T-Mobile today issued details on the launch of Motorola's Android handset, Cliq: it costs $199 with a two-year contract and pre-sales for existing customers begins Oct. 19.

The Cliq impressed industry observers when unveiled at Motorola's press event Sept. 10, but absent was any news of the first Android-powered handset slated for Verizon, also made by Motorola, and code-named Sholes.

Sholes, a.k.a. A855, recently passed muster with the FCC.It will support EVDO Rev A and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, but no other details are available.

Now reports are surfacing that Sholes will be dubbed Tao and released in October. That would be a good thing for Verizon, because Sprint's HTC Hero goes on sale Oct.11, and today we learn T-Mobile is kicking off Cliq sales at retail Nov. 2.

October will see the culmination of several firsts for Android that have been in the works for some time.

The touchscreen HTC Hero, $179.99 after rebates, is Sprint's first smartphone running on Google's open source mobile platform. It's also the first Android phone with a redesigned user interface. Called HTC Sense, the new user interface offers a multi-panel, customizable home screen with Internet-based widgets.

The Hero is also the first Android phone to go on sale that's not under contract with T-Mobile, which sells the G1 and myTouch.

With the Cliq, Motorola debuts its first Android-powered handset as it mounts a comeback in the mobile sector with a slew of new releases in time for the holidays.

And, with the mobile rumormill in full gear with reports of Motorola's Sholes-A855-Tao coming soon, Verizon may be added to the list of firsts for Android.

(Cliq photo courtesy of: Motorola)