HP-made Android smartphones are back?

Despite dominating the PC manufacturer ranks for the sixth year in a row in 2012, HP is certainly not doing as well as it did back in the day. And I’m talking both financially and creatively, with the company’s recent laptops, desktops and everything in between looking just plain boring.

If we take the general state of the PC market, which is being bled dry by the incredible evolution of smartphones, plus increased competition from brands like Lenovo or Acer, Hewlett-Packard needs something of a saving grace and it needs it quick. Like a Hail Mary pass.

Okay, maybe not something as desperate as a Hail Mary pass, since HP is after all the worldwide PC leader, but the company has to try everything in its power to innovate or change something.

Enter HP’s first ever Android-based smartphone. Wait, is that a real thing? Apparently so, even though we highly doubt it’ll look similar to the render from a couple of weeks back. But it is coming, according to Digitimes, and might get a commercial release by the end of this year.

Furthermore, the Taiwanese online publication mentions more than once HP is developing “smartphones” (as in the plural form), so it’s not out of the question to see several handhelds branded by the Palo Alto-based company up on store shelves in the next few months.

Unfortunately, the only other thing Digitimes “reveals” in its latest report is that HP has “been collaborating with Taiwan-based supply chain makers” to develop said smartphones (yay for vagueness), with everything about specs and features remaining wrapped in a big, fat cloak of mystery.

I don’t know about you, but even if I don’t particularly love HP (I’ve only owned one of their laptops and am never going back), I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them to make it in the smartphone décor. With Samsung and Apple so far ahead of everyone else right now, we desperately need the competition.