Derrick
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HTC's third Android release offers an impressive OS but few hardware improvements
The HTC Hero Android smartphone is the manufacturer’s third generation offering, following the Magic. The phone is practically the same under the hood as the Magic although some features such as a 5 Megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, and improved touchscreen coating have been included.
The Hero is arguably more physically appealing than previous HTC Android offerings and the build quality gives it a solid feel. Whilst many similar touchscreen smartphones require delicate handling the Hero appears to be quite robust.
In terms of processing power, the device features a Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor operating at 528 MHz, which for the most part is adequate. Also included is a 512MB ROM module and 288MB of RAM. One can flash the ROM with different Android builds but at the risk of voiding the warranty. The phone’s storage can also be expanded with a microSD card.
The Hero features a full array of connectivity options including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, HSPA, EDGE, and GSM. The phone also sports a 3.2 inch, 320x480 resolution capacitive touchscreen with a lipophobic treatment that repels skin oils. The 5 Megapixel camera captures images which compete well with other devices on the market although video functionaility suffered from the poor 352x288 resolution at 15 frames per second (FPS).
The external speaker was loud and clear, and the microphone did a sterling job during calls and when recording conversations.
The battery life was adequate considering what was demanded from the device; on average it provided for a full day of heavy usage. How long the battery lasts is dependent on how frequently Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 3G functionality is used.
Getting to grips with the touch-screen QWERTY keyboard took some getting used to, although the process was made easier by a predictive text function. The touch keyboard and predictive text functions were both developed by HTC to replace original Google Android functionality.
The phone employs a trackball which can be used as a navigation device when one becomes weary of the touchscreen interface. The trackball can also be used to take photos, although this takes some getting used to. The controversial ‘chin’ on the Hero also gives the device a unique charm.
The HTC modified version of the Android 1.5 (Cupcake) OS features HTC’s new Sense Experience UI which offers multi-touch capabilities. The visually tweaked OS is feature packed, easy to use and features 7 home screens which can be customised with numerous widgets and shortcuts.
Located at the bottom of the device are familiar HTC navigation buttons, namely home, back, search, menu, answer, and hang-up.
The OS is also capable of accessing Exchange accounts and can grab social networking information to tie in with phone contacts. Linking a contact with their Facebook profile and streaming status updates and pictures accordingly is a good example.
The problem with this excellent build of the Android OS is that it almost appears to be too much for the hardware to cope with. Navigation can sometimes become sluggish when running numerous applications.
Numerous preloaded HTC apps supplement the vast array of applications available through the Android Market. For example, Google Sky Maps works particularly well with the GPS and accelerometer to paint an accurate picture of the constellations towards which the phone is facing.
One can also flee from imaginary zombies which chase down the phone based on its GPS location, arguably making the drive home from work a little less boring.
Overall, the HTC Hero is an impressive device. The aesthetics are a vast improvement on previous offerings, allowing it to sit proudly next to the likes of the iPhone 3GS and the Sony Ericsson Xperia.
The HTC modified Android OS also offers fantastic features, and gives the impression that HTC are committed to giving users the best experience possible. The only drawback however is that the hardware isn’t able to effectively handle the OS at times, resulting in sometimes sluggish operation speeds.
The HTC Hero Android smartphone is the manufacturer’s third generation offering, following the Magic. The phone is practically the same under the hood as the Magic although some features such as a 5 Megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, and improved touchscreen coating have been included.
The Hero is arguably more physically appealing than previous HTC Android offerings and the build quality gives it a solid feel. Whilst many similar touchscreen smartphones require delicate handling the Hero appears to be quite robust.
In terms of processing power, the device features a Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor operating at 528 MHz, which for the most part is adequate. Also included is a 512MB ROM module and 288MB of RAM. One can flash the ROM with different Android builds but at the risk of voiding the warranty. The phone’s storage can also be expanded with a microSD card.
The Hero features a full array of connectivity options including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, HSPA, EDGE, and GSM. The phone also sports a 3.2 inch, 320x480 resolution capacitive touchscreen with a lipophobic treatment that repels skin oils. The 5 Megapixel camera captures images which compete well with other devices on the market although video functionaility suffered from the poor 352x288 resolution at 15 frames per second (FPS).
The external speaker was loud and clear, and the microphone did a sterling job during calls and when recording conversations.
The battery life was adequate considering what was demanded from the device; on average it provided for a full day of heavy usage. How long the battery lasts is dependent on how frequently Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 3G functionality is used.
Getting to grips with the touch-screen QWERTY keyboard took some getting used to, although the process was made easier by a predictive text function. The touch keyboard and predictive text functions were both developed by HTC to replace original Google Android functionality.
The phone employs a trackball which can be used as a navigation device when one becomes weary of the touchscreen interface. The trackball can also be used to take photos, although this takes some getting used to. The controversial ‘chin’ on the Hero also gives the device a unique charm.
The HTC modified version of the Android 1.5 (Cupcake) OS features HTC’s new Sense Experience UI which offers multi-touch capabilities. The visually tweaked OS is feature packed, easy to use and features 7 home screens which can be customised with numerous widgets and shortcuts.
Located at the bottom of the device are familiar HTC navigation buttons, namely home, back, search, menu, answer, and hang-up.
The OS is also capable of accessing Exchange accounts and can grab social networking information to tie in with phone contacts. Linking a contact with their Facebook profile and streaming status updates and pictures accordingly is a good example.
The problem with this excellent build of the Android OS is that it almost appears to be too much for the hardware to cope with. Navigation can sometimes become sluggish when running numerous applications.
Numerous preloaded HTC apps supplement the vast array of applications available through the Android Market. For example, Google Sky Maps works particularly well with the GPS and accelerometer to paint an accurate picture of the constellations towards which the phone is facing.
One can also flee from imaginary zombies which chase down the phone based on its GPS location, arguably making the drive home from work a little less boring.
Overall, the HTC Hero is an impressive device. The aesthetics are a vast improvement on previous offerings, allowing it to sit proudly next to the likes of the iPhone 3GS and the Sony Ericsson Xperia.
The HTC modified Android OS also offers fantastic features, and gives the impression that HTC are committed to giving users the best experience possible. The only drawback however is that the hardware isn’t able to effectively handle the OS at times, resulting in sometimes sluggish operation speeds.