HTC Hero (unlocked)

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.