By Sinead Carew

(Reuters) – HTC Corp on Wednesday unveiled two smartphones running Microsoft Corp’s Windows Phone 8 software and said the devices would be available in November with several operators around the world.

The two brightly colored devices — the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S — will pitch HTC directly against Microsoft’s main partner Nokia, which also unveiled two phones based on the Windows software earlier this month.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Wireless will not take a big hit to its wireless profit margins this quarter from the Apple Inc iPhone 5 launch this month, according to Fran Shammo, chief financial officer of parent company Verizon Communications.

And the short-term revenue decline from the company’s new data share plans will be less than Shammo had feared because customers are buying bigger buckets of data than it had expected, the executive said during an investor webcast on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday that chip demand this quarter would be at the low end of its expectations due to weak markets such as Europe, realizing investor fears.

The maker of chips for products ranging from cellphones to cars was able to maintain its financial targets for the quarter only due to an insurance payment, cost cuts and better than expected sales in its declining wireless business.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Nokia Siemens Networks expects to jump to second place in the global wireless network equipment market for the full year 2013, ahead of arch-rival Huawei Technologies Co, according to a top Nokia Siemens executive.

Nokia Siemens, a venture of Finland’s Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Germany’s Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), trails Huawei HWT.UL in the global mobile network equipment market, which is led by Ericsson (ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). The venture has had to undertake a massive restructuring this year as it struggled to make a profit due to customer consolidation and aggressive price competition.