Official Sprint HTC Hero Upgrade to Android 2.1 Is Now Available

Today, HTC announced on Twitter that an Android 2.1 upgrade is available for the HTC Hero for Sprint users.

The upgrade can be downloaded from the following URL, and is a 118MB Windows .exe executable:

http://www.htc.com/us/support/hero-sprint/downloads/

What’s Included in the Download?

HTC’s notes include the following details:

The software upgrade posted below provides several key enhancements for your HTC Hero:

  • Upgraded OS to Android 2.1 Eclair
  • Includes enhancements to Sense UI
  • Includes enhanced corporate email support
  • Includes a veriety of minor bug fixes.

Insert Standard Disclaimer Here

You’ll find the usual disclaimers on the download page, along with a warning that upgrading will completely wipe your phone:

This software update will delete all information from your device.

Text and picture messages will be deleted with this software update.

Applications will be deleted with this software update. You will need to re-download the desired applications from the Market after this update completes.

Pictures, video, music, and other media saved on the microSD card will not be affected by this update. (emphasis added by AndroidPolice.com)

Backup Recommendation: AppBrain and Sprite Backup

My recommendation to reinstall your apps: install AppBrain on your device, sync with their service to send your list of apps to their service, then perform the upgrade. The only app you should initially need after rebooting your device is AppBrain, which should allow you to re-sync with their service to install your old apps.

You can always re-sync your contacts with Google and other services (like Facebook), and your calendar should sync if you use Google’s Calendar.

If you’d also like to save your text and MMS messages, alarms, and other system information, we’ve heard good things about both MyBackup Pro and Sprite Backup.

How Long You Should Expect This to Take

HTC recommends approximately 25 minutes to complete the update on the device when connected to your PC over USB.

Is It The Same As The Leaked Update?

The file Sprint provided is exactly the same as the leaked version from a few days ago that people were suspicious of. As you can see, the file size and versions of the update files match to the last bit (124139523 bytes).

HTC's site is completely slammed right now, so you might as well download from the leaked location and save yourself some time and HTC some bandwidth.

Credit: thanks to everyone who sent this in.