HTC have confirmed to us that they’ll be offering an update to Android 2.0 for the HTC Hero.  The update means that HTC will be skipping Android 1.6 – as on the HTC Tattoo, for instance – to concentrate on fettling HTC Sense to play nicely with the newest version of Android.  However, the company have not given a definitive timescale for the release, asking only that owners “be patient”.  Full statement after the cut.

“Yes, we are working on an Eclair update for the HTC Hero. Because Eclair is a significantly enhanced release, it will require some time to update Sense for this new version of the Android OS. Please be patient while we work to provide you with a tightly integrated experience like the one you are already enjoying on your Hero.” HTC statement

The update will be available for both the original European GSM version of the Hero, and the CDMA Sprint version on sale in the US.  However distribution of the update for carrier-branded versions of the handset will require negotiation between HTC and those carriers, so it might not be released as early as software for the unlocked GSM model.

Android 2.0 brings with it native Exchange support, together with the new beta of Google Maps Navigation.  This app, announced yesterday and already found on the Verizon DROID by Motorola, promises turn-by-turn directions, POI and voice-control.

Dell CEO Michael Dell has been saying that his company will be trotting its Ophone-based mini 3i Android-powered smartphone out to consumers in the US. Dell says the device will hit in early 2010. Today we get word that Android may not be the only OS that Dell uses in its US-bound smartphones.

MocoNews reports that Dell talked about subjects other than smartphones too. According to Dell unless people are concerned with power or price notebooks are where most computer sales are made. Dell also says he doesn’t see the netbook getting very big. I wonder if he has read the latest sales reports.

Perhaps that netbook bit is just wishful thinking on his part. Dell figures netbooks will level off at 12 to 15% of the computer market and doesn’t see it getting any higher than that. Talking about smartphones, Dell said, “There are some other open platforms that are emerging that are similar to other businesses we participate in.”

The Android race is hotting up, with another leaked live image of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 showing there’s plenty of room in the market for a big-screen slab of megapixel-toting smartphone.  Yet another handset tipped to use Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset – as found in the recently announced Acer Liquid A1 and expected to make an appearance in the rumored HTC Dragon – the XPERIA X3 will also pack an 8-megapixel autofocus camera.

Up front there’s a 4-inch 852 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, while under the hood lurks both dualband HSPA, WiFi b/g and GPS.  Full specifications for the handset were previewed by a prematurely posted Expansys product listing, though right now there’s nothing approaching official confirmation from Sony Ericsson themselves.

What’s not on show from this snapshot is the distinctive UI that Sony Ericsson are tipped to have included on the smartphone, back when we knew it under the codename “Rachel”.  That UI – which you can see in a leaked video demo after the cut – is expected to replace the standard Android interface perhaps even more fully than HTC Sense does on the HTC Hero.  The XPERIA X3 is expected to arrive on the market in January 2010.

Sprint is offering a new iDEN phone in the form of the Motorola Debut i856 which will see the combination of Nextel Direct Connect, best-in-class push-to-talk services, in a stylish multimedia device that is suitable for both business and consumer applications. The Motorola Debut i856 is a compact slider handset that will feature a smooth gliding action that makes it the ideal candidate for easy one-handed operation, which means the keypad will remain secure whenever it is not in use, without cramping your style whenever you are about to engage in easy accessibility for instant communication between two people or a group of people, regardles of whether they are next door or in the next state. Apart from that, the Debut i856 also holds the distinction of being the first device to offer the upgraded ability to switch from an active push-to-talk call to an interconnect voice call at the touch of a button.

Interested yet? The Motorola Debut can be purchased with Nextel Direct Connect calling plans in all Sprint sales channels, where that includes Sprint retail stores, Business Direct Sales, Telesales (1-800-Nextel-9) and Web sales – with the Debut i856 going for $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and this is after a $50 mail-in rebate before taxes. Nextel Direct Connect is also the only national push-to-talk product in the industry which will bring industry-leading performance with sub-one second call set-up, alongside connectivity to the world’s largest push-to-talk community and integrated business solutions which includes one of the largest selections of GPS-solutions.

Other features of the Motorola Debut i856 include the ability to send and receive messages, calendar events, pictures and location information among others without interrupting a Direct Connect call, the ability to play music while you’re having a conversation, threaded texting messaging to view entire conversations all on one screen and a built-in 3D Audio equalizer to create special musical effects.