HTC Says Android 2.1 for Hero Comes in June

Currently running under the Android 1.5 version of Google's mobile operating system, the HTC Hero is said to receive an update to the latest flavor of the platform during summer. Previous reports suggested that the said update would actually land in the second quarter of the ongoing year, or before the end of April, to be more precise, but it seems that HTC decided that the solution was not ready for prime time.

According to a recent article on the unwired, the news regarding the upcoming availability of Android 2.1 for HTC Hero comes from HTC themselves. The Taiwan-based mobile phone maker announced the move during a Google event focused on Google Navigation for Android. European HTC Hero devices are set to receive the Android 2.1/Eclair upgrade starting June, and HTC says that the new software solution will arrive for free.

All European HTC Hero variants will receive a preparatory update, followed by the actual Android 2.1 software solution. For what it's worth, the update will certainly be a welcome one, especially considering the fact that there are a great deal of new services and applications currently unavailable for Hero users due to the Android 1.5 OS. In addition to support for these new services and apps, the software update will bring forth a wide range of new features as well. Contacts/accounts, E-Mail, messaging, camera, browser and calendar improvements are only some of the enhancements HTC Hero users will enjoy with the new update.

The HTC Hero was launched on the market last year with the Android 1.5 OS on board, and was the first device to include the handset vendor's HTC Sense solution. Considered one of the nicest Android-based devices at that time, the Hero hasn't received any OS updates since, even if HTC promised the release of Android 2.0 for it at a certain moment. However, the good news is that the mobile phone maker is committed to delivering the 2.1 firmware in a couple of months, even if it didn't provide a more specific release window. The update is expected to arrive via various carriers in Europe.