HTC Hero (Sprint)
Manufacturer: HTC Part number: APA6277KT
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While it could use a boost in the performance department, the HTC Hero is the most feature-packed Google Android device to date, bringing some notable improvements and a highly customizable interface.
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Where to buy
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 |  | In stock w/ new 2y contract signing & MIR | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/27/2009 |
| Best Buy | | See Site | as of 11/28/2009 | |
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CNET editors' review
HTC Hero (Sprint) price range: $179.99 - $599.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 09/16/2009
- Updated on:11/06/2009
- Released on: 10/11/2009
The good: The HTC Hero offers a highly customizable user interface thanks to HTC Sense. It also improves on past Android devices with Outlook e-mail, calendar, and contacts synchronization, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 5-megapixel camera. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G support are all onboard.
The bad: The smartphone can occasionally be sluggish. Flash content didn't always work from the Web browser. Apps must still be downloaded to the phone's internal memory. Media syncing software would nice, as would be a file manager.
The bottom line: While it could use a boost in the performance department, the HTC Hero is the most feature-packed Google Android device to date, bringing some notable improvements and a highly customizable interface.
Editors' note: We have lowered the rating of this product in the wake of the HTC Droid Eris release.
Sprint was one of the first carriers to join the Open Handset Alliance when it was founded in November 2007 to promote Google Android. However, unlike T-Mobile, which released the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the carrier wasn't so quick to offer an Android handset to its customers because it simply didn't think the operating system was "good enough"; that is, until now.
Starting on October 11, Sprint will offer its first Android device, the HTC Hero, and it looks like the carrier's waiting game might have paid off. The Hero offers a number of notable enhancements to make it the most advanced Android device to date, including Outlook calendar and contact synchronization, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and multitouch capabilities. HTC also refined the hardware and added its own touch with the HTC Sense user interface that adds even more personalization options to an already highly customizable device.
The Hero isn't without its faults, though. The smartphone can occasionally be sluggish, and we'd still like to see improvements made for media syncing and file management. Also, there's still a bit of a techy feel to the phone, so it doesn't quite have as broad of an appeal as the Palm Pre or Apple iPhone. Still, the HTC Hero is a very capable smartphone that will surely please many a gadget fan. The HTC Hero will be offered for a reasonable $179.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Be aware, however, that the smartphone requires a plan with unlimited data.
Design
While they share the same name, the Sprint HTC Hero looks nothing like its European GSM counterpart. Gone is the signature "chin" that became the trademark of HTC's Android devices, including the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, which surprisingly got some boos from readers. We always thought the chin looked a bit weird and weren't too fond of it, but of course, style is subjective. If anything, it did give the phones a distinctive and memorable look whereas the Sprint Hero kind of blends into the crowd.
That said, the Hero is still an attractive handset. Without the chin and sporting rounded corners, the smartphone has a smoother, streamlined look. It's also quite compact at 4.46 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick and weighs 4.5 ounces. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand and even though it shares a similar shape to the MyTouch 3G, the build quality of the Hero is much better. It doesn't feel slick or plasticky, thanks to the soft-touch finish throughout the body of the phone as well as the brushed metal plate just under the front display.
Touch screen
Speaking of the display, the HTC Hero features a 3.2-inch, 480x320 capacitive touch screen, which isn't any different than the others and still shows images and text beautifully. A built-in light sensor automatically adjusts the display's brightness so you can read the display no matter what environment you're in, but like many others, the screen tends to wash out in bright sunlight.
There's also a built-in accelerometer that automatically changes the screen orientation from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone, but be aware that it only works in certain applications, such as e-mail, photos, and the Web browser. There's a slight pause during the transition, but there were never any significant delays, and the screen never froze during the transition while we had it for review. Unfortunately, the smartphone is not equipped with a proximity sensor, so it won't lock the screen when you hold it up to your ear during phone calls.
One thing that the Hero has that its Android siblings don't (and it's a big one) is multitouch capabilities. That's right. Now you can zoom in and out of Web pages and images by pinching the screen just like the Palm Pre and iPhone, which is so much more convenient than tapping the screen multiple times or digging through menus. Admittedly, it didn't feel quite as smooth as the Pre or iPhone, and interestingly, you can't use the feature with Google Maps (you'll have to revert to the magnifying glass icon). Still, having multitouch function for Web pages and photos really improves the user experience, so we'll take it.
As we mentioned, the screen is capacitive, so it will only respond to the touch of a finger and not a fingernail or stylus, though there are special styli you can buy that work with capacitive screens. Overall, the Hero's touch screen was responsive. You can scroll through long lists, such as your address book, with a flick of the finger and stop the motion with a simple tap of the screen. You can also do a more controlled scroll by slowly swiping your finger up and down the screen, and to move through the home screen panels (more on this below), simply swipe to the right or left. As with the other Android phones, you can do a long press on the screen to bring up a menu of options relevant to the app you're in.
You don't always have to rely on the touch screen, however, as there are some physical controls below the display. For example, you can also call up menus using the (this is going to sound crazy, but stick with us here) Menu button right below the display. You also get Talk and End keys, a Home shortcut, a back button, a Google Search launcher, and a large trackball navigator.
Keyboard and keypad
For text entry, the HTC Hero features a virtual QWERTY keyboard in both portrait and landscape mode. However, instead of the standard Android keyboard, HTC has swapped it out for its own, which is fine by us. The buttons are larger with more spacing between the keys, and they provide haptic feedback when pressed (you can also turn this feature off).
As expected, the keyboard in portrait mode is fairly cramped, and we often had mispresses. We'd say it definitely rates behind the iPhone's but with more practice, we got used to it. Still, more often than not, we resorted to switching to landscape mode to avoid frustration. The Hero also offers functions like spell check, word prediction, and auto correction, which were all pretty decent.
To copy and paste, simply do a long press on an editable text and a menu will appear where you can select Copy text. You can then drag your finger or use the trackball to highlight the text and copy to a clipboard. To paste, do another long press or push the trackball down to copy over the text. It's not the most streamlined process, but we definitely think it's better than the Pre's system.
The onscreen dialpad is easy to use and smart. You can simply start entering numbers and the Hero will search your contacts list, which runs in the background, to find any matching results by name or number. There's also an option to hide the onscreen dialer and just surface your full address book or you can add people to your Favorites list where you can then choose to call, text ,or e-mail said contact.
HTC Sense
What really makes the HTC Hero different is its user interface. Much like it did for Windows Mobile with its TouchFlo 3D interface, HTC developed its own user interface, called HTC Sense, to replace the standard Android interface. The benefit of HTC Sense is that you get more opportunities to customize the device to your lifestyle and personality than before. So now, instead of three home screen panels, you now get seven that you can navigate through by sweeping your finger to the left and right. On each panel, you can add various shortcuts and widgets, including standard Android ones and some that HTC has added like Twitter and Footprints, which is an app that lets you geotag photos and add voice memos and notes (more on that later).
To add items to a panel, you can tap the plus icon located along the main toolbar along the bottom of the screen. This will bring up four main options: Shortcut, HTC Widget, Android Widget, and Folder. Touching the small arrow icon next to each of these will surface a drop-down menu of all your options, and there are plenty. To remove any shortcuts or widgets, the process is the same as the G1 and MyTouch 3G; simply do a long press on the icon and then drag it down to the remove section on the bottom of the screen. Don't worry, this does not delete the app from your device; it simply removes it from the home screen.
On top of all that, there is something called Scenes, which lets you change the theme of the phone depending on whether you're at work, traveling, or out on the town. For example, the Work scene shows you things like upcoming appointments and stock quotes, whereas the Travel scene will display more relevant apps, such as Footprints, two clocks, and weather information. The idea is that you can change your phone's identity to match what you are doing on that day.
To change Scenes, just press the menu button below the display and select Scenes. From there, you'll be able to choose from one of the default options (HTC, Social, Work, Play, Travel) or create a custom Scene. No matter which panel or Scene you're in, though, you get a toolbar along the bottom that gives you quick access to the phone app, full list of apps, and the ability to add widgets and shortcuts. One carryover from the old Android UI is the notification system that alerts you to new messages, tweets, missed calls, and so forth at the top of your screen with a pull-down menu system where you can see more details.
We'll be honest; this is all very overwhelming at first, and the menu system isn't as neat or intuitive as some of the other touch-screen phones, but after you take the time to customize the various screens to meet your needs, it really comes in handy. And that's part of the beauty of the Hero is that you can personalize it to your lifestyle.
We also found that the Scenes feature helps in some ways to get out of work mode. Even though, you're technically just a couple of taps away, switching to Social or Play is nice in that you don't have all your appointments and work e-mail staring right back at you from the home screen.
The rest
There isn't much to the rest of the phone, but there's one feature that should definitely be pointed out and that's the 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the device. Pause for applause. Finally, you don't have to use a cumbersome audio adapter to plug in your headphones to enjoy tunes. Volume can be controlled with the up/down controls on the left side of the phone, and there's a mini USB/power connector on the bottom. On back, you'll find the Hero's camera and the microSD expansion slot is located behind the battery door along the right edge.
Sprint packages the HTC Hero with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a 2GB microSD card, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our
Features
Underneath the fancy HTC Sense user interface, you've got one feature-packed smartphone running Android 1.5. While the HTC Hero can do many things, it wouldn't be worth much if it couldn't do the most basic and core function of a phone: making calls. Fortunately, the Hero handles that task well (see Performance for more) and offers a number of voice features, including a speakerphone, voice dialing, conference calling, speed dial, and visual voicemail. Bluetooth 2.0 also allows you to connect the Hero with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, file transfer, personal area networking, audio/video remote control, and more.
The Hero offers a contact management system similar to the Palm Pre's Synergy function, but not quite as sophisticated. When you first set up your device and enter login information for your various e-mail and social networking accounts, the Hero will automatically pull and import contact information into your address book. We say it's not as sophisticated as Synergy because the Hero doesn't necessarily merge all the information (different e-mail addresses, IM handles, etc.) and get rid of duplicates, so we had numerous entries for the same person. Also, you have to manually link up Facebook and Flickr profiles to a contact, which on the one hand, gives you more control over what you want attached to a person's page, but on the other hand is a time-consuming and tedious task, especially if you have a lot of friends.
That said, we do like how the Contacts pages are set up. From the main directory, you can view all your friends in one massive list, but along the bottom of the screen, you'll see tabs where you can filter down the list to Favorites, Groups, and Call History. There's also a tab for Updates and Events, where you can see upcoming events or any updates people have made to their Facebook profiles and so forth.
The tabbed interface carries over to individual contact pages and is even more handy, since it aggregates any text messages and/or e-mails you've exchanged with the person. It's just nice to see all this information in one place so you don't necessarily have to go through your in-box to find that one e-mail you've been searching for. You can also view call history, status updates, and any albums they have on Facebook and Flickr. On the main screen of a person's address book entry, you'll find the standard information, such as phone numbers, e-mail addresses, birthday, and here, you can also assign a picture or custom ringtone for caller ID.
Messaging
The HTC Hero has some added messaging capabilities over the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G that mostly benefits corporate users. Like the MyTouch 3G, the Hero can sync with Microsoft Outlook e-mail but unlike the MyTouch, the Hero can also sync your calendar and contacts. Setup was easy as we entered our e-mail address, log-in and OWA (Outlook Web access) information and within a couple of minutes, we had our e-mail, in-box folders, and appointments. The Calendar app color-codes appointments based on which account they were created in (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar), so you can easily distinguish them on the fly.
Another new feature is the ability to open and view attachments right from Outlook. You no longer have to save it to the memory card first and instead can download it directly from the e-mail and open with the Documents to Go.
The Hero supports other accounts as well. Being a Google Android device, Gmail obviously takes top billing, but the smartphone can be configured to access a variety of other IMAP and POP3 providers, including Yahoo, Windows Live, and AOL. Instant messaging clients for the aforementioned accounts as well as Google Talk are also preloaded on the smartphone.
As we noted in our review of the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, there are some usability issues. For example, deleting an e-mail requires a couple more steps than it does on the iPhone or Pre. The same goes for manually refreshing your in-box. You certainly can set the Hero's e-mail settings to retrieve messages as they come in, but this also puts a strain on your battery, so we'd like a refresh button easily accessible from within the in-box rather than having to press menu button first.
Browser
The big news in the browser department is Flash Lite support--a first for an Android smartphone. As you might have seen through the Adobe Open Screen Project, the HTC Hero's Google HTML Web browser allows you to view Flash content unlike most any other smartphone out there, but before you get too excited, we should warn you that we got mixed results. We checked out a couple of movie trailers from Yahoo Movies, and the site took forever to download, but we eventually got the clips to play. Double-clicking on the video will blow it up to full screen in landscape view. The video quality wasn't the best with a pixelated picture, but the trailers played with minimal interruption. On the other hand, when we tried to watch CNET TV videos, playback was jerky and consequently, audio and video didn't sync up. (Look for a video example soon.) We also couldn't get any Flash games to play. Obviously, not quite the experience we were looking for, but hopefully we'll get the real deal when full Flash Player 10 is released on devices.
The browser itself is quite decent. You can open multiple windows and it supports visual bookmarks, copy/paste, and the capability to share sites via e-mail, text message, Facebook, or Twitter. The HTC Hero offers Wi-Fi and Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network for getting online. On Sprint's network, CNET's full site loaded in about 35 seconds, while CNN's and ESPN's mobile sties loaded in 8 seconds and 6 seconds, respectively. Of course, the multitouch capabilities benefit the Web browsing experience greatly, but we found that the navigation experience falls behind the iPhone Safari browers. For example, we didn't like that we had to bring up the browser menu to do basic browser navigation such as Back and Forward.
Multimedia
The multimedia capabilities of the HTC Hero are largely unchanged from the MyTouch 3G aside from the camera. The Hero gets a nice upgrade to a 5-megapixel lens and offers video recording capabilities and geotagging. To complement the geotagging, HTC offers its Footprints app, which we first saw on the
Picture quality was bit disappointing for a 5-megapixel camera. We would have liked a little more richness in color, but we were more frustrated with the fact that it was hard to get a clear shot. There's a bit of shutter lag, so you have to be careful not to pull away too quickly after pressing the trackball/capture key. Even when we were cautious, we'd still end up with somewhat fuzzy images. Unfortunately there's a bit of sluggishness in the camera feature. First, there's a bit of a shutter lag, so be sure not to pull your hand away immediately after pressing the trackball/capture key, otherwise you might end up with a blurry image. Also, the camera options didn't always appear after pressing the Menu button. Often, we had to press it several times in order for it to surface, so that was puzzling and frustrating.
With the images you have taken, you can view them through the Albums app and then share them with the world via Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, e-mail, or a multimedia message. Videos can also be shared through e-mail and multimedia message, and there's an option to upload them to YouTube right from the device.
The built-in media player is decent enough. It supports MP3, AAC, AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI, and Windows Media Audio 9 format and includes shuffle, repeat, and playlist creation. You can advance and revisit previous tracks by tapping the forward and back buttons or you can swipe the album covers using the touch screen. The main issue with the HTC Hero and any of the previous Android phones actually is that there's no syncing software to help you manage and transfer your music. As it is right now, you have to use the old drag-and-drop method using the USB cable. It'd also be great to have a file manager so we could more easily find files from our SD card.
Of course, you can also download songs via the Amazon MP3 store. The store allows you to browse by album, song, artist, or genre, and single tracks cost about $0.99, while albums can range anywhere from $2.49 to $10.99. You can download the DRM-free songs over Sprint's 3G network or over Wi-Fi. The HTC Hero offers 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM, and the microSD expansion slot can accept up to 32GB cards.
Music playback on the HTC Hero was just fine. Thanks to the 3.5mm headphone jack, we simply plugged in our Bose On-Ear Headphones and jammed away to tunes. Songs sounded pretty rich with a nice balance of treble and bass; not surprisingly, the quality was a bit more on the hollow side when we blasted tunes through the speaker, but there was certainly enough volume. We also downloaded the "The Complete Billie Holiday" album from the Amazon MP3 store with no problem.
Video performance was another story. We've already told you about our experience with Flash video from the phone's browser. YouTube videos are the only ones that played without problem from the browser, though the picture was a bit blurry. Though HTC says the Hero supports WMV 9 videos, we couldn't get one to play on the device. We were able to get an MPEG-4 clip to play, and picture and audio were synchronized and playback was relatively smooth.
Android Market and Sprint services
As a Google Android phone, the HTC Hero obviously supports a number of Google services--Google search, Google Maps, and Google Calendar--but it also comes with a number of standard personal information management tools, including a clock, a calculator, a voice recorder, and a PDF viewer. In addition, you get a handful of extras, including Documents to Go, a Twitter app called Peep, and the new Facebook for Android, but you can have access to plenty more utilities and games through the Android Market, which now has more than 8,000 apps in the catalog. Unfortunately, you still can't save apps to a microSD card; you must store them on the phone's shared internal memory.
In addition to the Android goodies, Sprint throws in a few of its own services on the Hero, including Sprint Navigation, NFL Mobile Live, and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, which are all included with Sprint's Simply Everything plan.
Performance
We tested the dual-band HTC Hero in San Francisco using Sprint service and call quality was mostly good. On our end, voices sounded rich and clear with just the slightest bit of a background hiss, though nothing disruptive. We also had no problems interacting with an airline's voice-automated response system nor did we have any dropped calls during our review period. Friends weren't quite as generous with the praises. Callers said while the sound quality was OK, they've heard better.
On the other hand, they were completely impressed with the speakerphone quality and was surprised that it actually sounded better than regular voice calls. We also enjoyed good audio quality from the speakerphone, and there was plenty of volume even in louder environments. Finally, we paired the HTC Hero with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones with no problem.
The HTC Hero features a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7600 processor, so you're not getting any power boosts over the T-Mobile G1 or the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G. We were a little worried after reading the reports, including one from CNET UK, about the GSM Hero's laggy performance. However, HTC released an update for the Hero that looks to have fixed a lot of the issues, and HTC assured us that the Sprint Hero includes the latest ROM update.
Generally, the smartphone did OK in everyday use, but there were definitely some moments of sluggishness. It was a little reminiscent of the Palm Pre, where it took a few seconds for applications, such as the browser and Documents to Go, to launch. And while we were able to navigate through the panels without any problem, it took a second or two for the accelerometer to kick in when changing screen orientation. The delays weren't crippling, though, and we didn't experience any crashes or system meltdowns during our testing period.
The phone's GPS performed admirably, locating our position within a couple of minutes. It also tracked our movements accurately as we drove around San Francisco but was about half a block off when we used the Footprints application. We certainly didn't expect to be dead-on with the address, so we're not going to knock the Hero for this. We also used Sprint Navigation to get driving directions from the Golden Gate Bridge to CNET's downtown headquarters. Route calculation was fast, and a quick glance at the route summary showed accurate directions. Once on the road, the app checked for traffic along our route and we could hear the voice prompts clearly, and text-to-speech pronunciation wasn't too bad. The only complaint we had was route recalculation could be a little slow.
The HTC Hero features a 1500mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 4 hours. In our battery drain tests, we were able to get 5.75 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge. Just in everyday use, we noticed that the Hero lasted about a day with a good amount of use, including Web browsing, e-mail, and occasionally, GPS. However, to get more mileage out of your phone, we'd recommend turning off GPS until you need to use it and reducing the frequency of e-mail retrieval. Also, we noticed the Twitter and Facebook widgets do a number on battery and performance, so think about using those minimally.
User reviews
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Day 2 with my Hero
by GoingToAlpha on October 9, 2009
Pros: Please see bottom line.
Cons: Please see bottom line.
Summary: My Sprint store called me last night (10/8/2009) to let me know my Hero was in stock and ready to pick up. I got the phone home around ...
Summary: My Sprint store called me last night (10/8/2009) to let me know my Hero was in stock and ready to pick up. I got the phone home around 8pm and spent about 4 hours playing around with it, and another 3 so far today. It has customization options I could only dream about on my iPhone (Edge and 3G owner, from day one of both). The phone is smaller than the iphone, but fatter, which I am ok with, feels more comfortable in my hands than my 3G did.
Have had a request to comment on battery life - It is much better than my iPhone. I get about 20 hours between charges. That's with a twttier client, facebook, last.fm scrobbler app in background, playing music, sending receiving e-mail and text. Set to check twitter every 15 minutes. Backlight on for 5 minutes after key-press. I don't make many calls, so I cant judge that. Checks gmail and corporate exchange in background every few minutes. Definitely can't complain about it.
NOTES: People have several complaints about the phone that are pretty weak:
- the Hero wont sync with iTunes? No phone does, other than the iPhone. And any phone that hacks the way it talks to iTunes apple immediately fixes. Blame Apple, not HTC.
- Additionally people complain about the keyboard size - its Android, get on the app market place and download a new one, problem solved.
-It most certainly does support Exchange sync. I'm using it right now to get corporate email, calendars, and tasks.
Pros:
- Solid feel
- Removable battery
- decent camera/camcorder
- feels MUCH nicer in my hand than my iPhone
- MicroSD slot
- great selection of apps (its no AppStore, but I'm not complaining)
- auto-brightness much more responsive than my iPhone
- can run multiple apps at once, background apps (not push notification, actual background apps)
- Doesn't sync with iTunes (honestly, the WORST feature of iPhone was being tied to this behemoth)
- turn-by-turn GPS is FREE with a sprint 'everything' plan (although this is carrier specific and not phone specific)
- much quicker than previous reviews have made it seem, definitely more responsive than my iPhone(s)
- can pull contact info from Facebook right into phone contact (image, e-mail etc)
- plenty of fantastic apps out of the box
- can delete unwanted factory apps (apple weather, stocks, notes, and cal apps? pfft.)
- can use standard mini-Usb for charging/syncing. no $20 apple proprietary cable
- im sure I will find plenty more as time goes on
Cons:
- I will probably miss the beauty and ease of use of the iTunes player in my iPhone
- doesnt dim when you put it to your ear
- apps run in the background and sometimes you forget them (this is easily resolved if you download a process manager application from the marketplace)
As I've said, I've only had the phone since last night, but I am already glad i terminated my ATT contract. I get better reception in my apartment, I havent dropped any calls (id average at least two on my iPhone by this point in the day). This phone is customizable like whoah, and feels fantastic. Good call quality, visual voicemail, nice iChat inspired MMS and SMS chat timelines (definitely one of the best iPhone features, and surely one to copy).
Definitely head and shoulders above the other iPhone "killers" and definitely a worthy adversary to the iPhones dominance. I've been using iPhones since launch several years ago, and never thought I'd give it up. Today I'm glad I did.
Updated on Oct 12, 2009
Updated on Oct 12, 2009Have had a request to comment on battery life - It is much better than my iPhone. I get about 20 hours between charges. That's with a twttier client, facebook, last.fm scrobbler app in background, playing music, sending receiving e-mail and text. Set to check twitter every 15 minutes. Backlight on for 5 minutes after key-press. I don't make many calls, so I cant judge that. Checks gmail and corporate exchange in background every few minutes. Definitely can't complain about it.
Updated on Oct 12, 2009Definitely comes with Android 1.5. HTC will release 1.6 to the phone when they have SenseUI fine-tuned for the new additions the OS will surely provide. Still notice no lag.
- Read the article today on Engadget about how it is using an old rev of the EvDo (rev. 0), and will be patched by HTC in the future. Still noticeably faster than my 3G.
- Noticed today that the 10MB file limit imposed on the iPhone on Edge/3G is not present here. Very convenient for downloading podcasts on the go, as they usually sit around 25+MB.
- Sprint TV is kinda fun, I don't see myself using it often, but it is definitely functional.
- Love the ability to click settings on any song in on-phone libray and set as a ring-tone. Can even edit them right on the phone
- Love the auto-focus feature, while I can't see myself actually using the barcode scanning feature, it is definitely all kinds of cool
Thats all for now, more as it comes.
Updated on Oct 16, 2009My apologies to ra4purdue I don't know what I was thinking when I said tasks, I definitely meant contacts. Apologize for any inconvenience that error has caused.
Updated on Oct 31, 200910/31/2009 - So I have had the phone for several weeks now, and just wanted to update my review. I still have no issues at all with the phone. There are few minor learning-curve type issues I have encountered (did you know you can click+hold on just about anything for extended menu options? neither did I!) However most of these I would attribute to the generally poor quality of the manual.
HTC has yet to release a client that will work with Windows 7 64bit, but since I only use GMail the over-air syncing is more than good enough for my purposes.
The camera does use a bit to be desired, but as has been said on other blogs, can easily be fixed with a software patch, which we may or may not see in the future.
Still experiencing fantastic battery life and equally fantastic call quality.
You do need to turn off WiFi if attempting to download MMS images, etc. Don't know if this is a Sprint issue, an HTC issue, or an Adnroid issue. Took me a while to figure that one out.
Still loving it!
Updated on Oct 31, 2009FYI: There is a known issue that is currently being worked on by HTC that is causing the SMS application to not allow the phone to sleep. This is why some people are getting horrendous battery life. The issue is, according to the Hero forums, being worked on now, and does not affect all users. The solution is to download a new SMS application, go to a contact, and select send message. it will ask you which program to use, from here you can change the default to your new app. You can also get a task manager application (I use TaskKiller) and kill the SMS application every now and then. HTC will apparently be patching this issue as soon as possible (the joys of an open source OS is in the transparency of the issues).
I was not affected by this issue, but investigated it and the solutions (and how well they work) in an attempt to keep the review readers up-to-date on the known issues.
Updated on Nov 9, 2009HTC has announced that they will be skipping 1.6 and are currently qualifying an Android 2.0 release for the HTC Hero (this includes a 2.0-friendly version of HTC Sense UI and all comparability improvements for Sprint.)
Updated on Nov 9, 2009Ugh, compatibility, not comparability.
Updated on Nov 19, 2009Sprint released an update to the phone, details below:
Feature Updates and Enhancements
HTC Hero Software Enhancement SW 1.56.651.2 provides feature updates and enhancements to address the following:
? Improvement to camera picture quality
? DST (Daylight Savings Time) issue addressed
? Unable to receive SMS due to full memory
? Memory leak when Bluetooth is in connecting state
? 3.5mm mono when not using headset with mic
? Dialer application causing excess battery draw
Updated on Nov 19, 2009Having installed the new update to my HTC Hero, I can say the firmware update has made the phone move noticeably faster. The SenseUI is snappier, a lot of used system memory is freed up, Peep (twitter) widget is snappier. Camera quality is much better. Will post additional info as I notice it.
Updated on Nov 20, 2009Wow, they weren't kidding when they said speed improvements, they meant it! It's like a whole new phone after this update. I was getting close to feeling laggy with a bunch of apps running, but then this update came out and it's faster than it was on day-one.
Anyone who had any speed/lag/battery issues should maybe rethink their positions on disliking the phone. It looks like HTC did a fantastic job on getting these improvements out. And it was only a 3MB fix, not 300! *cough*apple*cough*.
Also, the camera quality has more than tripled. It is a functional camera now. The test before/after pics I took are like night/day difference.
Also added a few UI enhancements, some new on-screen buttons on phone calls. Also, I began using my Hero as an mp3 player recently, and noticed a quiet, tinny sound to music through car head-unit. Update seems to have cleaned up the sound and increased the media output volume. All in all, very nice update, makes the phone that much better. 5.5 stars?33 out of 35 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best phone I've ever owned
by willywill82 on October 18, 2009
Pros: Quick & snappy response to launch apps
Quick & snappy resonse to send & receive messages
True smartphone capabilities (email, Exchange support, downloading files, multitasking, etc.)
Bright beautiful screen with response touch interfaceCons: Screen could've been a bit larger, scrolling a tad bit smoother, proximity sensor, flash on the camera, better aftermarket accessories, more in-box goodies from HTC, louder external speaker, different colors (at least a black one)
Summary: I'm absolutely in love. I've had a million cellphones since I got my first one back in my senior year of high school (Spring 2001), and I've ...
Summary: I'm absolutely in love. I've had a million cellphones since I got my first one back in my senior year of high school (Spring 2001), and I've had lots of touchscreen phones. This isn't the most powerful phone in terms of sheer processing speed compared to higher powered phones with faster speed chips, and even doing mutliple things, this phone is extremely responsive and quick. I keep reading on-line about the "lag," but I've yet to see it. If the "lag" is waiting for 1-2 seconds for your e-mail to appear when you've opened the e-mail app or 1-2 seconds for the screen to change to landscape or to portrait mode, then you're asking too much because even the "almighty" iPhone 3GS which I happily sold to pay my ETF to get back to Sprint to get this device (Sprint's network is far more reliable than AT&T, I'm sorry!) would then be considered "laggy" too. Even in full bars in 3G my iPhone 3GS which was brand new would CONSTANTLY drop calls, and opening the application store was a lesson in patience; just took too freakin' long to do, and especially due to the limited nature and extent of reach into the OS apps on iPhone have, most were just pretty apps with next to no meaning. Android is different. I'll admit: the standard UI on Android (non withstanding HTC Sense) is very, very bland and dull, but it gets the job done, and my App Market works everytime I open it. I have to be absolutely honest: I had a 16GB 3GS and there was lag with it, too, but no one seems to want to report it because it's the next best thing to sliced bread. I can't say iPhone sucks, because it doesn't, but it's not the perfect cellphone it's often portrayed to be. My HTC Hero is, to me at least, far superior to iPhone in terms of sheer functionality, quality, reception, voice quality, and as good as 3G and 3GS in terms of speed when running through apps and using the phone. Plus, this thing is actually customizable: all you can do on iPhone is move around your apps. That's it. I mean, you still can't, after 3 iterations, run more than 1 3d party app at a time. Maybe the next one will? Who knows. But then again, all Apple might do is make it come in red, with a camera flash and a 5 MP camera, and then BAM, it'll be the 2nd coming, but only this time, part 4. But in all honesty, I love this device, and for people looking to think outside the box, and give an open source smartphone with endless possibilities, you'll love Android, you'll love the Hero, and you'll love Sprint, because you'll definitely love completing a phone call on your terms far more often than not, as well as falling in love with a much lower bill. I'm on the Simply Everything plan getting, well, simply everything for $99 a month, and on AT&T, the same thing, (adding AT&T's navigation software for an additional $10 per month) was bringing my bill to nearly $160-165 after taxes. I'm saving money, I'm on a better network, I have a better cellular telephone, I've got touch screen, navigation, multi-tasking, an app store with apps that actually change how the phone works, multi-touch... I just couldn't be happier. Hopefully the iPhone will still do well and that the 4G or whatever it'll end up being will blow the socks off its competition: then the Hero2 will be even more fantastic than it already is!
9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Android is so much easier than Win mobile!
by Buick107 on October 22, 2009
Pros: 1. Smooth screens
2. Responsive touch screen
3. Easy to customize with shortcuts and widgets
4. Solid build quality and soft touch case makes it easy to hold
5. Not a Blackberry
6. Not a IPhone
7. Sprints network is far better than AT&TCons: 1. Battery Life is about 10 hours with moderate use.
Summary: Unlike some of the other "user" reviews, I actually own this phone and have been using it since Oct. 14th. I wanted a lot of multimedia feartures, not a business ...
Summary: Unlike some of the other "user" reviews, I actually own this phone and have been using it since Oct. 14th. I wanted a lot of multimedia feartures, not a business phone like Blackberry (small screen) or a Windows mobile smart phone (slow and a lot of locking up). The Hero is just right! I can play games or surf the web with ease. The slugishness reported in the editors review does not seem to be an issue with the latest production model. I have set up the first home screen with my "at work shortcuts" and set the left screen up with time killers and tech show off apps like a functioning tricorder complete with live solar data from NASA. The Iphones tricorder just makes noise. The right home screen is set up with pictures and the music player. Android is so easy to use and the HTC interface has been flawless so far. I usually don't go under a contract but I had to this time because of the nearly $500 price tag. The $179 I had to pay seems worth it so far. The next test will be its longevity. Will the HTC hold up under my heavy use, I will update if any problems arise.
Under cons I forgot to mention the voice dialer is kind of stuck in there as an after thought. I can not initiate a call from blutooth. I can recieve a call by tapping my bluetooth headset but not make one. Really thats my biggest con since the bluetooth is in my motorcycle helmet and I can't just pull the phone out and start the voice dialer manually.
Updated on Oct 22, 20097 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best Phone in Oct 09 if you have a mind and conscience
by DMAN3k on September 18, 2009
Pros: Not Apple
Sense UI
Android (Open-ish and customizable)
Flash-lite
Completely different look compared to the GSM version
-slightly better screen
-no chin
-bigger track ball
-better battery
-better camera
-includes a 2GB cardCons: Ancient Processor
UI Lag (Firmware should be applied by the time of release to fix this issue)
Completely different look compared to the GSM version! (Love/Hate relationship)
-we luv chin!
No flash on cameraSummary: The bottom line as opposed to what that troll Remo_Williams is saying, HTC Hero is the best phone on an "open-ish" platform for people who don't like to be ...
Summary: The bottom line as opposed to what that troll Remo_Williams is saying, HTC Hero is the best phone on an "open-ish" platform for people who don't like to be held down by a big corporation like the Apple or Microsoft.
Sure, capacitive touch screens have its flaws, but that's what that Troll's iphone is using too... Seriously, his review should be removed for all those idiotic statements.
Capacitive touch screens could also be programmed on the software level to make it a bit more accurate, but on a handheld of this size, how accurate do you want it to be? It's supposed to be a phone and a casual pda where you can type and browse the web with media functions. It's not a drawing pad for engineers and architects! Who wants a resistive screens only accurate with a stylus with no multi-touch on a phone such as this?
There is an UI lag on this, but a firmware that utilizes the memory better should fix this problem. You can watch videos on Youtube for a demo of how the firmware makes the UI smooth, definitely better than the iPhone 3G. 3GS, however, can't really tell.
ATT's 3G service is also prone to disconnections. Sprint's 3G network is much better, and only behind Verizon in some locations. As a whole, Sprint's 3G network is the best in the country. ATT is only number 3 because there's only 4 of them (Sprint, Verizon, ATT, and T-Mo) and T-Mo just started 3G last year.
Another huge problem with the phone is the camera. Despite its 5MP camera, the quality is just not good, but HTC could fix this problem software side - if I could drop the picture in photoshop and adjust a few colors to make it look natural, HTC could do this from the software side. But the let down is, with no flash, taking pictures with low lighting isn't recommended.
P.S. Real rating is 4 stars but I have to offset that troll.6 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best phone if you don't want to buy an iPhone!
by joeldjro on November 15, 2009
Pros: Comes with nice applications and the 3G network is very responsive.
Cons: Battery life. Thankfully with couple of apps from the market is an easy fix and you can get some decent battery life but you still may wanna carry your USB cable just in case. Media player not so good as in iPhone.
Summary: 1. There is no such thing as an iPhone killer.
2. Some people may want to start by understanding that the iPhone is an MP3 Player that became a phone. ...Summary: 1. There is no such thing as an iPhone killer.
2. Some people may want to start by understanding that the iPhone is an MP3 Player that became a phone. All other are phones that want to become MP3 Players.
3. Until somebody (and Google may do this) creates their own software such as iTunes the iPhone is going to be the best in this category only because of something very simple, SUPPORT. iTunes gives the best support there is for Apple's devices.
4. I had an iPod Touch and I just wanted a device that would simplify my life so I could stop carrying too many things in my pockets, this phone did this and more.
5. Applications, one of the big things in the reviews. I don't know anybody that has every single application there is in the iTunes Marketplace, there are just too many. It has been 3.5 generations of iPhone (that is what 3G S stand for right) of course they are going to have more apps than anybody else, but the Android Market place has just about the same most popular apps as in iTunes.
6. The keyboard is kind of laggy, but is bearable.
Overall is a good phone which gives the people like me which don't like iPhone's carrier a nice option to buy.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Customization-Blessing & Curse
by DeezCee on October 23, 2009
Pros: wifi, decent browser & speed, 'some' flash support, Sprint's services & price and customization.
Cons: Customization, no camera flash, not compatible with Sprint's contact backup manager.
Summary: Like others, I got this phone to upgrade from the Instinct. This phone has and does more than the Instinct (has a better browser, wifi, some flash support & more ...
Summary: Like others, I got this phone to upgrade from the Instinct. This phone has and does more than the Instinct (has a better browser, wifi, some flash support & more and better access to applications, including those of Sprint). I wouldn?t rival this phone to the iPhone, but because of its customization (not just personalizing settings, but also with memory storage and battery) and can run multiple applications, it does surpass some of iPhone?s qualities.
In my first review, I had issue with Sprint's contact manager not being compatible with the Hero. But I created a contact list through Gmail and it synced all of names & info (I thought I had to manually enter everything into the phone-PHEW!!).
I?ve had some initial issue with the touchscreen and keypad. It?s not the same as the Instinct (it?s more looser & not as accurate/responsive). Also, Sprint?s contact update feature isn?t compatible with this phone, so I hope you have a backup list with Outlook or else you?ll spend a lot of time reentering info while getting used to the screen. But with some calibration (I hope-haha), I?ll adapt. I?ve noticed the lag issues that everyone talk about, but it?s about the same as my prior phone. Maybe I?ll have some regret with the lag after a lot of use.
Again, because of its features, it?s an overwhelming experience. Navigating will be a matter of getting used to the phone, but I?m getting the hang of it after a few days playing with the phone (especially utilizing the trackball which makes a big difference). But once everything is in place (and learning this phone), all I can say is that this phone is a cool device. It had me at wifi and the android market; now it?s a matter of seeing what else it can do.
P.S. if anyone can suggest alternatives than MS Outlook, much appreciated.
Overall, this phone is RIDICULOUS!
Updated on Nov 12, 2009
After a few weeks with the phone, I still conclude that this phone can do way more than the original Instinct. But in a weird way, I do miss some of the set features instead of the customization that the Hero does. Texting still causes some problems but it's like adjusting or adapting to any other phone.
I wished the phone had better flash support (like iPhone's Safari or WinMobile), a better media manager or a way to keep prying eyes from viewing some of my stuff (wink wink) as well as an extra battery. But like I said, this phone is still ridiculous!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Having a Hero is great!
by endo689 on October 22, 2009
Pros: -Amazing on screen keyboard (rarely ever have any typos)
-The screen itself is crisp and vibrant and looks loads better then the iPhone's.
-Sense UI from HTC in general is great.
-Android = great customization of your phone.
-Battery life great.Cons: -Because of the hardware you can suffer from serious bog down.
-Be careful of not running too many apps (download a task manager)Summary: I have had my Hero now for about a week and I'm loving Sprint's network. It is so much better then AT&T. The phone itself is ...
Summary: I have had my Hero now for about a week and I'm loving Sprint's network. It is so much better then AT&T. The phone itself is pretty good, everything from the Sense UI, to the screen and android you cant help but just praise this phone on everything that it does right.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One week with the Hero
Pros: See bottom line
Cons: See bottom line
Summary: I've had about 4 days with the Hero, migrating from an iPhone 3G - loved the device, AT&T I didn't so much heart. That said, my ...
Summary: I've had about 4 days with the Hero, migrating from an iPhone 3G - loved the device, AT&T I didn't so much heart. That said, my initial impressions were that I'd given up something to go with Sprint. However, over the last three days as I've had a chance to explore the phone, begin customizing, etc.. I now feel this is one fantastic phone.
Just wanted to provide a quick update on my battery life comment - been on the road with it a bit and it has averaged just over a day with consistent use (GPS off). I would say it's on par with an iPhone at this point
Out of the box I had my email accounts (gmail, Work-Exchange, Yahoo) & Gmail contacts sync'd within 5 minutes or so. Very easy to do, albeit not quite "Apple" simple, but I believe anybody under 60 shouldn't have a problem :)
I've found texting/typing to be a little more difficult on this device than an iPhone simply because the dimensions of the Hero are a little smaller. That said, take the time to CALIBRATE typing to your own style through "Locale & Text" under the Settings options and your typing speed goes way up! After I took the 30 seconds to do that, it's been wonderful.
Nice to be able to view some Flash media while browsing the web & flash apps/widgets on websites (such as audio players) Do Work :) Very cool! The text reflow feature is really cool to as it save your from having to pan to read articles/text of webpages. Browsing speeds are about on par with my 3G, but I'd say the 3GS is faster than the Hero.
Battery life out of the box was poor - but only because of a known issue with the phone not sleeping after sending a text using the default SMS app. There's a super easy workaround and since I did that I'm getting about 48 hours between charges... 2x better than the 3G!!
Connection to wireless is easy - no issues there.
GPS works great, but note that it's NOT turned on by default. What's kinda cool is that with it off (to save a little battery life) the phone uses tower triangulation to approximate a location to about 1000 feet. WIth GPS on, it has my location to about 10 feet or so :)
The phone comes with the USB cable/detachable wall plug - quality is good. Note the phone DOESN'T come with headphones. I've been using the standard Apple iPhone ones with no issue - phone seems to understand ""call end, switch" feature.
The camera is 5 MP - though this is likely the Hero's worst feature. Photo quality is only "So So" - but I am sure with an App or maybe an update from HTC, photo/video quality should be greatly improved.
All in all - I'd recommend this device to anybody who has a "little" tech saavy. If you're seeking the simplist/cleanest interface I'd recommend the iPhone & Palm Pre over this guy - but if functionality & customization are desires this thing wins hands down.
If you need a phone that makes Email/Web/Texting easy, has good call quality, access to a robust app store, and with solid build quality - the HERO is a GREAT option at a really great price.
Updated on Nov 3, 20093 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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All around amazing phone
by micahdunning on October 15, 2009
Pros: E-mail works great and show up about 20 secs after I truly receive the e-mail for me (astounding time) Calendar is synced with Outlook and Google Calendar for my business and personal life. Several apps at once, unlike iPhone only able to run 1 app.
Cons: Battery life last me from 7:00am to 6:00pm... this is with a full day of app using, texting, calls, emails, web browsing and setting calendar dates. Doesn't bother me because my work day ends at 5:00pm and I am home by the time this phone runs out.
Summary: There is too much to say about this phone... Go to a sprint store and try one out. The app market is in no way limited and I can't ...
Summary: There is too much to say about this phone... Go to a sprint store and try one out. The app market is in no way limited and I can't think of a single app i'm missing. Amazing phone which works great. This phone is a major seller for me because it integrates e-mail and texts into one kind of simultaneous messaging feed. Contacts are also linked to Facebook... this sounds silly but gives your phone a professional look with pictures for every contact. All I can say is that this phone keeps me 100% connected to my job, friends, and family all at the same time. Beyond that the phone covers every aspect of my life. I have not been to my computer in days except to type papers (updating from my phone). This phone can read PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, use Flash content, and watch you tube videos straight from the page they're on. Buy this phone and you won't be disappointed... Worst that can happen is you returning the phone with in 30 days. (Sorry it's not a great review but this phone really is amazing. Check out the Features)
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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AMAZING PHONE! GREAT EVERYTHING!
by SAWYER19815 on October 12, 2009
Pros: read bottom
Cons: read bottom
Summary: pros- battery life
SENSE UI
not apple
amazing qaulity
flash player!
5m cam
awesome speaker qaulity!
turn by turn gps
solid feels real nice and not like a toy like ...Summary: pros- battery life
SENSE UI
not apple
amazing qaulity
flash player!
5m cam
awesome speaker qaulity!
turn by turn gps
solid feels real nice and not like a toy like the g1 or iphone
light up trackball and buttons
very responsive auto backlight
htc and android widgets
best smartphone out in my opinion
cheap plan
fast network!
visual voicemail and bookmarks
turn music you put on sdcard into ringtones and trim them with built in program instead of downloading an app
market is has a good selection
cons- ive noticed a little bit of lag but none that affects my phone nut next update should take that all away
its on android 1.5 but i know they are tweeking 1.6 to work with sence UI not phones fault but when it gets it WOW i cant wait!
no multitasking :( lol but i dont care
bottom line-
get this phone cheap plan i got it the day before release and have been following it for the past month. i have not had any problems no dropped calls always on EvDo network once in awhile 1x but mostly EvDo its so fast! beat my friend iphone by a mile and my other friends with the pre just got jealous of me when i whipped this bad boy out trying to say multitasking is the only reason they would stick with the pre but i cant stand that oreo affect it has. this hero unit is real solid feels nice in the hand. i cant wait for that firmware update real excited to see that!
just get it if your want a smartphone forget all the others!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC
- Part number: APA6277KT
- Description: HTC Hero is the first phone to embody HTC sense - an intuitive, seamless experience built upon three fundamental principles - make it mine, stay close, and discover the unexpected. With HTC Hero, personalization reaches a level never before possible. Rather than burying important content under layers of menus, the HTC Hero lets you put it at glance view, with a selection of widgets that can be placed right on the home screen. The widgets themselves can be personalized with a variety of designs and sizes that best match your personality. With scenes, a profile feature, HTC Hero becomes multiple phones in one. Create and switch between scenes that reflect different moments in your life. Your Hero becomes a weekend phone that helps you relax with your choice of tunes, catch up with your favorite friends and capture some memories with HTC Footprints. And when you go on a trip, your phone becomes your personal guide and gives you instant access to local time, weather and maps.
General
- Product Type Smartphone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider Sprint Nextel
- Width 2.2 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 4.5 in
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Antenna Internal
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Phone Navigation Buttons Trackball
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Communicator Features
- Operating System Google Android
Messaging & Data Services
- Internet Browser Yes
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 5 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 5 megapixels
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
GPS System
- GPS Navigation GPS receiver
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
- Diagonal Size 3.2 in
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, AMR, MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI, AAC +
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Data port - 11 pin HTC ExtUSB, 1 x Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 1500 mAh
- Talk Time 250 min
- Standby Time 360 h
Manufacturer info
- HTC
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HTC products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.htc.com/
- Address:
13920 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 - Phone: (425) 861-9174
- Email: info@htcamerica.net
- Fax: (425) 861-1715
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