How good is 3's HTC Hero Spotify Premium bundle?

Posted by Chris Smith on Mon 19 Oct 2009

Is this the finest bargain in mobile land?

3 Mobile's decision to launch the double T3 Gadget Award-winning HTC Hero smartphone (that boasts the T3 Gadget Award-winning Android OS designed by the T3 Gadget Award-winning Google) with the T3 Gadget Award-winning Spotify music streaming service appears to be a masterstroke.

The shock move, which took the tech world by surprise this morning, sees the UK's smallest network serve up perhaps the finest deal on the UK market for the Gadget of the Year.

- HTC Hero wins big at the T3 Gadget Awards 2009

- T3 Gadget Awards 2009: All the winners announced

- Video: HTC Hero tested by T3

3UK is offering the handset for as little as £35-a-month, plus a one-off fee of £100. For that, users will get 700 minutes of talk time, unlimited texts and unlimited internet. Add into the mix 3's pledge to offer customers free skype-to-skype and 3-to-3 calls and we've got quite a deal.

The big selling point, of course, is the inclusion of a Spotify Premium subscription worth £240, which is a no brainer for those looking to invest in the music streaming service named Innovation of the Year at last week's T3 Gadget Awards.

The HTC Hero, which was also named Phone of the Year during the 14th October ceremony is currently available on Orange and T-Mobile in the UK.

For £35-a-month, Orange offers 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 500mb of mobile internet browsing, while T-Mobile users are entitled to 800 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet. Both company's deals are for 24 months, with a free handset.

So the tariffs themselves are quite similar, but effectively 3 offers Spotify for a cut-price £4-a-month, which could be the clincher for many potential users, making this the best deal on the web.

Oh, and don't forget to haggle

Link: 3 Mobile