There has been a lot of interest in this Windows Phone device ever since it debuted at CES 2012 – and rightly so since it packs a mammoth 16 megapixel sensor which consumers have yet to see on a mainstream smartphone.

At CES, there was no indication of a set date for when the device would be landing on AT&T, but information obtained by BGR reveals that March 18 could be the day when the handset becomes available. The information has come from an apparent leaked AT&T roadmap which also coincidentally reveals that the Nokia Lumia 900 will be launching on the exact same date as well. If the details are true, then we have to say that AT&T are well and truly back in the game and catching up with Verizon with some great smartphone exclusives.

We’re not sure about you, but there still seems to be an overwhelming sense of unfinished business with regards to how Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform has panned out so far. Obviously Microsoft are not on the same level of success as iOS or Android so far, but the upcoming Titan II and Lumia 800 still proves that AT&T are willing to stick it out with Windows Phone OS. Consumers usually have positive words to say about HTC’s build quality of smartphones, so the Titan II may well turn out to be the standout device this year for both AT&T and HTC.

The disappointing aspect for us is that single-core processor, but the 16 megapixel spec may prove to be too tempting to turn down for those who love to take pictures on their phones. Are you keeping your eye on the HTC Titan II this year, or are you going to save your cash for one of HTC’s upcoming quad-core smartphones?

When Alan Ng spoke about the HTC Titan II in detail he suggested that the 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera could capture video at 720p, however this never quite sounded right to us so looked into things further. It turns out that the rear-facing 16 megapixel camera is what’s capable of 720p video capture – this is disappointing, especially considering the fact that there’s plenty of smartphones which feature 8 megapixel sensors which can capture 1080p Full HD video. You can see the extract from HTC’s press release below which seemingly confirms that there will be no 1080p capture:

The smartphone also enables 720p HD video recording with the rear-facing camera

We carried out a little research and from what we can see there is not a Windows Phone 7 smartphone currently available, or announced, which boasts 1080p video capture, therefore perhaps this is a limitation with the Mango update (aka Windows Phone 7.5), maybe the Apollo update which is said to arrive in mid 2012 will add this capability – we sure hope so.

It seems weird to us that on one hand the HTC Titan II can boast the highest-resolution camera sensor we have ever seen in a smartphone, yet not allow 1080p video capture. We would have thought that if HTC knew that the Apollo update would bring 1080p capabilities they would have told us this at CES as some may see this limitation as a dealbreaker – wouldn’t you/.

Hopefully we will find out more about the reason for the HTC Titan II’s mediocre video capture soon, when we do we will keep you posted.

We now have a video preview to show you, which gives you a brief tour through the hardware featured on the device, not to mention giving you a first look at the device in the flesh direct from the CES show floor.

As we told you earlier this week, the Titan II is Microsoft and AT&T’s first 4G LTE Windows Phone and obviously the first handset to come with a 16 megapixel camera in the US. A video posted by Phonedog gives you a runthrough of how the device feels in the hand, and a general look at the other hardware specs featured on the device.

To recap you on what the Titan II runs on, it features a single-core 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 4.7-inch S-LCD display screen and an Adreno 205 GPU. The 16 megapixel camera is obviously very impressive on paper, but the downside to the hardware on the Titan II is that it only comes with 512MB of RAM. Then as we hear whispers about quad-core smartphones entering the market in 2012, the idea of single-core phones such as the Titan II may be a major turn-off for consumers. It could be the biggest catch 22 smartphone of the next few months – the first 16 megapixel smartphone, at the expense of a single-core CPU and half the RAM of the now 1GB standard.

Take a look at the video for yourself and let us know your initial impressions on the Titan II. Do you believe that this could go on to be HTC’s best handset of 2012, or will you perhaps wait for more information regarding the quad-core HTC Edge?

Big things are expected from HTC at CES this year, and although we haven’t seen any quad-core devices yet, they have already sent shockwaves through the smartphone industry by announcing and unveiling the HTC Titan II, which will come equipped with a staggering 16 megapixel shooter.

The Titan II is a Windows Phone device and will come with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango out of the box. One disappointing aspect to note though is that it only comes with a single-core processor, but it will be a speedy 1.5Ghz Snapdragon processor. Other specs include a 4.7-inch Super LCD display, a 1,730mAh battery and a 1.3mp front-facing camera with 720p video recording.

Aside from biggest the first US smartphone to ship with a 16 megapixel camera, it is also AT&T and Microsoft’s first 4G LTE handset running Windows Phone software. At the moment, there is no indication of pricing or release, but we expect this to be available in the first half of 2012.

Early indications on the camera quality from the Titan II are good, with a picture captured outside here from CNET Asia a good example. According to their initial hands-on of the device, the camera featured on the Titan II ‘is truly a winner’. Does this now make this the best camera-centric smartphone on the market? We think Microsoft and HTC may have an early contender for the most popular smartphone of 2012 already.

How interested are you in the HTC Titan II? A 16 megapixel sensor still seems pretty incredible on a smartphone, surely outdoing the quality that most of you have at your disposal on standard point and shoot cameras. We’re looking forward to hearing further details on the Titan II, but it is definitely a handset to keep an eye on this year.