A look at HTC's Hero Android phone

The Hero was shown to an audience of journalists at the launch by HTC's chief executive, Peter Chou

Chou said the Hero would be carried in the UK by both T-Mobile and Orange. That makes it the first HTC-made handset not to be exclusively tied to one operator.

T-Mobile has not yet made a formal announcement about the Hero, but Orange said on Wednesday that it would make the handset available for free on a 24-month contract at £39.15 per month.

The Hero is the first Android phone to be carried by Orange in the UK. The operator's devices chief, Yves Maitre, told ZDNet UK earlier this month that an Orange Android handset was imminent. On Wednesday, the operator said the HTC Hero would be the first of several Android phones to arrive in the UK this year.