Guess what the Gadget Stork delivered on our doorstep today? A robot baby? No. Better. An actual, real,
in-the-Teflon HTC Hero. Let's just say this -- it's pretty much the sexiest Android device ever created. We're not going to go into too much detail right now, as we're planning on delivering a full review next week, but we do want to say that this thing has our eyes glazed over like Scrooge McDuck checking out a pile of gold... if you know what we mean. HTC has truly outdone themselves here, not only with build quality (the thing kind of feels like a luxurious rock in your hand -- it's a good thing), but so far the software seems truly outstanding as well. Of course, we haven't taken the deep dive yet, so for now, feast your eyes on these photos, and get ready for the main event.
Update: Oh why, HTC? Apparently, this thing ain't covered in Teflon at all. According to the company's PR, only the white models are getting the dirt-resistant treatment. We're guessing the unit we have is just sporting a regular, soft-touch coating. It feels good and all... but now it seems so much less special.
posted Jul 17th 2009 3:28PM
SEXY!
even more SEXY if it's on AT&T!
@ Aaron :: AT&T sucks.. are you high?
never said AT&T was sexy...
but no way i'm ETFing a family plan on a carrier i've been with for 9 years with good status :P
@chef Yeah, it wouldn't be much to talk about if it was running a stock android install, but the fact that it's not and has such a damn sexy interface completely makes this whole phone. Personally, I find the exterior to be just as sexy, but the software is the real asset here
I'm a little scared of the sort of garbage AT&T would put onto it.
Sexy? I want to put that thing on a chiropractic table and fix its broken little back. It looks like someone dropped the master mock-up before it cooled, or Salvador Dali learned to use a CNC.
As someone who's actually been lucky enough to have a 10 minute play around with a demo Hero (pics here http://jonmulholland.posterous.com/lucky-me-i-just-got-my-hands-on-an-htc-hero-d) I have to agree. HTC have really outdone themselves this time - the Hero is a very sexy device.
Chin or not, that is one nice looking phone!
It may look sexy, but what's the quality of its video recording?...
Jay Leno chin looks just as bad on this as the original. Definitely not Reese Witherspoon since her chin somewhat tapers unlike Leno's ski-jump ramp. Looks like somebody put in in a vice and bent it at the bottom. I'm sure it doesn't hurt the overall use of the handset, so it's not that big a deal. It's just so damn ugly it seriously needs plastic surgery. If I had a mallet, I'd try to flatten that sucker. Other than that it seems to be a decent handset.
Its always great to hear an unbiased person comment on how crappy another products style is. Why don't we just cut to the chase and say if its not flat in the front, rectangular around, and slightly curved at the back its a crappy design. *sarcasm*
sex on fire
F U TMobile, give us HERO!
Sexy. I really want to try this thing out. It looks so nice.
(I don't mind the chin).
Indeed, it looks even better in black.
I wonder what this device with its Leno Chin would look/feel like in some fashionably tight pants.
I think the software looks awesome but everything about the physical appearance of this phone just looks hideous to me. The buttons aren't symmetrical, the trackball is too small, the whole thing is totally squared off with no curves. And the chin! It just looks plain bad.
Maybe I'm just in the minority and I'm not hip with what looks cool anymore, but I can't shake the feeling that this thing would have been universally laughed at if it was running a stock Android install.
You're not alone @chef. Exactly my thoughts. Far too many sharp edges to look attractive to me. We're in the minority I guess, maybe just within the engadget crowd.
I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me.
Not amazing but not ugly. I guess you have to have it in hand to see what all the fuss is about?
until you actually see one and hold it in your hand, the pictures make the chin look a lot beefier than it actually is
@Manolo
I really wonder too, as my Blackjack 2 has worn a spot into most of my tight jeans already (you can tell where the edge of the phone would be even when its not there)
That's what they all say about Reese Witherspoon.
now THIS is beautiful.
sweet jesus...
i think i may have pooted.. just a tad
You fart when you get excited? I get pink, with uncontrolled glee.
Jizz. In. My. Pannntttts.
if only it would come to sprint.....
not a pre fanboy, huh? refreshing.
Alex, I was thinking the same thing.
@ichheissesuperfantastisch
Guess what phone I ordered just yesterday? :D
i guess i would preder android nevertheless, but I will have to wait and try webOS before I can critique.
@Alex: Hah, I just got a Pre too, but I was really waffling on it because I was hoping the Hero would come out for Sprint, but then decided I didn't really want to wait like 8 months for a phone that might or might not come.
Good lord yes. Please please come to Sprint. The Pre was *such* a let down.
I wish this came to Tmo instead of myTouch...
I like my Pre, not the best thing since sliced bread, but it works as advertised. The battery life hopefully will be improved. I don't see how it was a "let down"?
Here is an interesting link pertaining to the Hero on Sprint.
http://www.phonenews.com/exclusive-sprint-hero-samsung-wimaxcdma-android-device-8288/
Mopo, for me, the Pre was a letdown in a few ways but I'll be brief. It was buggy and would require restarts often, telling me to free up memory and that I have too many cards open when I had one or no cards open.
The biggest issue was its build quality. The top slider layer was wiggly. You can see on websites everywhere, it wiggles, it begins to peel, hell some even seperate completely. I paid full retail, and I didn't mind, but even at $199 I don't want my phone to feel like a wiggly plastic toy. It was really bad, and tons of users agree.
Bugs get fixed, but the build quality was too big of an issue. Returned it.
so weird. got my pre on launch day - and i've seen the "too many cards" message -once- and i use the crap out of my phone, regularly have between 4 and 6 apps but sometimes much more than that. no wiggle too talk of, if i move the top layer against the bottom when fully closed i have a play of about 1mm. still, to this day. and i use it every day, lot of sms:ing opening the slider all the time etc...
my only complaint was in the beginning my gps wouldn't lock like three times in a row. after a reboot that fixed it - haven't seen that happen since. oh - and it crashed on me once, first day, first time i hooked it up to usb. dragged a 3gb older of music over and it locked up hard mid way through. also never seen that happen again.
so i would call bogus on a lot of the crap some people spew - if it wasn't for the fact that a buddy had the wiggle and the reboots on his. replaced it, had wiggle again. so it happens. how often, is the question. either really quite often, or the wigglers are a vocal bunch... hard to say.
i'm loving my pre. it's a first gen phone, it's not perfect, but i'm loving the potential, webos rocks and in the meantime i have no major problems. just installed the mojo sdk and will be cranking out apps any day now :)
that said, and to be on topic, hero does look sexy... minus the chin. and not as sexy as the pre imo.
damn now you guys got me scrrd. i dun wanna crack the back in half when removing the port cover...
os is great, build seems cheap....but pretty ;D
I don't get the chin. I mean, I've never held one so I can't speak from experience but it looks awkward.
Am I way off?
it's supposedly to do with a natural holding position, fitting the shape of your face and protecting the important stuff in the event of a fall.
@Phoenix: Its not just a fall. Its supposed to keep you from messing up the track ball when sliding it in and out of a pocket. The pocket hits the "chin" before the trackball.
@ tande
Did the first G1 and Blackberries even have a problem with that?
... the first G1 had a chin as well *facepalm*
That and, I remember hearing of several instances of the trackball on Blackberry devices becoming loose/dropping off, which probably happens when it rubs against one's pocket. I guess the chin's a better implementation than I previously thought.
And the blackberries have a rather high failure rate when it comes to the trackballs.
It's the same as the Hiptops.
Of course it's going to be the best thing going....The friggin carriers kept their hands off of it. When it drops to $500 Unlocked I want it.
hopefully a year from now it will have fallen to $350-ish, oltherwise I won't be able to afford it :(
you're way on..the chin is out of place.
other than that...its hot
Very nice! I was just researching this phone today. Is this a NAM version? Is one in the pipes?
ashame this isn't coming to the U.S.
HTC has mentioned that this will hit the US already. It just won't be hitting T-Mobile.
What! Even though T-Mobile were the first people to support Android and make it popular they betray them by not offering them possibly the best android phone? What Pricks.
@crust
you say that in every hero thread... i guess ur persistence shows your true resentment. looking forward to your copy/paste in the forth-coming Engadget Hero full review. lol
Any US carriers announced?
Might come to T-Mobile in 2011 ?
So the white ones are the only ones with teflon?
Or can I get the dark one with teflon?
Why would they mention the Teflon coating while holding a *black* phone if it only came on the white one?
Come think real hard about this for a second.
Uhh I'm pretty sure they just said the black one isn't sporting the Teflon coating.
Maybe you should think real hard about this one for a second.
This, boys and girls, is what's know as "CYA" on the interwebz.
I posted a while ago when the post just came out, upon checking the edit as everyone can see, the dark one doesn't have teflon. Thank you engadget for correcting that.
T-Mobile better reconsider and bring this one on board...
What's up with that stupid HTC flip clock on the main page of all their phones? Do they think that's cool?
it's optional
Oh yeah. That Android standard clock is SO much cooler. :/
i like it
what's wrong with it?
I prefer the analog clocks provided by HTC.
@CtrlBurn
I downloaded a video from HTC's website which gave a tour of the Hero. In the video they show that there are about 10 different clocks to choose from- you can take your pick. And undoubtedly there will be optional ones available to download 3rd party.
Why did it have to have that CHIN????!??! D:
The chin will be fine. In the back pocket of my jeans it will follow the manly curve of my buttocks.
The good news is that everything from the chin up looks nice. The bad news is that the chin ruins it. Looks cluttered, not to mention a usb port sticking out at the bottom. Yuck.
So your butt has a sharp 35 degree angle on it and a dimple to accommodate the scroll wheel? does it clip onto it like a dock?
just wondering considering the odd shape of this phone, and possibly your ass! jk :D
Why yes, yes it does.
I still love you, even for all your deformities Mark!
Sexy my chin!
The LCD looks uneven.
How many text do you need on the body?
Auto focus 5.0M pixel camera
Innovation
Shut up!
seen the amount of text on the back of an iPhone?
Yes. But is this retail version? Some text are probably required.
A pretty phone deserves a prettier packaging, really.
Thank Bejeezzuz!
You are looking at my next phone.
Pretty nice piece of kit there, but I don't understand the deal with the chin. Doesn't it jut out in your pocket and such?
Makes for an awkward conversation starter. "Hey is it just me, or is the thing in your pants a bit too happy to see me."
nah its prolly just ur boner
It sits quite nicely against the curve of your leg.
The phone is damn sexy, I just wish T-Mobile could get it, unfortunatly it doesn't use T-Mobile's 3G band...which is VERY disappointing.
i just wanted to know or maybe you could take really close ups of the teflon coating they put on the phone or maybe gives us a quick hint on how it feels on the fingers....
Did I read right? There is no 3.5 mm jack on this one?
I'm not out of contract till January anyway...
There is a 3.5mm jack on this model, see that hole at the top?
It does have a 3.5mm jack. Check the specs at: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hero-2861.php. I wouldn't have considered the phone otherwise.
a few things come to mind:
first, "sexiest android device ever"?? out of what, 5? that's quite the accomplishment, especially how god-awful ugly the g1 was/is.
second, i will never, NEVER, buy a phone with a bent-up chin on it. i buy phones that fit comfortably in my pocket. I don't carry a man-bag. 'nuff said.
Wow someone isn't comfortable with their Sexuality! AhAHahahaa
Notice how he's trying to prove to everybody how manly he is that he DOESN"T carry a Man bag?
Yeap! Manliest Man EVER, You da Man!
; D
On a side note, wow they move slow in bringing these out to any Carrier in the USA, why must we ALWAYS get Screwed? I bet they're throwing in a Free Man Bag with Each Purchase as well over in Europe.
don't knock it until you've tried it!
Well, someone's being a Grumpy Gus today.
It's not a man bag, man, it's a record bag! I swear it's just a record bag!
*cries*
Josh / Engadget
In your full review, please include a section on how it fairs for "work" / business use, like the ed. piece you just did for the iPhone.
Someone has sand in their vagina....
Every tried to do "work" on the G1? Its pretty much like that. Which is f*cking amazing if you have Cupcake or later installed.
I mean Android does support multi tasking right?
fcuk u lucky fellas!!!
and
thank you for the pics and to-be-posted review....anxiously waiting for it...and also to buy one of those.
looks yummyyyyyyyy :D
What network will you guys be testing this on?
How does it compare to the iPhone 3Gs?
It's a lot like the iPhone, only, it doesn't have the iPhone's patent pending "Heater" feature.