HTC Eris Joins Verizon's Android Lineup

Motorola's Android phone won't be the only Verizon Wireless device running the Google operating system making its debut Nov. 6. Verizon announced Nov. 5 the HTC Droid Eris will also be available to customers for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement.

The HTC Eris combines Android platform with HTC Sense and is very similar to HTC's Hero phone available to Sprint customers for $179.99 with a two-year contract.

The Verizon version of the HTC Android-based phone offers users the ability to customize a seven-panel-wide home screen with a wide variety of widgets. The Eris also includes HTC's Scenes feature, each with different widgets and shortcuts, to transform the Eris from a work environment phone to a recreational phone with just a touch of a finger.

The Eris allows users to organize interactions by person, making it possible to access text messages, e-mails, phone calls and even Flickr streams and Facebook updates from a single contact card.

The device also includes a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and trackball interface, a 5.0 megapixel auto focus camera, expandable memory, Bluetooth connectivity, integrated GPS and compatibility with a number of Google services such as Google maps, Gmail and search.