Leaked render allegedly shows off mysterious new HP smartphone

A rendering of an HP branded smartphone came to our attention on Monday night from one of our sources. What made this an interesting and timely leak is that back when this month was young, HP Senior Director Yam Su Yin was quoted as saying that the company was planning on returning to the smartphone business with a unique model. The executive was quoted as saying that "HP has to be in the game."

HP killed off the U.S. launch of the HP Pre 3 in 2011 after a limited European release of the device. But HP no longer owns webOS, which was sold to LG in February for use on the Korean manufacturer's television sets. HP currently uses Android on its 7 inch HP Slate 7 tablet and it appears that Google's open source OS will also be powering the Palo Alto based firm's new smartphone.

Our tipster didn't leave us any information about pricing or specs, but the timing of this leak, coming just a couple of weeks after an HP executive says that HP needs to be in the game, is awfully fascinating.

Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!