Are you in the UK and can’t wait another moment to get your hands on the HTC Hero? If this is the case, there is some good news for ya, but be prepared to drop a few hard earned dollars, ermmm, I mean, pounds in order to make it happen.

Unlocked HTC Hero handsets are now available for pre-order via Amazon.co.uk. With a price tag of £429.99, the Hero’s offered up here are unlocked and sim-free. Apparently these devices will be released/shipped on July 15th.

If you don’t mind waiting just a little bit longer, both Orange and T-Mobile will have the HTC Hero up for grabs within the next few weeks. Both carriers are gearing up to offer the device free of charge if they can lock you into a new contract for a few years.

Still can’t wait huh? Check out the HTC Hero at Amazon.co.uk.

[Via: Phandroid and TalkAndroid]

So, you might have seen that sexy little Android number being announced by HTC today called the Hero. 5 megapixel camera, 3.2″ HVGA display, Flash and multitouch support, running Android with a very slick Rosie user interface.  Well, appropriate to their London, England launch event, Orange UK is the first to announce that they’ll be carrying the Hero. Having just finished up with the HTC Magic, I really hope that some of the basic gaps I found in Android get filled, but it seems like a lot of the new stuff in the Hero is simply a slick user interface overhaul by HTC (although Flash support is nothing to sneeze at). As with many handsets in Europe, you’ll be able to pick up the Hero for free on a £39.15/month, two-year contract and comes in a graphite paint job. They’re ballparking an early July release, so if you’re looking to nab one, keep a close eye on the Orange online shop over the next couple of weeks.

[via Orange]

Israel may be finally getting their first iPhone once the 3G S launches, according to official distributor iDigital. In addition to the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) store, both Pelephone and Orange should be getting the iPhone 3G S, but pricing still hasn’t been announced. When it comes to the timeframe, Israel wasn’t on the list of launch day countries during the WWDC announcement, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be getting it in the following weeks. In any case, good on Israel - it’s something of a mobile tech hub with innovative developers like Modu, Fring and Emoze operating from there, and it’s high time they have the chance to get on the iPhone bandwagon.

[nana10 via MacBlogz]

Sometimes, what with Orange Wednesdays (a 2-for-1 cinema ticket offer for UK subs), you can forget about some of the other collateral that Orange are marketing out there. One particularly good piece, which popped back up on my radar recently, is Orange RockCorps. What be that, you ask? Well:

Orange and RockCorps come together to help you to give ?something back to your community. Take part in Orange RockCorps ?this year and help transform your local area. Over 40,000 people have already given their four hours and celebrated together at more than 20 live gigs.

All you need to do is join up and give four hours of your time to an Orange RockCorps community project in your area. In return, you’ll get a ticket to one of two exclusive gigs with performances from big name artists. You can’t buy a ticket. You can’t win a ticket. You have to earn a ticket.

And it doesn’t stop there. When you join up, you also become part of the Orange RockCorps Collective – giving you access to thousands of selected volunteering opportunities from around the UK.

Cool eh? The video I caught up on YouTube (here) is a nice promo for the RockCorps, but if you want a lot more info, go here. Seriously, check it out - it’s a really worthwhile project.

Word from France is that that Snapdragon-toting TG01 will cost 99 Euros from Orange, which works out to around $139 US. Not a bad deal for something with a 1 GHz processor, a 4.1″ WVGA screen, and measuring in at an anorexic 9.9mm thin. Whether or not that pricetag translates to other carriers is totally up in the air - service providers have the final call on how much they’re willing to subsidize, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to squeeze out something closer to the $200 mark for this calibre of hardware.

[MobiFrance via WMExperts]

Orange’s interactive Spot The Bull competition is back for 2009. You know what that means… 18 pairs of Glastonbury Festival tickets are up for grabs. All you have to do is guess correctly which square of the field Desmond the bull will be in at 3pm every day for the next three weeks.

This year is particularly special. As before you can enter via the website, but this time around you can also enter using your mobile. All you have to do is text ‘MOO’ along with the grid reference you think Desmond will be in at 3pm (say for example E7 or B4), to 64446. Bingo, you’re in the prize draw.

Check out the Spot The Bull website here.

[Via: The Feed (Orange)]

I was just doing some checking around the InterWeb, when I found this rather nice i8910 video on the Orange UK (blog) site. As many of you will know, the i8910 from Samsung is a beast of a multimedia phone, and this unboxing vid lets you get a glimpse of how the all-important UI is with those features.

Things start to get quite fruity, multimedia-wise, at about 2:48 in to the video - starting with images, and then moving on to the HD capabilities of the device - I think this is one of those things that I am going to have to witness in person at the local Orange shop!

Check it all out here.

[Via: The Feed (Orange)]

Orange’s blog, The Feed, often throws up interesting stories for us in Mobile-land. Take this one for instance that Orange are getting on board with Facebook:

Orange has shown off a concept for a mobile phone charger that should prove a hit with festival go-ers this summer - it’s powered by your legs!

The Orange Power Pump uses kinetic energy from an airbed foot pump, which connects to a turbine - and henceforth creates an electric current to recharge your Moby! Orange will be doing the showcasing of the Power Pump at Glastonbury, the world-famous music event held on Worthy Farm, Somerset, UK, from 24th-28th June. Orange have done quite a bit of work in previous years at Glasto with their eco-partner, a company called GotWind - they created a Dance Charger, a Recharge Pod, ‘Text Me Home Dome’, and the ‘Pic Stick’ !

Of course not everything has to be eco - for those looking to chill out, the ‘Orange Chill ‘n’ Charge’ tent will be at Glasto again this year, giving 600 mobile charging points, plus also internet access and live music - so I can see that being a very popular place to be

Your best bet for info on everything Glasto/Orange-related, is to go here - if you want pure info on the Festival itself, then check this out. Finally, if you want to read more about GotWind, go here.

[Story via: 3G.co.uk] / Image via: GotWind.org]

GSMarena is reporting that the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD (to give it its full name!) is now available through Orange stores in the UK! Totally dependent on contract, you might pay between (approx) £100-300 up-front for the handset….

Of course this heavyweight handset is touting all things HD, and personally I can’t wait to get my hands on one - I’ve been doing quite a bit with HD of late, and am keen to see just what it can do - if it shares ANY of Samsungs TV heritage with HD, it could be awesome!

I’m off to find an Orange shop with one so I can go and grope touch the Handset

You can find the i8910 on their website here.

[Story via: GSMarena / Image via: Orange.co.uk]