In the past, HTC has created some unique devices like the HTC Touch Diamond and those using the Windows Mobile operating system, but Google’s Android support has sure raised its profile.
"We win on design, we win on pricing, and our user experience is already popular," said Jason Mackenzie, HTC's North America unit vice president.
HTC Eris' availability and price
The HTC Droid Eris will hit the shelves on Nov. 6 for $99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate with a new two-year contract bundled with email plan or feature.
The HTC Droid Eris will be available in stores alongside the Motorola Verizon Android phone.
Eris looks quite similar to Sprint’s HTC Hero phone, currently sold at $179.99, according to Sprint’s website. However, according to Sprint spokeswoman Michelle Leff, the company is not looking to lower the prices of Hero.
HTC Droid Eris’ features
Here are some of the reported features of Eris, the new sibling of the Droid:
• 3.2-inch, 320 by 480 HVGA capacity touch-screen and trackball interface
• Wi-Fi capability
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera lacks a flash but can capture reasonable images under adequate light
• 4.2 ounces, measuring 4.5 by 2.2 by 0.5-inches
• Uses the Google’s Android 1.5 version
• Bluetooth
• Integrated GPS and digital compass with sensors which allow phone to know what direction it is facing
• 3.5 mm headset jack
• HTC Sense
• Expandable memory with pre-installed 8GB microSD card
• Battery is only 1300 mAh
• Qualcomm MSM 7600 528 MHz processor
• Top Four buttons (Home, Menu, Back and Search) with embedded softkeys
• CDMA/EV-DO Rev A. support
One of the pre-installed stuffs include a Peep app for Twitter and Footprint, to allow users to capture an image, attach comments and use phone’s GPS abilities to log its location and create a map, all of which can be shared.
Increase in early termination fees
Verizon Wireless also announced on Thursday that it plans to increase early termination fees for the smartphone users who leave the services before the end of two year service contract, which will help offset the hefty subsidies the company pays for such devices.
After Nov. 15, new smartphone users will have to spend $350 as the termination fees, with the amount declining by $10 for the passing of each month of the service contract.
The termination fees for the traditional phones will be $175, with a $5 monthly reduction while the contract is on.
The HTC Droid Eris, however, will be facing a tough competition from other better-known, well-funded smart-phone companies for the consumer attention and also for the carrier support.
The Eris is going on sale today along with Verizon Wireless’ and Motorola Inc.’s Droid, which has definitely managed to get more attention than HTC Droid Eris.
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