Golden State Cellular has announced the launch of its first Android-powered Smartphone, the new HTC Hero™. The HTC Hero is the first of a variety of Android-powered Smartphones Golden State Cellular plans to offer in the future.

Android-powered devices are one of the fastest growing device segments in the wireless industry with worldwide sales expected to soon eclipse the most popular smartphones on the market today, including the iPhone™, according to a March 2009 report by Informa Telecoms and Media, a Londonbased research house specializing in the mobile, broadband and television industries.

“The arrival of HTC Hero and the Android platform to Golden State Cellular’s new 3G network is an important milestone for our customers” said Dan Rule, general manager. Any Android phone is fully customizable with access to thousands of applications and one-touch access to email, music, the Web and more.

HTC Hero is the first U.S. device to feature HTC Sense, an intuitive experience that was built with a guiding philosophy to put people at the center and allows the device to be completely customized to the wants and needs of the user. The device’s seven-panel wide home screen can be populated with customizable widgets that bring information to the surface.

HTC Hero users can easily create and switch between scenes to reflect different moments or roles in their lives, such as work, social, travel and play. For example, a work scene can be easily set up to include stock updates, work email and calendar, a play scene could have music, weather, and a Twitter feed or a travel Scene could offer instant access to the local time, weather and maps.