Taiwanese mobile phone maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has been rumored for quite some time now to be developing a new Android handheld that would come to the market with a fresh interface. The company finally decided it was high time to make the move and announced the handset officially. The HTC Hero that debuted today is only the first mobile phone to include the maker's HTC Sense interface, and comes with a distinct design and powerful capabilities.

The device has cutting-edge technologies, beveled edges and an angled bottom, an anti-fingerprint screen coating, and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. “HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to the people and accessing your important information, not by following the status quo of today’s phones, but by following how you communicate and live your life,” said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corporation.

The HTC Hero sports a 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen capable of delivering a 320 x 480 pixel HVGA resolution, a 5.0-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus, as well as GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g connectivity, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz (2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link), and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Moreover, the new HTC Android device also includes a Trackball with Enter button, microSD memory card slot, G-sensor, Digital Compass, as well as media player with support for a wide range of audio and video file formats. The HTC Hero is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz processor and features ROM: 512 MB and RAM: 288 MB. The phone measures 112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm (4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches) and weighs 135 grams (4.76 ounces), while including a 1350 mAh battery.

According to the mobile phone maker, the HTC Hero is expected to become available for purchase in Europe in July, while users in Asia will be able to enjoy it later during the summer. At the same time, HTC announced that the North American version of Hero would come to the market later during the ongoing year.