HTC has announced the official arrival of its latest Android powered handset in the form of the HTC Hero.

Sporting a heavy weight processor by Qualcomm, the  MSM7200A™, 528 MHz power house, the handset is set to be touch-phone king’s most prized handset and weighing in at just under 135grams inclusive of the battery, it is safe to say that the hardware manufacturer has done its best work with the HTC Hero, especially considering that it also includes all the usual RAH RAH features like wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.2″ TFT-LCD HVGA screen with enough colours to have you asking yourself if you REALLY need so many :p,  etc etc.

The official press release reads as follows:

HTC HERO AVAILABLE IN S.A

POWER OF GOOGLE, FREEDOM OF ANDROID

Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 September 2009, Leaf International Communications, the ex

clusive distributors of HTC handsets in South Africa, today announced the much anticipated launch of the HTC Hero.

“The HTC Hero is a blend of form and function, taking the Android operating system functionality to a league of its own,” says Quinton Leigh, Managing Director of Leaf International Communications. “The HTC Hero is the world’s first Android-based phone with a customised user interface that allows for a level of customisation never before experienced on a mobile phone. With the new HTC Hero, you are not getting a phone, but rather, you are choosing a phone which gets YOU!”

The Hero is the first phone to embody HTC Sense – an intuitive and seamless experience that will be introduced across a portfolio of future HTC phones. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the centre by making your phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were designed by quietly listening and observing how people live and communicate – true customisation, people-centric communication and unexpected simplification.

“HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to the people and accessing your important information, not by following the status quo of today’s phones, but by following how you communicate and live your life,” said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corporation. “HTC Sense is a distinct experience created to make HTC phones simpler for people to use, leaving them saying, “it just makes sense”.

Another exciting feature which is unique to the HTC Hero is “scenes”. With this function, your HTC Hero has the ability to become multiple phones in one – you can create and switch between scenes that reflect different moments in your life…. at the touch of a button. You know the difference between the “work you” and “weekend you” – so should your phone!

And with 7 customisable screens to play with per “scene”, you can have instant access to all your important content – ALL ON THE SURFACE OF YOUR PHONE – not hidden under layers of menus.

It’s your phone, so enjoy the freedom to add “quick-glance” widgets and applications that push content to the surface and help you stay on top of the news, relax with your favourite tunes or catch up with your friends on facebook or twitter.

With its 3.2-inch HVGA display, the HTC Hero is optimised for Web and multimedia content while maintaining a small form factor that fits comfortably in your hand and against your face. It also boasts a broad variety of hardware features including a GPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a 5 mega-pixel autofocus camera and expandable MicroSD memory.

Other features include a dedicated Search button that goes beyond basic search, providing a more natural, contextual search experience.  This functionality enables users to search through Twitter, locate people in the contact list, read emails in the Inbox, and search in any other area of the phone.

And, all of this before you even start exploring the amazing world of Android Market – where you can download literally thousands of free and exciting applications for your new HTC Hero.

The HTC Hero…whatever, whenever, wherever…let’s go!

The HTC Hero is expected to be available from 7th October 2009 in South Africa at selected stores.