While TELUS, Bell and other Canadian carriers are offering the standard HTC One S smartphone, SaskTel decided to set itself apart and make a nice surprise to its customers at the same time by launching a special edition of the handset.

The regional carrier has just announced the upcoming availability of the HTC One S Roughriders Edition. This would be the third HTC One device that makes its entrance on the Canadian market, after HTC One X and One V have been released a few weeks ago.

SaskTel's HTC One S comes with the same hardware configuration as the standard version, but packs several extras that might make it more appealing.

For example, HTC One S Roughrider Edition features a free Rider case for extra protection.

In addition, it comes with pre-loaded content including the official Roughriders mobile app, a Rider Widget, free Rider ringtones and wallpaper, as well as a specially wrapped box with a Riderized graphic and the full Rider schedule.

Obviously, it is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system integrated with HTC Sense 4.0 UI. It also packs a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, but no microSD card slot.

The same 8-megapixel camera with ImageSense technology is packed on the backside of the handset, while in the front there's a secondary VGA camera for video calls.

Unfortunately, SaskTel failed to provide a release date or price tag for the upcoming device, though it did mention it would offer more details soon.

“SaskTel is pleased to offer Saskatchewan Roughrider fans with a tailored HTC One S. The HTC One S is a high-end smartphone with an amazing camera, stunning design and authentic Universal Beats Audio Sound that will allow Rider fans to snap a picture of their favourite Rider player while shooting HD video at the same time,” said Stacey Sandison, SaskTel chief marketing officer.