After playing with the HTC Eris I’ve only come to one conclusion, but you will have to read through to the end to see what that is.
Out of the Box
You can read my initial reactions here but straight out of the box I love how small the Eris is and how well it fit in my hand.
It’s really fast; there was some initial lag when I first started it up, especially when moving through the home screens, but over all this phone is just as fast as the Droid.
Play Time
You have all read the specs so I’m not going to bore you with the details that you’ve seen all over the web already. Playing with the Eris was fun and the Sense UI made it a joy to engage with the device. The lack of hardware keyboard will put some off but if you aren’t planning on typing much then this droid is the one you are looking for.
Since it isn’t running Android 2.0 there are some things that aren’t on this device that Verizon has advertised are on the Droid, namely Google Navigation, a slower browsing experience, and the older Marketplace. Of course an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade to Android 2.0 is rumored to be hitting the HTC Hero and HTC Eris in the near future so that could all change.
There’s not much more about this phone to say, it’s a great little phone — it is fast, reliable, and Verizon’s 3G makes it the best non-hardware keyboard phone the carrier has out. If you don’t like the bulk of the Droid or don’t need a hardware keyboard then definitely go check this little beauty out today. (Currently, for a limited time Verizon is selling the HTC Eris for $99.99 with a NEW 2-year agreement, $199.99 for existing customers.)
Before I get to my first impressions review I want to say that this is not the same as the Motorola DROID. This has an older version of the Android OS (Android version 1.5, the DROID runs version 2.0) so some apps that have been advertised for the DROID will not work on the Eris, namely Google Navigation. Google Navigation is currently only available for Android 2.0 devices. The only reason I bring this up is because I’ve heard consumers complaining about this to Verizon and apparently they aren’t being told this by the company, they are just getting the answer, “I don’t know why it’s not working on your phone.” It’s not working on the phone because the phone doesn’t run the same OS as the DROID.
First, the phone is a little taller, thinner and heavier than the HTC Touch, the curves are curvy and it feels good in the hand.
The phone is fast and sliding between screens moves just as fast as you think it should. Apps pop up quickly and respond at lightning speeds, the browser is fast with 3G even though I enjoy the Android 2.0 browser more.
Unlike the Motorola DROID, the HTC Eris has HTC’s signature Micro USB adapter for charging so you’ll be able to use any Micro USB cable to charge or move data over.
So there’s a brief run down of my first impressions. Keep an eye out later this week for the full review with pictures and a video.
IntoMobile just released the news that Wirefly.com is selling the Moto DROID for $99.99 and the HTC Eris for FREE (after activating a new Verizon account, of course). Get ‘em while they are hot!
According to IntoMobile the DROID deal is just as it seems — only available on new accounts — but the Eris deal is for current subscribers who are willing to sign a new 2-year agreement and pay $59.99 or more on the accompanying plan. Shipping is free on both phones so if you want to save you’ll just have to wait a few more days for the phones to be shipped.
Wirefly DROID deal
FREE HTC Eris
[via IntoMobile]
I just received a question on Aardvark and had to do some quick digging to find out that T-Mobile is experiencing major network downtime. There’s no official word yet but stayed tuned to the blogosphere and twitosphere, word will pop up as soon as we hear more.
UPDATE: T-Mo knows about the issue and is working on it. They say that it’s less than 5% of it’s subscribers with out service now. Just hold on, things could be over soon.
UPDATE 2: According to T-Mo’s twitter page: “We’re making good progress restoring voice and messaging service to affected customers. More: http://ow.ly/z2hQ“
