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The HTC Hero, with Google’s Android open-source mobile operating system, is now available exclusively on the Sprint network. While it joins the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Tour 9630 among Sprint’s smartphone offerings, it’s the carrier’s first phone to feature Android.
It will, however, soon have some company, as on Nov. 1 Sprint will begin selling the Samsung Moment, which also runs Android.
When introducing the Hero on Sept. 3, Sprint’s Kevin Packingham boasted that his company’s network is a good fit for the robust phone, remarking in a statement that “HTC Hero users will appreciate a much better experience than is possible now with any other Android phone operating in the United States.”
T-Mobile, which offers the HTC G1 and myTouch, has until now been the only U.S. carrier to offer Android-running smartphones.
The Hero will be the first U.S. smartphone to offer HTC’s Sense, an intuitive user experience based on three principles-Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected-which emphasize, respectively, customization, location-centric information and enjoying the device’s rich features.
The HTC HD2, which will arrive in Europe this month and eventually be rolled out to other markets, will also include HTC Sense. Unlike the Hero, it will run Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 6.5.
The Hero features a virtual QWERTY keyboard and touch screen, a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A processor, a 5-megapixel camera and GPS, an MP3 player, and a microSD slot for expanding its included 512MB of ROM and 288MB of RAM.
It measures 4.41 by 2.21 by 0.57, weighs 4.76 ounces and supports networks including HSPA/WCDMA 900/2,100MHz and Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz.
There’s also quick access to the Android Market, which now offers more than 10,000 applications.
The Hero is priced at approximately $180, after a $100 mail-in rebate and “eligible upgrade (or new-line activation), Business Advantage message and data plan or Everything plan with data and two-year-agreement,” according to Sprint.