The Droid may be the big name in the news right now, but it's far from the only Android smartphone that's making its rounds. The HTC Eris will launch on November 6th under Verizon's Droid brand. According to gdgt (via Android and Me) the Eris will cost just $99 and launch with Android 1.5. It's suspected to be unable to handle 1.6 due to an incompatibility between that update and the HTC Sense UI.

The Eris packs the same 528 MHz processor as the Hero, and comes with a 5 MP camera and touchscreen. It's basically Verizon's answer to the $99 iPhone 3G. There's nothing particularly impressive about this phone, but it is another Android device with some good, if not fantastic, hardware.

It seems like the Eris is launching alongside the Droid in order to scoop up the customers the more expensive smartphone misses, so to speak. Quite a few people who balk at the Droid's price tag might find the Eris more of a bargain, by comparison. No reviews are out yet, but based on hardware alone the Eris is more than capable of meeting the average person's smartphone needs.