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"Awesome Phone - A true HERO !" on by LuuDee
Pros: Again HTC has managed to put together an ultimate piece of hw. Every feature I ever wanted finally in one phone. And finally, it is shipping with an OS that is stable, fast, expandable, and user friendly: Android OS. No more Windoze nightmares !!!
Cons: The only thing on my wish-list, would be that the Sprint/US version of the Hero would have been available here (in Asia) for me to buy. I like the flat (e.g. non curved bottom) and slightly slicker look of it.
Summary: When I first got the phone, I was worried that there would be no apps and games available for this baby. Boy was I wrong ! The "Market" (Android App Store) has literally thousand of extensions, additions and games. If any of the HTC provided software extensions/features are not to your liking you can can download an alternative from the "Market".
This is the first smart phone that I have ever owned that gave me the true fully satisfied feeling (and I had a few ...).
We also own a Nokia N97.
Setting up the Hero, took a few minutes getting used to. The interface is actually quite intuitive and easy to use (which is a big surprise if you are used to the N97). I was truly surprised how easy it was to configure wireless networking (I use static IPs in my home WiFi - try configuring that in the N97). Compared to the N97, the Hero's is much more responsive. Screen flips, app starting, etc. is much faster.
Even-though the N97 and the Hero are virtually the same size the Hero feels slicker and smaller.
I love how easy it is to turn on/off and control WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
Before I got the phone I read posts about the phone being sluggish. I am still to encounter the sluggishness.
I have never owned an iPhone (Apple did not "allow" me to buy/own one until a few months ago). But I did play with my friends iPhone. He had a huge battery pack attached to it (3rd party USB type) so it would last through the day. So far my Hero has easily lasted for a day (except on the firs day, because I was downloading and installing extensions and games for most of the day). The interface of the Hero is fully configurable and "nicer" than the iPhone. The Hero does support multi-touch, and two-finger-zoom.
So, bottom line: Any other smart phone is a waste of time and money. -
"The Best Phone Out Today" on by ericrhenley
Pros: Responsive - very fast with minimal lag
Intuitive - HTC has done a very good job of anticipating what you want to do
Reliable - Rarely if ever has a software issueCons: Sprint - get the unlocked version and run it on your network
Summary: This is the best phone I have every used. It is easy, syncs with gmail and exchange, has a great web browser, google maps and mulit-touch. The battery lasts all day even with frequent side trips to play a game or two.
This is the phone to get. -
"Does Not Accurately Configure Daylight Saving Time" on by BR549001
Pros: Nice Operating System, Easily Customizable; Great Apps
Cons: Sluggish; Does not properly sync calendar because of DST issue.
Summary: Got the HERO (Sprint) last week for a 30 day test drive. Functions nice as a phone. Synced my Outlook calendar using Google Calendar Sync, and all appointments for the week of 10/25 are off an hour on the phone calendar. Beginning Nov 1, some appointments are still off an hour, but most are the correct time. Re-booted and synced using HTC Sync that came with the phone - same issue, everything off an hour. Then, this morning at 2:00 a.m. (10/25), the phone's internal time zone changed back to regular time, even though DST doesn't revert until next week. And, the clock widget is showing the correct time, but the time in the notification bar shows the internal clock's time, off an hour. The phone is marketed as a revolution because it can seemlessly sync your calendar and contacts. Unfortunately, HTC, Google, and Sprint cannot come through on their promises. I am an HTC fan, but this seems like a simple problem that should have been fixed before sending to the public. Message boards are buzzing about the problem, Google, HTC, Sprint, but no one seems to have an answer. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PHONE UNTIL GOOGLE, SPRINT, HTC SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
This review is for the HTC Hero by Sprint.
Updated on Oct 25, 2009 -
"Maybe good, but still iphone-ish" on by junkmantis
Pros: good software, extremefully useful when it syncs with all of your google account.
Cons: sluggish sometimes, no keyboard
Summary: if i want to have touch phone, i would still buy iphone, i think HTC and google just dont get it. put in the keyboard
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"Very good device, good for all things on the run!" on by SPOOK666
Pros: Compact, fun to use, GPS, and if you root it, upgradable!
Cons: Performance is a bit hit or miss at times, a little bit slow compared to today's devices.
Summary: It's a great phone, I did not like how it was only officially upgradable to 2.1 so I rooted the device, and flashed a custom rom to the device, I found froyo roms are pretty fast and gingerbread roms are a bit slower but faster than stock roms, at the time of writing, the device is running Elelinux hero 7.1, v2.6.1, which is the best of all gingerbread firmwares I tried, for that rom and perhaps all roms I tried, performance is a bit hit or miss but that's a limitation of the hero's hardware, I do plan to upgrade to a dual core device by the end of the summer or early fall, but despite that, I think it's a fun device to use.
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