We can’t even count the number of times we’ve heard someone say, “webOS is great but I wish it was available on some decent hardware.” The PEBL-esque Palm Pre certainly sports a sleek design, but the build leaves much to be desired. When HP acquired the struggling smartphone maker earlier this year, a new hope for solid hardware was born. While Palm’s first post-HP offering won’t be the hardware revamp we’re all waiting for, HP is bound to step up its hardware game next year. WebOS fans might not have to wait that long, however, as several xda-developers forum members have dedicated themselves to a feat that would be nothing short of pure awesomeness — they intend to port webOS to the HTC Hero. The Hero is hardly HTC’s latest and greatest, of course, but in terms of build it’s leaps and bounds beyond the plasticky Palm Pre. We’ll be following the creative xda crew’s progress closely in the coming weeks and months, and we’ve already dusted off our old HTC Hero in anticipation of success.

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Telus is jumping on the Fathers Day and Graduation sale bandwagon with a promotion targeting its popular smartphones. The sale begins on June 16th and extends to the end of the month in order to encompass all of the June gift giving occasions. Included in the promotion are the following handsets with a three year commitment:

• Apple iPhone 16 GB 3GS for $99 ($100 price drop)
• Apple iPhone 32 GB 3GS for $149 ($1500 price drop)
• Apple iPhone 8 GB 3G for $49 ($50 price drop)
• BlackBerry Curve 8530 for $24.99 ($25 price drop)
• BlackBery Bold 9700 for $99.99 ($50 price drop)
• HTC Hero for Free ($25 price drop)

Any folks north of the border looking to score one of the above worthy smartphones would be wise to snag one in the month of June. And don’t forget, this isn’t just for Dads and Grads, go ahead and buy on for yourself. Every techie should have a backup smartphone or two in their mobile aresenal.

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We just got a tip that the phone pictured in Eric Schmidt’s hands is actually Verizon’s version of the HTC Hero and it will be called the HTC Hero (not confirmed). As you can see, there’s a couple hardware modifications and one big one is that the buttons below the screen are, as we’re told, not physical, but touch-sensitive buttons. Look for it to drop in November on Big Red.

UPDATE: We’ve doubled confirmed this — check for the HTC Hero (or a different name) in November on Verizon! P.S. We have been told “It’s awesome.”

Best Buy announced yesterday that it would be Sprint’s exclusive retail partner (for 60 days, we hear) for the highly anticipated HTC Hero, which will be available at each of Best Buy’s 1,044 locations across the country beginning October 11th. As is always the case with Best Buy Mobile, there is no need to bother with that pesky mail-in rebate as BBYM is spotting customers the $100 and offering the Hero for a straight $179.99 on a 2-year contract. We’ve also learned that while pre-orders aren’t officially available yet, some locations are already offering to cement your position at the front of the Hero line. For those of you with nearby Best Buys that aren’t willing to bend the rules, pre-orders should officially be available in just over a week. If you’re lucky however, a lax location, a friendly sales rep and a $50 deposit are all you need to make it happen — as you can clearly see from the image above.

Thanks, Zane!

Well, so much for all that. It turns out the stars were apparently aligned and Sprint’s HTC Hero will indeed be launching on October 11th. Sprint fans rejoice! The nation’s number three wireless carrier’s first Android-powered handset is a doozy — definitely the sexiest official Android handset to date. You already know everything there is to know about the Hero, and if you don’t then you clearly weren’t paying attention to our extensive review. The most important (and obvious) thing to note regarding Sprint’s version is the look; as with HTC’s various versions of the Snap, the Hero has been completely restyled for Sprint. Gone are the hard lines and prominent chin, having been replaced by rounded corners and, well, a baby chin. To be completely honest, we’re really digging both designs. The Hero will launch for Sprint on October 11th, as mentioned above, for $179.99 on a 2-year contract after rebate. An unlimited data plan will be required and Sprint’s Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month for 450 peak minutes and the works.

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We love our HTC Hero around these parts… And what would a hot-selling handset be nowadays without 14 different color combinations? Unfortunately for HTC, they seem to have their color codes mixed up. Since we can confidently say a pink handset would appeal mostly to women buyers, this salmon-colored Hero makes no sense.

Powder baby pink and we know of a bunch of women who’d want one. Burnt salmon? No way.

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It shouldn’t be long now, Sprint fans. Android, Google’s emerging OS that was once scoffed at by Mr. Hesse-if-you-please, is seemingly getting ready to make its debut on the Now Network. As for the vehicle with which it will likely hit Sprint’s red carpet, smart money is definitely on the HTC Hero. Known and adored for being HTC’s first Android-powered handset to feature the Sense UI, the Hero has just passed through the hallowed halls of the FCC complete with a CDMA/EV-DO radio in tow. In other words, the rumors surrounding Sprint snagging the Hero just got a whole lot firmer. For those who don’t recall, we loved the Android experience HTC has brought about with its Sense UI and we found the hardware to be nice and solid as well. Our main concern was with the guts of the Hero, or lack there of, but even still — we can’t think of a better way for Sprint to unleash Android on its subscribers than buried beneath the sexified Sense UI.

[Via Unwired View]

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Assuming that some day we’ll see a usable build on a more updated handset — this is awesome. Xda-developer forum member zenulator has managed to manhandle the HTC Hero’s Sense UI and stuff it into an HTC Vogue-compatible package. The Vogue, also known as the HTC Touch, is not what we would call a modern, capable handset. As such, Sense basically destroys the handset and brings a new meaning to the word ‘boggy’. Albeit 100% unusable, it’s an awesome start and a proof of concept that will hopefully light a fire under the WinMo hacking community. Think of the possibilities… HTC’s Sense UI on a Snapdragon-powered Toshiba TG01? Oh hell yeah. But back to the matter at hand, you’ll find a video of the aforementioned port below along with a link to the Google Code page. Two recommendations: 1) Don’t bother installing Sense UI just yet and 2) start the video around 3:30 to avoid a whole lot of waiting. And yes, guy who recorded the video, we totally saw that iPhone unlock screen you’re rocking. Ouch. Hit the jump for the video.

[Via Vogue Hero Sense UI installer]

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Well T-Mobile customers, it looks like you can’t have your myTouch 3G and eat your Hero, too. Great news trickled through this morning as the myTouch 3G became available for pre-order to current T-Mobile subscribers. On the flip side of the coin however, T-Mobile USA CTO Cole Brodman confirmed at a T-Mobile event today what many had expected — the highly anticipated HTC Hero will not be coming to the nation’s number four wireless carrier. Brodman’s exact words: “[T-Mobile USA] has no plans to bring the HTC Hero to market.” It’s definitely a shame considering the high desirability factor carried by HTC’s upcoming handset but there’s still hope the Hero will drop with AT&T in the near future. So what do you think, T-Moblers — sad to learn there’s no Hero in your future or will the myTouch 3G suit your Android-loving needs while we wait for the next generation of T-Mobile Android handsets?

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Now before you get too excited about this, Sprint subscribers, know that we have to throw some annoying words/phrases at it first. Rumor, possible, unconfirmed, skeptical, grain of salt and so on. Right then… According to PhoneNews.com, Sprint finally has Android positioned squarely in its sights. First up, the company is allegedly in the midst of testing the HTC Hero with a planned release toward the end of this year. While we haven’t yet heard any rumblings of a CDMA version in the works, it’s certainly feasible and tough to completely count out. Secondly, the blog reports that Sprint is currently testing an Android-powered handset from Samsung as well — the key here being this little guy reportedly sports WiMAX and CDMA. Could this secret Sammy be the tri-mode WiMAX/WiFi/CDMA handset we heard about earlier this month? We sure hope so.

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Sure, current Android handset owners, it’s understandable that you’re looking at HTC’s new Hero handset with a bit of jealousy. The new Sense UI alone is reason enough to be envious of course, as HTC has seemingly done for Android what it has done previously for Windows Mobile — added a UI layer that boosts sex appeal by about a million times. Don’t fret though… It looks like at least some of you will be getting some Sense UI love in the near future. HTC CEO Peter Chou is reportedly quoted as stating, “HTC sense will be available on some other existing devices.” That little snippet can be interpreted a variety of ways of course, but suffice it to say that the Dream/G1 or the Magic/myTouch 3G (or even both) are destined for updates that include the new Sense UI. As for what carrier versions will be privy to said update, your guess is as good as ours for the time being. Keep those fingers crossed, T-Mobile subscribers.

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