Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today that it will begin selling its first Android handset on Oct. 11, making it the second U.S. carrier to roll out a phone based on Google’s platform. Release.

Up until now, T-Mobile USA had been the only carrier in the U.S. to sell an Android phone. Many theorize that the Android platform won’t start see a dramatic uptake in usage without multiple handsets and carriers using the platform. A wave of announcements are nearing, especially with Motorola (NYSE: MOT) set to unveil its Android strategy next week in San Francisco.

Sprint will be selling the HTC Hero, which has been available in Europe since early this summer. It will cost Sprint subscribers $180 after $150 in rebates and will require a two-year contract. They will also need an unlimited data plan, which costs $100 a month for unlimited minutes or $70 a month for 450 minutes. Sprint’s Hero is the first in the U.S. to feature HTC’s user interface overlay, called “HTC Sense.” Users will be able to switch between “Scenes” to reflect different roles in their lives, such as work, social, travel and play. For example, the companies said a work Scene can be set up to include stock updates, work email and calendar, whereas a play Scene could have music, weather and a Twitter. In a release, Andy Rubin, Google’s VP of mobile platforms, said: “Sprint and HTC are helping to drive openness and innovation in the mobile industry with the introduction of the Android-powered HTC Hero.”

Some of the features and specs:

—Camera: 5 megapixel camera and camcorder.
—Email: POP, IMAP, and Exchange Active Sync accounts.
—HTC Footprints: An app users use to chronicle their moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone, and taking notes and an audio clip of that favorite restaurant or special place while identifying its specific location.
—HTC Hero is a full-featured smartphone with Wi-Fi capability, a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with pinch-to-zoom capability and a fingerprint resistant coating, integrated GPS navigation, and trackball navigation.
—Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 Wireless technology
—accelerometer, light sensor and home screen widgets for improved usability
—multimedia capable with microSD slot (32GB capable, 2GB included)
—Sprint TV with live and on-demand programming
—NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
—easy access to social networking sites, including Facebook®, Flickr® and Twitter
—visual voice mail for quick and easy access to specific voice mail messages