either, check out our preview for some hands-on impressions of the new Windows Phone handset.