HTC Hero comes to 3 with free Spotify, Skype

UK wireless provider 3 said it will soon offer its first Android-powered phone, the HTC Hero with the unique addition of unlimited music. The Android smartphone will include a free Spotify Premium account, allowing users to access the online music service both on the phone and on a computer. While Spotify is available for iPhones and Android devices thanks to an app, and a monthly subscription, this is the first time it is bundled into an existing device, with the equivalent $16 monthly subscription fee waived as well. Also included with the 3 Hero is Skype access to VoIP calls.

The Hero will arrive in November, priced at the equivalent of $163 when purchased with a two-year contract that costs $57 per month and includes 750 free minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data, and unlimited calls to other 3 subscribers.

The Hero remains the reference HTC version and gets a 3.5mm headphone jack along with a 5-megapixel autofocusing camera. There is 7.2Mbps 3G network support, GPS and Wi-Fi as well as an accelerometer, a compass and a microSDHC card slot. A 528MHz ARM-based processor powers the handset.

By Electronista Staff