Amazon UK has put up the pre-order page for the new HTC Hero with its very nice HTC Sense user interface which we talked about here, and which I’ve installed on my old T-Mobile G1 Android handset here. It’s the SIM free, ie. unlocked version, so there is a premium attached to the phone. In the UK, two carriers – Orange and T-Mobile – have said that they will offer the phone free, in return for a 24 month contract, so paying £430 (RM 2,523) for the unlocked version seems a bit much! Amazon says the phone is expected to ship 15th July, which is only around two weeks from now. HTC sure does move quickly from announcement/launching to availability, unlike Garmin-Asus which takes two years to do so!
For 430 quid, you get the following:
- Processor Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
- Operating System Android™
- Memory ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB
- Dimensions (LxWxT) 112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm ( 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)
- Weight 135 grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery
- Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution
- Network HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)
- Device Control Trackball with Enter button
- GPS Internal GPS antenna
- Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
- Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
- 3.5 mm audio jack Camera 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
- Audio supported formats MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media® Audio 9
- Video supported formats MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media® Video 9
- Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
- Capacity: 1350 mAh
- Talk time: Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA, Up to 470 minutes for GSM
- Standby time: Up to 750 hours for WCDMA Up to 440 hours for GSM
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
- Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
- AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features
- G-sensor
- Digital Compass
Via slashgear.
Now then, judging by the pricing of the recently released HTC Magic in Malaysia, the Hero should cost well over RM 3,000, making it inaccessible to the overwhelming majority of the Malaysian population, and in my opinion, rendering such a launch of the phone pointless. But that’s just my opinion – as they say, an idiot is born every day!
Tweet This Post
