Verizon Droid

HTC said today that it will update the GSM Hero, Sprint Hero, and Verizon Wireless DROID ERIS to the latest Android 2.1 operating system. The update will also include HTC’s new Sense user interface which adds a host of new features, including improvements in social networking, multitouch, and user interface updates. HTC wasn’t specific on when the updates would be available

source: HTC

Laptop Mag has a review of the HTC Droid Eris. Here are some of the highlights:
3.5/5 stars.

The $99.99 (with two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate) Droid Eris is the smart phone for Verizon Wireless customers who are looking for something more pocket friendly and affordable than the Motorola Droid. While the Eris doesn’t have the latest Android 2.0 operating system or that other Droid’s high-resolution display, you get the intuitive Sense user interface and very good Facebook and Twitter integration. Add in a rock solid industrial design and a first-class Web browser (complete with multitouch support), and you have one of the best smart phones under $100. However, the Eris is not necessarily a better deal than its $179 cousin on Sprint.

Verdict:

The HTC Droid Eris has a lot going for it. We love its Sense user interface and slick design. Assuming you don’t need a hardware keyboard, the Eris is a better choice than the Motorola Droid for those who want to travel light. If you’re already on Verizon, the Eris is the carrier’s best smart phone under $100. However, if your contract is up (or almost up) the HTC Hero on Sprint is an even better deal.

Matthew Miller from ZDNet calls the HTC Droid Eris the best $100 smartohone. Here’s why:

…because the form factor is so compelling. It is wrapped in black soft touch material, it is narrow so it feels like a phone, it is thin, it is dense, and it has curves that make a supermodel envious…HTC was able to pack in their awesome Sense UI into the ERIS at this low $100 price point

Compared to the Motorola DROID, we see this device with a sleeker form factor, better performing camera, and the Sense UI (with all the great HTC widgets and customizations) while the DROID has the a slightly faster processor, larger higher resolution display, hardware QWERTY keyboard, and vanilla Googla Android experience with support for the new Google Maps Navigation beta. The Motorola DROID runs Android 2.0 while the HTC DROID ERIS runs Android 1.5. Which Google Android device do you find more compelling on Verizon?

HTC’s first “DROID” phone is nothing more than a rebadged, shape-shifted Hero, and that it’ll be launching on Verizon on November 6th, the same day as Motorola’s DROID. That means Android 1.5 “Cupcake,” Sense UI, 3.2-inch screen, 528MHz processor and so forth. The Eris will retail for $199 but with a $100 mail-in rebate. It’ll pack in an 8GB microSD card and the hopes and dreams of a generation of cheapskates that will be hopin’ and prayin’ that HTC manages to push Android 2.0 onto this thing so they don’t look too bad in front of their DROID-toting buddies on Verizon.

[source: EngadgetMobile]