What would seem like a case of vaporware on the scale of something like Duke Nukem Forever, the Android 2.1 Eclair update for the GSM version of the HTC Hero has suffered endless delays, empty promises and rumors. Orange just issued a statement saying they hope to begin rolling it out next week:
“We apologise for the delay in Orange Hero customers receiving their Éclair update. Testing the update across European markets took longer than anticipated. However, we hope to receive final approval by the end of the week and Orange handsets should start updating from next week.”
Does that mean we should still keep our fingers crossed? Let’s hope not.
Yesterday Orange UK announced the Motorola DEXT (known in the US as the CLIQ). It will be the second Android smartphone from the European carrier, coming in behind the HTC Hero.
Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, said “We’re really pleased to be exclusively offering the DEXT to UK consumers. The device builds on our commitment to bring the latest innovative multimedia handsets to market and fits perfectly with our existing portfolio of products and services – allowing consumers to make the most from their social networks on the mobile”.
You can score the DEXT free on plans from £34.26 per month, on a 2 year contract. Which includes 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data and unlimited Orange Maps. The DEXT will be available from Orange in early October.
HTC has a new ROM upgrade for your Hero. Version 2.73.405.5 is up now at the HTC UK site, for owners of Orange, T-mobile, and other UK Hero users. To upgrade, head over to the HTC support page for full instructions on installing the new firmware.
The update will speed things up a bit for a snappier experience and touch-to-focus for the your 5MP camera. And unlike other software upgrades for Android phones, you will need a Windows PC to install the update, sorry Mac and Linux users.
[thanks to @burrom for the tip]
The HTC Hero (aka T-Mobile G2 Touch) is now available from T-Mobile UK as well as Orange UK for the low, low price of FREE with select voice/data plans.
Here’s the T-Mobile offering:
And from Orange:
Another little interesting tidbit is this pink HTC Hero that has poped up on mobiles.co.uk as an exclusive. Not quite as vulgar as the bright magenta from the first time we saw the Hero in the leaked HTC roadmap from so long ago. Available for £79.99 with a qualifying new contract on Orange UK, well not quite as nice as free, it’s still reasonable. Although the phone is unlocked, it does not appear that you can order it without signing a contract.
Although not yet available for preorder yet, the HTC Hero has appeared on the Orange UK website. Sporting the sexy graphite, which I think looks better than the white. According to their earlier statement, it should be available within a week or two, with prices starting from FREE with qualifying plans and contract.
The update will speed things up a bit for a snappier experience and touch-to-focus for the your 5MP camera. And unlike other software upgrades for Android phones, you will need a Windows PC to install the update, sorry Mac and Linux users.
Recent Comments