HTC Hero user reviews

adrian999 5 December 2009

Good: Functionality, very easy to use

Bad: Camera, volume control

Comment: I love my HTC Hero (in my case, the T-Mobile G2). It is so easy to connect to the internet, either over the phone network or via wifi when available. It has a "real" browser that works perfectly on almost all websites. I have downloaded a number of apps that add to the functionality.

This is my first fully touch screen phone and I would not go back to one with push buttons. I was worried it would not work well with my big fingers but this is not the case. The qwerty keyboard is a joy to use.

One neat feature is the way that text messages are organised into "conversations". All messages received from and sent to a single contact are shown in order.

A number of reviews mention that the phone is underpowered and sometimes a little sluggish. I have never encountered this issue.

I have two criticisms of this phone.

1) When using the browser or any other app in landscape mode, it is too easy to touch and affect the ringer volume control. I would prefer this control not to exist at all (the volume can be controlled through settings) or at least be moved to a less easily touched location.

2) The more serious criticism is of the camera. The quality of every picture taken is, without exception, below what I would expect for a 5mp camera. I previously used a Sony Ericsson phone, also with a 5mp camera, and I came to expect super sharp results. I am therefore rather disappointed with the HTC Hero's rather fuzzy snaps.

CarlSB 4 December 2009

Good: Nearly everything...

Bad: File management is not good from the off. However, aftermarket apps can be found and are good.

Comment: First things first - This is not a camera!!! Buy a camera if ya want a camera.

I'm really taken aback by this phone. I have owned some top spec phones on their release Tytn II, Samsung D90, N97 and the likes, and this kicks them all into touch. The use of Android is a brilliant coup, finally, and will only get better as the App Market increases / improves. For those, who like me want the i-Phone to drop like a stone, this is the grail. What next from the HTC maestros - I can hardly contain my saliver!!

merlspiers 31 October 2009

Good: I now have as much functionality as a laptop in my pocket!

Bad: absolutely nothing

Comment: The phone is faster than the Iphone 3gs with the htc rom update. It is a stunning piece of kit. Everyday the intelligence of the software amazes me. I've never had to buy an app, most are free. You can tether it without having pay extra. It beats the Iphone in every aspect.

baldev 30 October 2009

Good: HTC Touch Flow and Design

Bad: Battery Life

Comment: It's not as bad as some people find and reviewed, well everyone has their own love and hate towards every product on the market.
My conclusion is as time goes by there will be another phone on the market and there never will be a perfect or the best phone for anyone to say or claim they have best phone in the world, because the progress in the electronics sector and knowledge of building new features on the mobile phones.

davescraggs 24 October 2009

Good: Nice screen with 7 desktops and great applications

Bad: Being locked out and losing data

Comment: I really like this phone when it works. However, I recently locked the phone by entering the pattern lock incorrectly too many times. You then get the option to log into your phone with your email and password - a login screen. Unfortunately, or by design, you will not ever get past this screen. The phone never accepts your username and password. This is a well documented issue and results in a factory reset with loss of all data. I can't believe that a login screen does not work and cannot be fixed in over year since it was first identified. HTC should not release a phone that you cannot log in to! Imagine the outrage if Microsoft did it for a laugh.

Issue 3006, 3567, ..., Google Code Android.

phil.tillman 18 October 2009

Good: A great device that nails the basic functionalities you want (web experience, email, phone, music, gps)

Bad: Flash support is shoddy, no music player syncing, no voice-to-text input option.

Comment: Pros
**This review was after the firmware upgrade by HTC released on September 11.
- Sense User Interface (after ROM upgrade released on Sept 11) is speedy, roomy (7 desktops), widgets like music player, footprints (geo-taged pics) , excellent HTC custom virtual keyboard that has excellent correction/prediction.
- It is fast, responsive, bright and sharp display, wonderful touch screen, and extremely customizable.
- Seamless synching to your Gmail contacts, Google Calendar, Gmail Inbox. It’s easy to setup!
- Microsoft Exchange Support.
- It’s a people-centric device: Contacts with integrated emails, SMS, phone, facebook, twitter, flickr.
- Footprints: geo-tagging pictures with widget for the home screen – very cool!
- Web browser: A definite upgrade from the stock android version, pinch and zoom gestures, easy navigation, limited flash support (Youtube works).
- Controlling the Connectivity: Wifi, Mobile Network, Bluetooth, and “Airplane mode” switches.
- Document Viewers (no editing!): pdf, Quick office (Microsoft office files), pinch and zoom supported.
- Access to wonderful apps in the android market that really extend the functionality of the device.
- Call quality great, speaker excellent, speaker phone excellent.
- Music on headphones or on speakers both have excellent sound quality.

Cons
- Flash support is not good at all. I would like to watch Hulu, the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report on this device, but ALL don’t work. :-(
- The Hero has problems with Wifi with certain wireless routers. Search to see if your router may have problems. The newer the router the less likely you will have problems I think.
- No voice-to-text as an input option. Why did HTC remove this feature??
- Music Player: No Syncing, Album Art support shoddy.
- Landscape keyboard mode: for some things like the calendar only portrait mode is available, sometimes it studders.
- Auto brightness sometimes is slow to adjust to ambient light (around 1 min sometimes)
- No pinch and zoom with Google Maps (This is actually Google’s fault not HTC, I just thought it was worth mentioning)
- Photo and Video quality are really not that great, especially in low light. No real settings to fix this either.

Bottom Line
HTC really thought though things very carefully through with this device. While certainly not perfect it I had a very positive user experience, it nails the basics. The HTC features such as virtual keyboard, Footprints, contacts, web browser, google maps, and gmail/google calendar syncing all worked very well. It is also customizable out the wazoo (e.g., do the keyboard calibration – this makes your typing much more accurate). This device is probably for the more technical users because it might take you a while to figure out how to do basic things. You can really be overwhelmed at first by all the options.

Also, my initial impression is that HTC seems to update the firmware and correct bugs, which means that their “Sense User Interface” will improve over time with new updates. **I hope that they can be as speedy with rolling out the upgraded firmware for this device for Android 2.0 (Éclair) arriving early 2010.** I love the multitasking in android -- I can listen to my music while surfing the web and still have my task list reminding me of things – awesome. Also, Flash 10 will be out later this year and I hope that then I will be able to watch videos from Hulu (crossing my fingers here).
Again, definitely do the firmware upgrade. It removes the “lag” that most users have complained about.

Humphrey 15 October 2009

Good: Hold, build, options, screen's response, android, originality

Bad: Bluetooth limitation, not clearly advertised, isolating the phone with the outer world

Comment: Loved the touch and the difference. Also the customer oriented software and the various options available from start.
Unfotrunately had to return it as the BLuetooth does not connect with other phones and/or my Mac, portable Intel or Desktop PowerMac.
This limitation should be much better advertised, as you are left stranded on your own, as you cannot connect with friends or older mobiles to transfer Pics or Sounds. Felt betrayed as the Hero was real groovy to hold and play with, and had great battery time. Hope it will be improved in the future, as I wouild like to get an HTC.

bodman 13 October 2009

Good: Screen, Messaging, Internet

Bad: Video Recording

Comment: As some who adores Apple products, I find it slightly weird saying how much I love this phone..... I've owned a iPhone 3G myself, and my brother has a 3GS, Theres just something about the Hero that manages to keep you entertained, I not sure if its the slick switching between screens (after the update), or if its the way that everything seems to be integrated.

Admittedly the Market isn't as large as the App Store, but I've found that the apps on the Market are relevant and useful. The integration between Facebook, Google, and the phone book is incredibly suave. The only thing bad thing I can say about this phone is the Video recording, its awful, but then, I hardly ever used video recording on any of my previous phones.

When reading this heart felt reccomendation, please bear in mind that in the last year or so, I've owned a Samsung Soul, LG Secret, SE C905, iPhone 3G, Blackberry 8900, and a Nokia 5800. The Hero is by far the best phone overall, and I enjoy using it every day.

Joner 7 October 2009

Good: Cheaper than the iphone, yet more feature-rich. Pairing with Social websites, the keyboard etc etc

Bad: some lag, the camera needs an upgrade, bluetooth?

Comment: Had the phone for 2 weeks now, and overall - I'd say I'm mighty impressed. The Iphone is smoother and quicker overall, which is important, BUT, with the software updates from HTC, the phone is now quicker and smoother. But what you loose in speed (when compared to the iphone), you gain in customizability (is that a word?).
Not comparing the iphone with this;
the Hero is awesome. A new phone needs the WOW factor, and the combination of HTC's Sense and Android operating system ensures there's an adequate amount of WOW from anyone who's used it. Even my girlfriend who hated it at first had to admit that when we got a little lost in Den Haag the other week and within a couple of seconds we had loaded Street View, she was impressed. The impressive part is that, my girlfriend, who didn't know how to use the phone, was able to work it out and find Google's Street View with those few seconds. The whole "experience" of using this phone is pleasingly Organic, and if you get bored with it, you can simply change everything around, make everything look different and start again, which is way more than you can do with the iphone (OK so I said I wouldn't mention the iphone...)
There are so many pleasant hidden surprises on this phone, and just when I think I've seen them all, I stumble on an other. I've usually worked out a phone by 2 weeks, but not so with the Hero. If you take a "point & click" attitude to life, then the phone will be wasted on you, not to say you won't like it. Like I said - it's adaptable, so if you want a very simple phone you can have it. But if you like to have your brain teased, then this phone CAN accommodate.
There's so many good points, but the best are:
the touchscreen keyboard
the social network syncing
HTC Sense
Android
the apps
Adaptability
The Camera is possibly the only let down. I don't understand how HTC can bring out such awesome phones, yet neglect the NEED to be able to take decent photos. I've emphasized "need", because phone and camera combo's are a given, they're not going away, so an excellent phone should be coupled with an excellent camera, it's just common sense. Samsung have the right idea with their Omnia HD i8910. If this phone was coupled with the camera from the Samsung i8910, it would be an iphone killer, simple as that, and HTC would have a chance to possibly sell more than the iphone. As it is, the Hero is an adequate contender to the iphone. It hold its own against any phone out there and I would highly recommend it.

skelldude 6 October 2009

Good: brilliant interface and screen

Bad: nothing