HTC has launched Best Deals, a money-saving service exclusively available on its smartphones.

The service, which is launching initially in the UK, Italy, Germany, France and Spain,  brings users location-based discounts, categorised by preferences and interests. The service is powered by 12 partnerships with deal providers including LivingSocial, Trip Advisor, and Qype Deals.

Its the latest attempt by a manufacturer to make their handsets stand out in an increasingly crowded smartphone market, but introducing a deals service is a new one on us. Its certainly a departure, and it might be a sign of the desperation of makers of Android handsets trying to compete with whatever VAS they can lay their hands on, in the wake of Samsungs dominance.

“HTC strives to deliver the best web content and services to its customers,” says Cédric Mangaud, Vice President of Value-Added Services for HTC. “We’re excited to be launching a service that gives you the very best deals, in line with your own personal interests, wherever you are.”

Best Deals will be available as an app and widget for the HTC One X+, and its Windows Phone 8X and 8S handsets, which launch in November, as well as future software updates for its One series smartphones.