Right on the heels of HTC’s unveiling of the Hero, Orange in the U.K. put out a press release, stating that they would be one of the first carriers in Europe to launch the new handset. The HTC Hero will be the first Android phone on the Orange network and will be offered for free to customers who sign up for a £39.15 per month, 24 month contract, which includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing. If you ask me, this is probably one of the best contract deals you would be able to find anywhere in the world.
“We’re really pleased to be launching our first Android handset in conjunction with HTC. The first of several Android devices you can expect from us this year, we believe the Hero is a great all round device which will allow consumers to get to grips with all the things they love about the internet, whilst on the move. We expect it to be extremely popular when it hits shelves this summer.” – Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK
We’ve got the full press release after the jump
Orange UK introduces first Android handset to its device portfolio with the introduction of the HTC ‘Hero’
- Orange to exclusively retail the HTC Hero in ‘Graphite’, offering it free on selected pay monthly contracts from early July
- The HTC Hero is the first of several Android handsets Orange will range in 2009
- Visit orange.co.uk/newsroom for imagery and to order a review unit
Orange today announced it will be launching the much anticipated HTC Hero, the first Android device to be ranged by Orange in the UK. Available from early July across all Orange retail channels, the HTC Hero will be available for free on select price plans and will be exclusive to Orange in ‘Graphite’ colour.
Offering a rich, intuitive browsing touch interface and premium design, the 3G+ enabled Hero features Google’s Android operating system, the world’s first ‘open-source’ operating system for mobile devices. Android allows users unrestricted access to thousands of amazing tools and applications which can be downloaded straight to the handset – helping enhance the device’s capabilities.
Created for those wanting an optimised mobile customer experience, with easy access to Google’s most popular services, the Hero also provides users with a choice of seven specially designed unique user interface options. The handset also comes with an integrated five mega-pixel, auto-focus camera featuring camcorder capability, a gravity sensor, AGPS and 512 MB of memory with space for a 16Gb MicroSD card. What’s more, the 3.2 inch HVGA display features anti-fingerprint screen coating for improved smudge resistance and a longer lasting, clearer display.
Orange is offering the HTC Hero for free to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24 month contract. The package includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing so users can make the most out of their mobile experience.
Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said, “We’re really pleased to be launching our first Android handset in conjunction with HTC. The first of several Android devices you can expect from us this year, we believe the Hero is a great all round device which will allow consumers to get to grips with all the things they love about the internet, whilst on the move. We expect it to be extremely popular when it hits shelves this summer.”
The HTC Hero is exclusive to Orange in ‘Graphite’ and will be available from Orange shops and www.orange.co.uk/shop in early July.
About Orange
Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 123 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (12.7 billion euros for the first quarter of 2009) and at 29 April 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 184 million customers in 30 countries. These include 123 million mobile customers worldwide and 13 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies. In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population. At the end of March 2009, Orange had almost 17 million customers in the UK – 15.8 million active mobile customers and close to one million fixed broadband customers. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited. For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com For further information, call the Orange press office on 0870 373 1500 or email: Orangepr@golinharris.com or visit www.orange.co.uk/newsroom
