Location-based coupons are hot. There were rumors today of daily deals provider Groupon partnering with Foursquare to target deals at check-in users and now a bit of an unlikely player is striking at the location deals iron as device manufacturer HTC is looking into location-based coupons.

In a podcast interview with GPS Business News, Cedric Mangaud, vice president of value-added servies at HTC, said “we want to be part of this story.” HTC is working on adding value to the user experience on its devices through GPS and Mangaud sees mobile location coupons as a prime target. Deals are a scorching market and the shakers are moving quickly to keep pace. As an original equipment manufacturer, what will HTC’s play in the space look like?