HTC Hero on its way to Sprint! Confirmed!

[tokuzumi]

Originally Posted by surfer01

I may be wrong, but the official sprint release states that it requires an "unlimited data plan", and then goes on to talk about SEP. I take that to mean SERO plans are elgible. Stay tuned! E

SEP stands for Simply Everything Plan. Could you argue, and get the Hero on Sero? Yes...but don't expect telesales, or your local sprint store to just activate the Hero without a struggle.

[surfer01]

Originally Posted by tokuzumi

SEP stands for Simply Everything Plan. Could you argue, and get the Hero on Sero? Yes...but don't expect telesales, or your local sprint store to just activate the Hero without a struggle.

Well, here is the sprint Pre news release in June:

Pricing and Availability
The Palm Pre phone will be available from Sprint on June 6 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year service agreement on an Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Pre, including the Palm Touchstone charging dock. The Touchstone™ Charging Kit, which includes the Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover for Pre, will be available June 6 for $69.99. The Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover also are available separately from Palm for $49.99 and $19.99, respectively.

And here is Todays sprint news release concerning pricing:
HTC Hero requires activation on a pricing plan offering unlimited data. Sprint’s Simply EverythingSM plan provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting, e-mail, social networking, Web browsing, GPS navigation, Sprint TV, streaming music, NFL Mobile Live, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and much more for only $99.99 per month. That’s a savings of $1,200 over two years vs. a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan2. Sprint Everything Data plans with unlimited messaging and data start at just $69.99 for 450 minutes with unlimited night and weekend calling starting at 7 p.m. (All price plans exclude Sprint surcharges and taxes.)

I still see think SERO plans will be included. E

[uhohitzluke]

So Darren, is the Hero a SERO eligible phone?! I'm over windows mobile... 7 years of it and I'm honestly getting sick of it.. Need me a Hero to save me! until Windows Phone 7 comes out that is

[nyczwillz]

Just ask Sprint CS. But remmeber to ask 10 of them LOL.

[michd]

Originally Posted by uhohitzluke

So Darren, is the Hero a SERO eligible phone?! I'm over windows mobile... 7 years of it and I'm honestly getting sick of it.. Need me a Hero to save me! until Windows Phone 7 comes out that is

Agreed. Jumping to the Sprint Hero until a snapdragon or tegra wm7 phone arrives.

[miamicanes]

A few questions...

1) What safeguards does it have (either out of the box, or at least downloadable & existing today a-la-S2U2) to prevent you from accidentally placing calls or triggering input events if you carry the phone in your back pocket? Prior to discovering S2U2, I literally came within minutes of smashing my Touch in rage one night when an incoming missed call turned on the phone in my back pocket, and I ended up making a 47 minute call to my parents' voicemail (it had done other things in the past, that just happened to be the all-time low point of my relationship with the phone).

2) Will it be able to do phone-as-modem with Sprint's full knowledge and blessing? I currently pay Sprint the extra $25/month to get PAM instead of whatever they call their unlimited pda-only data plan this month and only use it occasionally... but when I want it (maybe a few hours per month), it's REALLY nice to have. I don't use it often enough to justify a USB device and second plan, but I've come to regard casual tetherability as non-negotiable requirement. If "Unlimited Everything" means "(except PAM)", is it at least available as an option?

3) Does anyone know what I can do with a developer-edition G1 that I WOULDN'T be able to do with a Sprint Hero (at least, not until someone figures out how to root it)? Specifically, what restrictions will the version of Android shipped with the phone enforce against user-installed apps? One of my pet development projects in the emulator has been a graffiti input method editor (overloading the volume-up button to activate full-screen finger-able graffiti input whenever it's pressed and held > 500ms). Up to now, it hadn't really sunk in that I wouldn't necessarily have carte-blanche access equal to that provided by a developer edition G1 with Sprint's phone, and I'm worried.

[tokuzumi]

1) Phone has a capacitive screen. Responds to input from your finger. Not pressure.

2) Not sure. Android is open source, so if this isn't available now, tethering, such as WMWiFiRouter, will be available.

3) Hero has more ram, faster processor than G1, so your android experience should be faster.

Originally Posted by miamicanes

A few questions...

1) What safeguards does it have (either out of the box, or at least downloadable & existing today a-la-S2U2) to prevent you from accidentally placing calls or triggering input events if you carry the phone in your back pocket? Prior to discovering S2U2, I literally came within minutes of smashing my Touch in rage one night when an incoming missed call turned on the phone in my back pocket, and I ended up making a 47 minute call to my parents' voicemail (it had done other things in the past, that just happened to be the all-time low point of my relationship with the phone).

2) Will it be able to do phone-as-modem with Sprint's full knowledge and blessing? I currently pay Sprint the extra $25/month to get PAM instead of whatever they call their unlimited pda-only data plan this month and only use it occasionally... but when I want it (maybe a few hours per month), it's REALLY nice to have. I don't use it often enough to justify a USB device and second plan, but I've come to regard casual tetherability as non-negotiable requirement. If "Unlimited Everything" means "(except PAM)", is it at least available as an option?

3) Does anyone know what I can do with a developer-edition G1 that I WOULDN'T be able to do with a Sprint Hero (at least, not until someone figures out how to root it)? Specifically, what restrictions will the version of Android shipped with the phone enforce against user-installed apps? One of my pet development projects in the emulator has been a graffiti input method editor (overloading the volume-up button to activate full-screen finger-able graffiti input whenever it's pressed and held > 500ms). Up to now, it hadn't really sunk in that I wouldn't necessarily have carte-blanche access equal to that provided by a developer edition G1 with Sprint's phone, and I'm worried.

[slbailey1]

1. The Hero has a lock screen.

2. PDANet is available for Android. It has a one-time-only cost of $29.
http://www.junefabrics.com/android/

3. You can "Root" the phone and develop and install any applicatins you want.

Originally Posted by miamicanes

A few questions...

1) What safeguards does it have (either out of the box, or at least downloadable & existing today a-la-S2U2) to prevent you from accidentally placing calls or triggering input events if you carry the phone in your back pocket? Prior to discovering S2U2, I literally came within minutes of smashing my Touch in rage one night when an incoming missed call turned on the phone in my back pocket, and I ended up making a 47 minute call to my parents' voicemail (it had done other things in the past, that just happened to be the all-time low point of my relationship with the phone).

2) Will it be able to do phone-as-modem with Sprint's full knowledge and blessing? I currently pay Sprint the extra $25/month to get PAM instead of whatever they call their unlimited pda-only data plan this month and only use it occasionally... but when I want it (maybe a few hours per month), it's REALLY nice to have. I don't use it often enough to justify a USB device and second plan, but I've come to regard casual tetherability as non-negotiable requirement. If "Unlimited Everything" means "(except PAM)", is it at least available as an option?

3) Does anyone know what I can do with a developer-edition G1 that I WOULDN'T be able to do with a Sprint Hero (at least, not until someone figures out how to root it)? Specifically, what restrictions will the version of Android shipped with the phone enforce against user-installed apps? One of my pet development projects in the emulator has been a graffiti input method editor (overloading the volume-up button to activate full-screen finger-able graffiti input whenever it's pressed and held > 500ms). Up to now, it hadn't really sunk in that I wouldn't necessarily have carte-blanche access equal to that provided by a developer edition G1 with Sprint's phone, and I'm worried.

[cordevil95]

Does anybody know if you can get the $100 rebate if you buy the phone retail (without signing a new contract)?

[MrChainsaw]

Originally Posted by cordevil95

Does anybody know if you can get the $100 rebate if you buy the phone retail (without signing a new contract)?

Sprint's mail in rebates are only valid if you are eligible for all other rebates, so no. If you are paying full retail price there is no break.