Oct 01
HTC Hero…Is It ‘Your Scene’?
The smart phone landscape continues to grow from a trickle to a flood. But as with any electronic product, the cream rises to the top and the HTC Hero is doing just that.
Based on Google’s Android OS, it’s winning accolades for its simplicity and customization, to name a few. Respected Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walt Mossberg recently wrote that the Hero stands out because of its touch-screen keyboard (much like the iPhone), synchronization with Microsoft’s Exchange service, and its manufacturers “own signature software layer” called ‘Sense’ that sits atop Android giving the Hero additional and much-needed functionality.
Sense also offers something called Scenes, which is a collection of screens and apps that can change the phones look and feel. You can switch from a work-oriented scene with apps like a stock tracker and work e-mail on the weekdays to a music-oriented scene on the weekends with a music player, photo album and personal e-mail.
“I found the HTC Hero to be the best Android phone I’ve tested, and a worthy competitor to the iPhone, the BlackBerry and the Pre,” Mossberg wrote. His pluses: the growing library of Android apps (now over 8,000), a much higher resolution camera than the iPhone or Pre at five megapixels, and a “clear and strong” speaker phone. His minuses: Poor battery life at well below the promised five hours, and a sometimes unresponsive touch screen.
It will be available from Sprint in the U.S. on October 11 for $180 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year service agreement, but is also available in an international, unlocked version from Amazon at the links below.
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