So HTC announced via a Tweet today that they have posted up the Hero Kernel for download on their site, http://developer.htc.com/. Now while this is really for the Devs out there, here is what it could mean to the rest of us once the Devs start to play

The kernel is what controls the basic functions of the OS. So with the Hero kernel we get access to a lot more functions that were previously out of reach.

Modding of Rosie for instance (the Hero UI), which could lead to faster performance tweaks and also themes.
Bluetooth to work on current Hero ROMs for other devices (G1, Magic, etc.).
Maybe new apps like a bluetooth file transfer app for the Hero (current bluetooth file transfer apps don’t work on Hero ROMs).
Possible other exploits for Root access on certain CDMA Hero phones (ehem)…

Can’t wait to see what the Devs do with this little nugget.

We’ll update the Android Downloads section as things develop