HTC Hero: Finally a Worthy Android Phone

Sprint's latest could be serious competitor to iPhone, Palm Pre

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 1, 2009 10:42 AM CDT

(Newser) – Android phones haven’t exactly taken off yet, but that could change thanks to the HTC Hero, a new Sprint-exclusive coming out Oct. 11 that’s “powerful, but different,” writes Walt Mossberg. HTC has tinkered with Android, layering its own “HTC Sense” software over it. Thanks to the added features and big widgets, the Hero goes “beyond the vanilla Android experience supplied to everyone by Google.”

The Sense for example features “Scenes,” collections of customized scenes and apps that change the phone’s look and feel. It also has the best camera around, boasting a whopping five megapixels. There are downsides: the hardware “isn’t especially beautiful,” the screen is smaller than the iPhone’s, and the battery life isn’t great. But overall it’s “the best Android phone I’ve tested, and a worthy competitor to the iPhone, the BlackBerry and the Pre.”

A product image of the HTC Hero. (HTC)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 5 comments

Yourself

Oct 1, 2009 10:06 AM CDT

yeah, and the Pre sales have slumped since. Not to mention the number of people that have already given up on the Pre. I know of 5 personally that traded it back cause Sprint sucks. It's not just about the phone, it's also the service. My original statement was about that, in the fact that the Hero won't be a Hero, but more of a Zero. it's not a contender in the game for the SINGLE reason that it's exclusive to a slowly dying provider.

npkimmey

Oct 1, 2009 8:25 AM CDT

I've got an HTC Magic, and it's amazing. Still, if Hero can take off, maybe Android will get more popular, and I'll still benefit.

IndependentThinker

Oct 1, 2009 4:07 AM CDT

Ok, that link is way to long. I made a tinyurl for it. http://tinyurl.com/ybkumsg

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HTC Hero: Finally a Worthy Android Phone

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Taiwanese company has to change smartphone software

Your Android Phone May Be Spying on You

Carrier IQ insists it's just a 'diagnostic tool'

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Walt Mossberg says no, others are more wowed

Google Launches 'Wallet' Payment Service

Service replaces credit cards, loyalty cards with smartphone app

BlackBerry's Best Can't Beat Apple, Google

The Bold 9900: 'Does Anybody Care'?

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