AT&T’s First Android Phone May Be the HTC Hero

At this point, AT&T is the only U.S. wireless carrier who has yet to even announce a phone running Google’s Android OS. This may remain true until next year, when this company will reportedly introduce a version of the HTC Hero.

An unconfirmed report says AT&T plans to introduce this tablet-shaped smartphone in early 2010. This would likely make it the third U.S. carrier offering it: Sprint released its version last week, while Verizon has hinted that it will have one out by the end of this year.

The only other Android-based device that is even rumored to be on its way to AT&T is Dell’s, and that’s not expected to happen until some time in 2010.

An Overview of the HTC Hero
The Hero has a 3.2-inch HVGA display with an anti-fingerprint screen coating for improved smudge resistance. This is set in a tablet shaped device with a distinct “chin” which HTC says has been contoured to fit comfortably in the user’s hand and against their face while on a call.  However, Sprint’s version of this device eschews the chin, and it’s not known if AT&T will use the original design or the re-designed one.

HTC’s previous models running Android have used Google’s default user interface, but the Hero marked the debut of a UI that’s been dubbed HTC Sense. That didn’t effect the suite of applications that comes with Android, many of which have strong ties to Google’s services, like Gmail and Google maps.

The HTC Hero has mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Other features of this smartphone include a-GPS, a digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, and a microSD memory card slot.

Source: Phone Arena