Now that the Motorola Droid is set to debut on November 6th for $199 that is set in stone after today let’s take another look at that rumor that had HTC phones also getting Google’s new mobile operating system, Android 2.0.
So that means you may want to hold off on getting the Droid, because HTC’s Hero is supposed to be getting the new Android as well.
[via examiner.com]
Review summary of the Sprint Hero:
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Full Sprint Hero Review:
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Design – Very Good
The Sprint version of the HTC Hero loses the square lines and jutting chin of the original, and while the new design may be a bit bland, we found it very welcoming and even original for the tablet phone space. The smooth, gently curved design manages to pack in all the standard Android buttons plus an extra smart button devoted entirely to contextual search. The Sprint Hero is painted a drab greenish-grey, and we wish there were more exciting color options. We’d also like to see a few more external ports and controls around the sides. A shutter button for the camera is a necessity, and we wish the microSD port wasn’t under the battery cover.
[via infoSync World]
The highly desirable HTC Hero which was unveiled earlier this summer for will become Sprint’s first Android phone on October 11. Not only has the device been re-tooled with an EV-DO rev. A radio for Sprint’s 3G network (the world version is WCDMA,) but it has also received a total chassis overhaul. 
But looking at the two versions side-by-side, the physical design has been almost completely rethought. Where the HTC Hero was slim and angular, with the now-trademark “chin” cropping up from the device’s tail end, the Sprint Hero has been rounded out and flattened. It actually ends up looking more like T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G more than the original Hero.
[via betanews]
As if Sprint customers weren’t already happy enough to have an Android headed their way with the Sprint HTC Hero, today Sprint just announced a service plan that they teased as “revolutionary”. I might not go that far myself… but it kicks butt indeed.
The bottom line: your “Everything Plan” just got a little more of Everything. For $69.99 you’ll get unlimited calls to ANY carrier along with unlimited data, SMS, MMS, GPS nav, Sprint TV, etc… it’s called “Any Mobile, Anytime” (AMA). If you’ve currently got “Everything Data” your plan will automatically transitioned over to the new sweet deal.
This went from rumor to Official in record time. Last night I got a tip from a reader who sent in the following online conversation with a Sprint rep – important parts highlighted in red:
First of all, completely hilarious how he informed the rep about the HTC Hero launch date. The entire conversation is pretty amusing – definitely worth the read. When I went through this I thought it was interesting… but its from an online chat representative and let’s face it, they didn’t even know when the Sprint HTC Hero launched!
But shortly after we got another tip (BGR) informing us of an EMail Sprint sent out concerning some “wireless revolution” they would announce the following day. The lingo referred to service plans and suddenly that initial tip had a whole lot more substance:
But the impatient bunch that we are, tech media couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Within a few more hours, rumored details of the upcoming announcement were leaked by TechVi:
An anonymous tipster tells TechVi Sprint will be launching a calling plan which will allow customers to call any other cell phone from any other carrier for free. Any Sprint customer on the base $70 / month plan, which includes unlimited data, text and MMS messages, and 450 minutes, will be able to call any other cell phone on T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T without using plan minutes.
Callers have one caveat, according to our source, if roaming on another network, such as Verizon’s network when no Sprint coverage is available, they’ll end up using plan minutes. However, when in any Sprint coverage area, all cell-to-cell calls will be free of charge.
Sheesh. Sprint was SO close to keeping and delivering that secret and it all unraveled in an instant! The rumor factory was pumping at full capacity and they gave it a much needed rest by Officially announcing “Any Mobile, Anytime” as promised:
And there you have it. Sprint announces an awesome service plan to improve their already pretty awesome service plans. Now the question is… will Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile respond?
[Via Sprint, IntoMobile]
HTC have announced that the HTC Hero Sense user interface will be made available for the HTC Magic handset. Announced at a press conference in Taiwan, HTC revealed that the update will be available from their official website at some point in the future.
However, due to licensing reasons the update will not be available for any handset featuring the “with Google” logo on the back. This means that owners of the Vodafone HTC Magic and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G won’t be allowed to install the update officially.
Instead, the update will only be officially available for users who either bought the handset directly from HTC, or for the models that don’t have the “with Google” on the back.
Back in June, HTC’s CEO Peter Chou revealed that, “HTC sense will be available on some other existing devices.”
The HTC Sense update is expected to become available later in the year.
[via eprice.com]
