T-Mobile USA’s Motorola Cliq And Sprint’s HTC Hero Will Go Head-To-Head In October

HTC Hero Vs. Moto Cliq

Two new Google (NSDQ: GOOG) phones will launch over the next two weeks, providing new momentum for the platform, but likely the new devices will compete head-to-head as they both go after the same cost-conscious audience looking for an alternative to the iPhone.

T-Mobile USA said today it will start pre-selling the Motorola CLIQ, the first Google phone from Motorola (NYSE: MOT), on Oct. 19 to current T-Mobile customers for $199. The phone will be more broadly after the pre-sale ends Nov. 1. Beating T-Mobile to market is Sprint (NYSE: S), which will start selling the HTC Hero for $179 on Oct. 11. Both phones are more sophisticated than any Android devices we’ve seen for sale yet in the U.S. While the new Cliq features Motorola’s Blur technology, which pushes messages and other social media updates to the phone, the HTC Hero sports the sleek user interface called Sense.

Both devices are more expensive than the entry-level iPhone, which costs $99, however, both also offer more reasonable monthly service plans. T-Mobile voice plans start at $30 a month and data plans start at $25 a month. Likewise, Sprint just launched a new $70 price plan that allows subscribers to talk to anyone on a cellphone without using their plan

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