Quick Look: HTC Hero, Android Champion : HTC Hero Interface
2. HTC Hero Interface
Multitouch in Android
Where it does fall down however is in the relative lack of processing power, almost the same as on previous HTCs using Android: the search engine slows a lot when other tasks are running at the same time. This is a shame if you want to listen to music while surfing the web on public transport. Playing on-line videos can be especially problematic: Flash support has been cobbled together, but not much more. We do appreciate the attempt, however.
The Hero’s camera is nothing special. A long way behind the best camera phones, photos are far from exceptional. There is of course no flash and it’s hard to take a photo of yourself (surely one of the main functions for a phone camera!) as there’s no way of working out if you’re in frame. The results are nevertheless better than with the Galaxy. Video remains a generation behind, both in playing and recording. You can’t be too picky about the resolution or obligatory encoding. Once again the Hero is paying the price for lack of processor power.
Best not to mention the multimedia player, a virtual clone of the iPod/iPhone but less practical. Although the Hero, with its mini-jack socket, will facilitate replacement of the hands-free kit, we’re really getting tired of the eternally poor, supposedly high-end, HTC kit that has, again, been given a little make-over before being wheeled out once more.
The Hero has a GPS that is, no surprise, linked up with Google Maps. Other Google obligatories: Gmail, Youtube and other Google services. And this is where you have to see if the shoe fits: the Hero allows ultra-connectivity, going even further than the iPhone as you can connect to your mail box, your instant messaging apps, watch videos etc. as long as you’re using Google services. Otherwise things get a lot more complex. No doubt, the Google bubble will grow with Android Market but in the meantime things are limited.
With battery life of a little over a day of intensive use and not far off two with more usual usage levels, the Hero is certainly the most efficient of the Android-based mobiles, proof of the viability of the OS. With good compatability between Sense and Android, the Hero is cleaner and better developed that the Dream and Magic. There are still a few problems to be ironed out but this phone is, for example, a good way ahead of the Samsung Galaxy.
Pros:
Well-thought out Sense interface, nicely integrated with Android.
Innovative, functional design
Good interent handling
Multitouch screen
Efficient search engine
Innovative, functional design
Good interent handling
Multitouch screen
Efficient search engine
Cons:
Progress needed for multimedia
Overly dependent on Google services
The Hero is a more mature Android phone. Progress still needs to be made but it is certainly the best of the phones currently using the Google OS.
Well I only skimmed the article because it mostly sucked, but was there any mention of the fact that the Hero is not available anywhere other than Europe, and that Sprint (USA) will be launching it in October but without the chin?
Well I only skimmed the article because it mostly sucked, but was there any mention of the fact that the Hero is not available anywhere other than Europe, and that Sprint (USA) will be launching it in October but without the chin?
Read the first paragraph.
Ah, yes, there it is. I skipped that paragraph. It still didn't really mention the extreme design change, but oh well.
I currently have a craptastic Instinct on sprint and was considering the Pre but maybe I will wait a bit longer and see if how this compares. If not, I may wait for the second iteration of the Pre because I do not like the way the current model handles contacts.
I currently have a craptastic Instinct on sprint and was considering the Pre but maybe I will wait a bit longer and see if how this compares. If not, I may wait for the second iteration of the Pre because I do not like the way the current model handles contacts.
Everyone I know who has the Hero loves it. It is a very good middleground between the Pre's professional direction and the iPhone's casual play time.
I would switch to Sprint in an instant if it had a bit better coverage on the west coast and my work weren't paying for my AT&T service. The Hero is a very solid phone, even though Sprint's chinless model makes it look a bit more generic.
I have a Hero, and I'm very happy with it.
One very important advantage is that Android is a multitasking OS (i.e. apps can run in the background - not only one at a time as on iPhone)
And almost everything can be changed/altered by downloading apps. If you don't like the SMS-application or call-manager or whatever, it can be exchanged by another app developed by someone else. Apple does not allow this.
It can be a bit sluggish sometimes when you've been running a heavy app for a while and exit to home screen again, and that's a consequence of the real multitasking OS, but it's not very bad at all... And well worth the ability to run apps in the background.
I currently have a craptastic Instinct on sprint and was considering the Pre but maybe I will wait a bit longer and see if how this compares. If not, I may wait for the second iteration of the Pre because I do not like the way the current model handles contacts.
well if your waiting for the next incarnation of the pre you should check out the pixie from palm its their next phone with the WebOS. the same as the pre except it has a candybar design instead of the slider design.
I have a Hero, and I'm very happy with it. One very important advantage is that Android is a multitasking OS (i.e. apps can run in the background - not only one at a time as on iPhone)And almost everything can be changed/altered by downloading apps. If you don't like the SMS-application or call-manager or whatever, it can be exchanged by another app developed by someone else. Apple does not allow this. It can be a bit sluggish sometimes when you've been running a heavy app for a while and exit to home screen again, and that's a consequence of the real multitasking OS, but it's not very bad at all... And well worth the ability to run apps in the background.
The iPhone's 3.0 OS can run apps in the background, although running 3.0 on any model other than the 3GS is apperently horrifyingly slow.