HTC might be setting the pace for Windows Mobile development right now, but it better watch its back -- especially on the low end of the range. China's ZTE, which has somehow silently risen through the ranks to become the world's number six phone manufacturer by volume, is said to be prepping a renewed global assault that will see it move beyond its typical role as a provider of low-end dumbphone fare to occupy the low-end smartphone niche, a market with traditionally limited choice. Windows Mobile and Linux are apparently both high on ZTE's hit list, with a contract already underway to supply Vodafone with a carrier-branded device next year (to fill the void left by the 920's killing, perhaps?); Symbian's not getting quite as much love, though they're said to have their eye on that camp, too. The firm commands a 30 percent market share in China's nascent TD-SCDMA market, and hey, you can only be a massively successful manufacturer in your domestic market before trying your hand elsewhere, right?