Hero product
HTC is probably best known for Windows Mobile based smartphones like the TyTN series, but it's currently the front runner in adoption of Google's Android open source operating system.
Today it launched the Hero, HTC's third Android based offering, after the G1 and the Magic, and the first to be offered via Orange in the UK. The exclusivity, however, seems to be restricted to a ‘Graphite' version of the handset.
The Hero is also the first product to feature HTC Sense, a user interface that will be available on all new HTC devices in future. There's a lot of marketing fluff in the press release, such as: "Sense delivers on three basic principles: Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected." They seem to be trying to say it's customisable.
It has a 3.2-inch HVGA display, AGPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a five mega-pixel autofocus camera and a MicroSD memory slot. The Hero also includes a dedicated search button that enables you to search through Twitter, locate people in your contact list, find emails in your inbox or generally find stuff on the handset.
Orange is offering the HTC Hero for ‘free' to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24 month contract. So £939.60 then.
UPDATE - 14:00 24 June 2009: Orange says the Hero will be available from early July in the UK
Here's a piccie and a video demo from Orange:
