Thanks to the Federal Communications Commission, it seems likely that a new smartphone from HTC will soon launch on either Sprint or Verizon. This Windows Mobile device has just received approval from this government agency, so it is now listed on the FCC's web site. The Iris will have a shape reminiscent of Palm's Treo line: a tablet with a thumb keyboard. Its 2.4-inch, QVGA touchscreen will have a higher resolution than the Windows Mobile Treos, though.

In the area of wireless networking, this CDMA device will offer EV-DO, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

According to earlier reports, this model will run Windows Mobile on a 400 MHz processor, and include 64 MB of RAM and 256 MB of ROM.

In addition, the HTC Iris will sport a GPS receiver and a 2.0 megapixel camera.

HTC has asked the FCC to keep some details of this smartphone confidential until September 17. This doesn't mean the Iris will definitely debut on that date, but it's a good indication of approximately when it will be released.