The HTC Droid Eris, Verizon’s second Android phone after the Motorola Droid, is essentially a re-branded HTC Hero; it has the same specs and a very similar exterior design. This phone seems to be a great starter-smartphone, it offers a beautiful exterior design, a highly customizable OS and a bright and clear touchscreen display; you get all that for as low as $9.99 from Amazon with a new service plan, making it the cheapest Android phone out there.

While this phone is only 3 months, it already starts looking a bit outdated; it uses Android OS 1.5, a somewhat old 528 MHz processor, a 3.2″ capacitive touchscreen display with a 320 x 480 resolution, WiFi, a 5 MP camera (that is better than the one in the Motorola Droid) and it lacks a physical keyboard. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great device, and it should get even better with the scheduled upgrade to Android 2.1 in mid 2010.

Features

• Android 1.5-powered smartphone
• 3.2″ capacitive touchscreen with 320 x 480 resolution
• GPS-enabled
• Wi-Fi networking
• 5-megapixel camera
• Bluetooth stereo music
• microSD expansion (8 GB card included)
• Up to 3.5 hours of talk time, up to 373 hours of standby time
• It measures 4.45 inches tall by 2.19 inches wide by 0.51 inch thick and weighs 4.23 ounces

Pros

• At $9.99, this is the cheapest Android phone available today
• Beautiful external design, much nicer and smaller than the iPhone
• 8GB MicroSD card included

Cons

• Android 1.5, why?
• No physical keyboard
• Battery life
• The trackball doesn’t light-up like the one in the Hero

Summary

The Droid Eris seems to be a great choice for those who are looking to get their first smartphone, especially at such low cost, but if you are into technology, you should be looking at either the Motorola Droid or Google’s Nexus One.

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