It looks like $99.99 is the new black at cellular operator’s authorized resellers. As we reported to you yesterday, Walmart is offering a $100 gift card to those who buy any’Berry at the discounter and in the case of the BlackBerry Bold 9700, that takes the price of the handset down to $99.99. As we already informed you, Sprint launched the Palm Pixi today and the webOS handset goes for $99.99 after a mail-in rebate and a 2 year contract. And according to a couple of tipsters who passed this on to BGR, Best Buy is now offering the Sprint HTC Hero for…take a guess…you got it! With a 2 year deal signed, the Sprint version of the Hero can be yours for $99.99. These big companies don’t pick a price out of thin air. Obviously, there is some psychological  reason for the use of this price and how we as handset buyers respond to it. The pin-dropping network currently offers the Hero for $179.99 after a mail-in rebate and a 2 year contract.
source: BGR

One of BGR’s tipsters sent them pix of the HTC DROID Eris (you know, that other Android phone getting launched by Verizon on Friday) and he passed along word that the handset is thinner and lighter than Sprint’s HTC Hero. According to the tipster, it is the best Android phone he has used after the DROID, of course. The DROID Eris will set you back just $99 after a mail-in-rebate and a 2 year contract. If the Motorola DROID were not launching on the same day, it would have been interesting to see how this device would have fared with the playing field all to itself.
source: BGR

“Many” Verizon Wireless retail stores will open early at 7 or 8 am on Friday for the launch of the Motorola DROID. The highly anticipated Android powered device will be the first to be powered by the new Android 2.0 OS. Big Red and Motorola have been promoting the handset at a level not seen since last year’s launch of the BlackBerry Storm. To check when your local store will be opening, it is advised to give them a call. Stores inside shopping malls will be opening at the regular time. Starting on Friday, Verizon will be holding in-store demonstrations on how DROID owners can get the most from the device. The phone will cost $199.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate (in the form of a debit card) and a two year contract. Also launching Friday is the HTC DROID Eris, a lower priced Android phone powered by the 1.5 build of the OS. The HTC Hero variant is $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two year contract, as we have already reported.

Check with your local Verizon store and set your alarm clock accordingly. Losing a little sleep is nothing compared to the joys of playing around with your new Motorola DROID.
source: Verizon

Sprint´s second Android cell phone, the Samsung Moment, has finally arrived! Customers of the carrier can now get the device for $179.99 on a two-year contract and after $100 mail-in rebate. The handset is equipped with full QWERTY keyboard, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.2-inch AMOLED screen with HVGA resolution. Its interface does not feature the profound personalization pack the HTC Hero does, but the gadget will certainly win over quite a few people with its hardware keyboard and fast, 800MHz processor. We hope Sprint will release update to Android version 2.0 when the software has become available.
source: Sprint

We have already reported on info that shows a November 6th launch for the HTC DROID Eris at Verizon, for $99. Engadget has an anonymous tipster that passed along more leaked documents that seems to go along with the earlier information. Verizon’s Hero variant will most likely be loaded up with Android 1.5 and Sense UI and come equipped with a 5MP camera, Wi-Fi and a 3.2 inch display. The 528MHz processor should keep things running smoothly and to make you feel good about the whole thing, Verizon will throw in a 8GB microSD card. The price is $199.99 but there is a $100 mail-in-rebate and for that price, you will need to put your signature on a 2 year contract. So it looks like Big Red will be launching its first two Android devices on the same day. Of course, the Motorola Droid will be sporting Android 2.0 and carries on its’ back the heavy weight of being an iPhone challenger. The DROID Eris is more like your run of the mill Hero.
source: EngadgetMobile

Remember that picture of a device we called the HTC Dragon that was showed in PhoneArena? Based on the menu key, which looked identical to the one on the Motorola Droid, we said the photos might not be authentic. Now, we have another angle on the whole story. The guys over at the UnLockr did some research and they have come up with the theory that this handset is the HTC Passion, expected to be offered by Verizon. The Passion is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and is actually the Android version of the highly anticipated HTC HD2. UnLockr explains away the similarities in the menu key between the Droid and the Passion by explaining that Verizon is trying to keep some uniformity among all of its’ Android devices. It is not the HTC Desire because that is actually the Verizon branded version of the Android powered HTC Hero. The Passion is the CDMA variant of the Dragon and if it is the Android sister of the phone formerly called “Leo”, that would mean a massive 4.3 inch display, unparalleled speed, amazing features and specs, and plenty of drool among Verizon customers.
source: theUnLockr

You may have heard or read a lot about the new Android handsets that are about to be unleashed, but now there is photographic evidence of the Verizon-branded HTC Desire. Yes, the photo is dark, but all the better to see the display and Android home screen in all it’s glory. The Desire has a touch-screen, Sense UI, is similar in size to Sprint’s Hero, and is reported to be quite zippy. We want one!

source: BGR

We have been told by one of our tipsters that he has a friend building firmware for AT&T. He says that he was told that his friend is building one for the HTC Hero which should be released early in 2010. The Hero is HTC’s first Android device that runs the Sense UI, which also makes it the first Android phone that has a browser that supports flash. The model offers a 3.2 inch screen with resolution of 320 X 480 pixels, a 5MP camera, Wi-Fi and a 3.5mm audio jack. As far as CDMA versions are concerned, Sprint has already released its’ version of the Hero and there is talk that Verizon will offer a model that will not include the Sense UI. As we get more info on the AT&T variant, we will pass on the word to you.
Thanks, anonymous tipster!

The Android-powered HTC Hero is finally available in the U.S. via Sprint and their “Now Network.” For $179.99 and a two-year contract, you can take this little wonder home and enjoy some eye-pleasing home screen widgets, a 5.0-megapixel camera, and plenty of apps in the Android Market.

Europe has been enjoying the Hero for a while now, but it’s fresh and new in the States and ushers in a wave of new Android devices that should surely make the little green ‘droid-lover’s heart glad. Let us know if you pick up an HTC Hero from Sprint – let us know what you think!

source: Android Authority

While everyone else is waiting in line on Sunday morning, October 11th, for their new HTC Hero at Best Buy, you can walk on by the line sporting your new Hero that you picked up TWO DAYS EARLIER. Yes, that’s right – as long as you are a Best Buy Reward Zone member and you swing by Best Buy on Friday morning to pick up your Hero, you will get a healthy jump on everyone else. If you decide to exercise your Reward Zone membership clout, then jet over to Best Buy on Friday morning and pick up an Android-powered HTC Hero with a two-year contract on Sprint for only $179.99.

source: AndroidGuys