HTC may not be pushing any tablets at the moment. But the smartphone maker reportedly plans to get back into the tablet game next year with the introduction of new 7 and 12 inch tablets running Windows software.

Bloomberg reports the tablets will run Windows RT rather than Windows 8 or Windows Phone software, which suggests that they’ll have ARM-based processors much like HTC’s line of smartphones.

HTC Flyer
HTC Flyer 7 inch Android tablet

Speaking of phones, the 7 inch tablet is expected to have phone calling functionality — although I certainly hope that means it comes with a wired or Bluetooth headset, because holding a 7 inch tablet up to your head to make a call is a bit embarrassing.

Most Windows RT tablets we’ve seen to date have had 10 inch displays, but there’s nothing stopping companies from producing models with smaller or bigger screens.

But what remains to be seen is whether there’s large demand for tablets that can only run some Windows apps. Windows RT devices are only able to run apps downloaded from the Windows Store, unlike Windows 8 tablets which can also run desktop-style apps designed for older versions of Windows.

This wouldn’t be HTC’s first foray into the tablet space. Over the past few years the company has offered 7 and 10 inch Android tablets, and a few years ago the company offered the HTC Advantage Windows Mobile device and HTC Shift UMPC with Windows Vista.

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