Verizon in the US has confirmed that the HTC Eris, its version of the HTC Hero, is getting the Android 2.1 update from now.

The news will mean Droid Eris owners will be able to get the Over The Air (OTA) update over the next 24 hours to 2 weeks, meaning they can start enjoying the benefits of the more advanced operating system from Google. 

"The roll out process begins between not & 24 hours & can take up to 2 weeks for all the phones to receive the notification", Verizon said via its official Twitter page before confirming that the "roll out" was in fact the "the 2.1 update for the Droid Eris".

Droid Eris owners stuck on Android 1.5 are likely to cheer the move, as will Brits with the HTC Hero as the Verizon-powered Eris is based on the US version of the HTC Hero launched by Sprint last year, which in turn is based on the UK version available on Orange and other networks in the UK.

The forerunner to the HTC Legend, HTC has been slow to offer the 2.1 update for HTC Hero users with rumours and official promises that lead to disappointment marring the update release schedule.

Could the HTC Droid Eris update be the sign HTC Hero owners have been looking for? How long do you think it will be before HTC and the UK operators issue their update? Have your say in the comments below.