I just received this press release from HTC as I was just discussing with Rafiq how good the HTC Hero is and also wondering when the HTC Legend is coming to South Africa – I’ll update you soon on when its arriving!

HTC Hero wins best 2010 mobile handset at Global Mobile Awards

Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 February 2010 HTC’s Hero handset has won the prestigious 2010 Best Mobile Handset prize at the15th annual Global Mobile Awards.

The GSMA announced the winners of the Global Mobile Awards at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week.

“A remarkable 500 entries from across the global mobile ecosystem were submitted this year, all of an extremely high calibre, and the winners should be incredibly proud of their achievements,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board, GSMA.

Quinton Leigh, MD of Leaf International Communications, the sole distributors of HTC in South Africa says, “It is magnificent to receive global mobile industry acknowledgement in the mobile handset category. It reinforces the positive feedback from our growing South African user base, who love the customisation and design of the handset.”

The Hero has been designed to optimise Web and multimedia content. It also features a unique Scenes function, allowing the user to switch between seven customisable screens, depending on the occasion, be it work or play.

“The award independently recognises HTC’s commitment to innovation and driving the growth and capabilities of smartphone technology,’’ says Peter Blantanis, HTC Brand Manager for South Africa. “The buzz in the office has been electric since the win of this coveted award and we look forward to bringing more exciting handsets to the South African public during 2010”.

Released in South Africa during September 2009, the HTC Hero handset combines the customisation of HTC Sense with the Android operating system to deliver an enhanced user experience.

“HTC Sense is a user interface that allows for a level of customisation never before experienced on a mobile phone.  With the HTC Hero, you’re not getting a phone – you’re choosing a phone that gets you,” continues Leigh.

The HTC Hero handset is packaged with GPS, a digital compass, gravity sensor, 5 megapixel auto focus camera and  3.2 inch (8.1cm) HVGA display.