Video Tour: HTC Hero
Sep 16, 2009, 11:00 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop takes a hands-on look at the new HTC Hero Android phone for Sprint in this video. The hardware feels great and HTC's Sense UI allows for lots of personalization of the phone.
HTC is bringing Android to Sprint in the form of the Hero. This CDMA variant of the device launched several months ago is a monoblock device that feels great in the hand. It is light weight, comfortable to hold, and all the controls work well. In fact, it has some of the best buttons I've seen on an Android handset yet. I am very happy to report that the Hero comes with a 3.5mm headset jack, which fits most stereo headphones, though it was somewhat annoying to have to take off the battery cover to get at the microSD slot. In all, the hardware feels great. The Hero is a bigger phone when compared to the myTouch 3G, but the increased screen real estate and improved 5 megapixel camera certainly offset the larger footprint.
As far as the software is concerned, the Hero runs the custom-built SenseUI from HTC. SenseUI is meant to help end users personalize their phones and access the apps and content they want as quickly as possible. There are seven different home screens for end users to take advantage of. These screens can hold apps, links, bookmarks, widgets and more. SenseUI on the CDMA version of the Hero is definitely more responsive than the GSM version and works smoothly.
The Hero is pre-loaded with a number of Sprint services, such as its NASCAR and NFL content, as well as Sprint TV. It has a capable music player, rich web browser, and ready access to thousands of applications through the Android Market.
There's a lot to take in with this phone. The good news is, it will get even better, as Google recently announced Android 1.6 'Donut". Android 1.6 will bring new features to the Android platform that are sure to make end users happy. Out of the box, the Hero runs Android 1.5.
Enough talk. Here's Phone Scoop's video tour if the HTC Hero:
About the author, Eric M. Zeman:Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.
Sprint Announces the HTC Hero
HTC Reveals Sense UI, Hero Smartphone
HTC Hero (CDMA)
Comments
Sprints hero should have Version 1.6 already.
Pg2k3 said:
Android 1.5 and lower isn't compatible with CDMA networks ...
Stock Android, perhaps, but HTC customizes the heck out of their phone OSes. They claim to have more Android developers than anyone but Google....
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Employee discount with Sprint
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Screen lock during calls????
While on a phone call, does the screen dim and lock, or can one manually lock the screen so we don't push buttons with our faces or in our pockets while using bluetooth? So call someone, and while on the phone call, can the screen be locked or dim out?
Can you answer that for me please???? Mobiletechreview says it dims for whatever preset time you have on the phone, but she didn't tell me whether this would happen during a call, even when I asked explicitly.
