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Verizon's HTC Droid Eris getting Android 2.1 any time now (yep, it's here!)
We'd been hearing rumors lately that HTC's Droid Eris -- a phone that has never quite made it out from under the Droid's shadow -- is in the midst of being discontinued by Verizon, but the imminent launch of an Android 2.1 update might just buy it a new lease on life. In fact, the update makes this phone just about the first Hero variant anywhere in the world to be graced with an upgrade to Google's latest and greatest stuff, beating Sprint's version thanks to a string of delays that have pushed it out to some unidentified period in the second quarter. We've yet to see any reports of folks actually receiving the update notification on their devices, but Verizon's official support Twitter account is tweeting about the upgrade -- which should fix numerous bugs on top of the hotly-anticipated Eclair boost -- so we'd expect it to start hitting the wild shortly. Keep us on top of your experiences in comments, won't you? [Thanks, Richard] Update: Verizon has now posted the PDF changelog for your perusal while you wait. Thanks, Michael V.! Update 2: It has begun... but this OTA update is being brewed in small batches, it seems, as we're getting reports from Droid Eris owners that have received their Eclair update each and every day.
Sprint: Samsung Moment and HTC Hero Android 2.1 updates now coming 'in Q2'
Ouch. Just a few days ago, it seems like a certainty that Sprint would be pushing out Android 2.1 updates to the aging Samsung Moment and HTC Hero, but now a company admin has stepped in to assure us that things aren't nearly that close to go. The full text is pasted in after the break, but the long and short of it is this: the long-awaited 2.1 update is now on track "to be available in Q2." The carrier did confess to wanting this out sooner rather than later, but hey, at least your patience is really, really appreciated. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sprint's HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 finally coming on May 7?
This is turning into a serious boy-who-cried-wolf kind of situation, but evidence is growing today that HTC and Sprint are finally -- yes, finally -- ready to drop a hot batch of Sense-laden Android 2.1 on eager Hero owners. A screen shot of a Best Buy employee news page reads that the update was "delayed until this week" and will be "in all stores" by this Friday, May 7; what that means isn't exactly clear, but it could suggest that all Heros being sold in Best Buy Mobile locations will have the update applied by then. As for current customers, Best Buy is sending out instructions on how staff can help owners upgrade if they happen to wander into the store, but otherwise, it should be available from HTC's site (yeah, no over-the-air action here). Stay tuned, folks. [Thanks, John]
HTC Hero won't see upgrade to Android 2.1 until June, at least in Europe
Plenty of UK Hero owners were disappointed this morning upon hearing the news that free Google Maps Navigation had spread beyond the borders of the USA but required Android 1.6 as the minimum OS version. Stuck in their Android 1.5 world, they must have hoped that HTC would just hurry up and open the gates to Eclair heaven, but hurrying up is, regrettably, the opposite of what's happening. Tech Radar heard from a Google rep that the Hero's move to Android 2.1 won't be happening until June, and followed it up with HTC directly. The official response was that a free update for European Hero variants will indeed be provided "starting in June." At least this cloud of disappointment will only hang over Europe, as other territories -- like Taiwan -- might still get the update reasonably soon. [Thanks, Paul]
Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment Android 2.1 updates on track for early May?
Look, we're calling it: as Android goes, anything older than Eclair is officially lame sauce at this point. Manufacturers need kick things into high gear and offer upgrades for the good of their customers -- custom skin or no -- so we're glad to see that folks on Sprint might be mere weeks away from official updates for a couple of their devices. The Hero and Moment are both stuck on Cupcake for now, but we've known for a while that Android 2.1 is in the cards, and an internal screen at Sprint appears to show that we can expect the updates to launch in "early May." For what it's worth, enterprising Moment owners can already get their Eclair on -- but a more official option is always the best way to go, right?
HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 on April 26th in home country of Taiwan
We're past mid-March and rapidly approaching the early Q2 launch estimates for the Android 2.1 update for HTC's Hero. Now Engadget Chinese has tipped us to an official HTC release date issued on Plurk (a very popular, Twitter-like social service used locally) in HTC's home country of Taiwan: April 26th. So we should see the update go hot globally, with the latest version of the Sense UI in tow, at about the same time. You know, if you haven't grown tired of waiting and already hacked it in.
Sprint to release Android 2.1 update for Hero and Moment 'over the coming weeks'
If you recall, about a month ago Sprint tweeted that it was working on delivering Android 2.1 upgrade for its HTC Hero and Samsung Moment in early Q2 this year. An optimistic guess would be April, right? Funnily enough, Techie Buzz has heard that two eager customers managed to squeeze a more precise date out of Sprint over a phone call -- end of March or even March 26th. Don't go reaching for that champagne just yet, though -- a self-proclaimed Sprint employee shared a recent internal memo on XDA-Developers forum, revealing that it's "actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks," and that "more information coming in April." Oh Sprint, you do love playing with our little minds, don't you?
Sprint: Android 2.1 update for Hero, Moment coming in early Q2
And there you have it, folks -- word straight from Sprint that the much-anticipated Android 2.1 update will be coming to the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment "early" in the second quarter of this year. As you may recall, Sprint has actually been talking about this update since December, but "early 2Q10" is at least slightly better news than the previous "1H2010" estimate the carrier's been dishing out. Update: Sprint has posted a follow-up tweet saying that OTA vs. PC-based or in-store upgrades are "still TBD upgrade options." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC enhances Sense with Leap and Friend Stream (updated with video)
Our recent chance encounter with a multitouch-friendly iteration of HTC's Sense UI turns out to have been a preview of the company's latest version of the software. Announcing that it has "enhanced" the already quite delectable skin, HTC has noted it'll be available preloaded on the brand new Desire and Legend handsets, and as a free download for the venerable Hero. So what's new? The press event this morning told us about Leap, the new pinching function that allows you to view all your home screens at once (see above), and Friend Stream, which aims to be your social media aggregator du jour with its one stream combining Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates. There's also a new newsreader application and widget, along with additional improvements to the browser and web client. You'll find the full PR after the break and early impressions of the new interface in our hands-on with the new phones. Update: See a full walkthrough of the new UI in a video after the break.
HTC Hero shows off multitouch-enabled Sense UI on video
Bear in mind we don't know for sure whether this is a forthcoming iteration of the Sense UI or just an industrious hacker, but the video after the break shows off some pretty sweet multitouch integration into HTC's Android skin. Pinch-to-zoom, that most notorious of functions, is used to achieve an Exposé-like overview of all the widgets you have open, with an easy tap getting you into the one you want. It seems a relatively intuitive action, even if the person showing it off does his or her best to make it look as clumsy as possible. This should be most enticing when considered in light of the purportedly upcoming HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 -- who's to say this isn't what HTC is cooking up as an extra topping for that Eclair? [Thanks, Nader]
HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 pegged for mid-March
We've known for ages that HTC's been working on yanking its custom-skinned Hero off of Cupcake's rusty frame, but so far, the only way to drop Android 2.0 or 2.1 on your phone has been to cheat, root, and load a custom or leaked ROM in place of the official first-party firmware. If you're too straightedge for that, though, keep the faith -- your binary isn't too far off. PR released today indicates that we can expect the Hero to get an Android 2.1 update with Sense in "mid March" according to HTC's Benelux team, and it'll feature a new Friend Stream widget that aggregates user updates across services (presumably a nod to Blur), tweaked Exchange support, and a handful of other goodies. This isn't necessarily indicative of when Hero versions in other regions (Sprint's version, for instance) will pick it up, but it's a solid start. [Image via EnglishRussia]
HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising
Using a cellphone to control a robot -- or a pretty sweet helicopter -- isn't exactly a new idea, but there's something about the combination of Android and Lego Mindstorms that promises to break the possibilities wide open. Swedish tech company Enea Linköping is one of the first we've seen to directly link an Android app to the Mindstorms brain over Bluetooth -- they're using an HTC Hero to control two simple rover bots. Unfortunately, since Android 1.5 doesn't support the Bluetooth serial profile, there's a hack involved: the phone actually sends out commands over WiFi,which are passed through a WiFi-Bluetooth tunneling app on laptop before hitting the bots. That means there's a little lag involved, but now that Android 2.1 has serial Bluetooth support we're hoping things get a little more streamlined in the future. Video after the break.
Orange UK's HTC Hero gets a minor firmware bump
Want Android 2.1 on your Hero? Of course you do -- but don't look for it from HTC... at least, not yet. It should be available eventually -- and in the meantime, you're obviously welcome to do some digging for a cooked ROM from the good people at xda-developers -- but for now, High Tech Computer is kicking out another Cupcake-based firmware for Hero users on Orange in the UK. Don't expect anything groundbreaking here, but CoolSmartPhone reports that there's at least a new People widget with a 3 x 3 grid, which sounds particularly handy for anyone with nine or fewer friends. If you want it, it's a quick download away -- not as cool as an OTA, of course, but still better than accidentally submerging your phone in boiling water. [Thanks, Anders]
Android display battle: In the end, there can be only One
It's not everyday you get to see six (6!) Android devices pitted against each other in a display-quality grudge match. No, not that sensor sensitivity nonsense again, rather, just a plain ol' video playback comparison for your subjective observations. Fortunately, the Android-loving kids over at HDBlog shot a video of the MyTouch 3G, HTC Hero, Motorola Milestone / Droid, Acer Liquid, Nexus One, and Samsung Galaxy (laid out clockwise in the image above). In our opinion, the Nexus One with its 3.7-inch AMOLED display packing a 800 x 480 pixel resolution comes out on top with the best overall image (though slightly on the red end of the color spectrum) -- good thing the video wasn't shot outdoors where that AMOLED is all but unreadable. But hey, that's our opinion, form your own in the video after the break.
Raid Rx: Don't be a hero
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of No Stock UI, a WoW blog for all things UI, macro, and addon related. Ah, the hero healer. It reminds me of me. Have you been in a situation where it always seems to be that one same healer which steals the spotlight raid after raid? Its as if raiding groups can't take down bosses without that one specific healer there. It gets progressively worse when that healer starts rubbing it in the faces of other healers whether directly or indirectly. Now don't get me wrong. A healer should be proud of what they are capable of doing. But there are a few problems when it comes to being a hero.
HTC posts kernel source for Tattoo, Sprint Hero
The terms of the GPL require that developers of Android handsets out the source code for their phones' platform kernels, something HTC, Samsung, and others have generally been good about (emphasis on "generally") -- and now HTC's gone ahead and pushed a couple more notables into the public domain. The Tattoo and the Sprint-branded version of the Hero are the latest to get their innermost software workings exposed; the Tattoo should be an interesting choice here because it's one of the lowest-end Android sets released to date, and the Sprint Hero's been taking some heat for a while now for its lack of code exposure. We're happy to see HTC stay in compliance, yes -- but really, we're even happier to know that it's now in the hands of people who intend to tear it apart and do cool stuff with it.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCLI: Xperia X10 + BlackBerry UI + ??? = profit
Meet the Hero C7000, the closest thing you can get to a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 right now. Problem is, that's not very close -- in place of SE's highly customized Android skin, for example, you'll find a positively delightful rip of RIM's UI for the Storm series on a 3-inch display (as opposed to the genuine X10 article's 4 inches). Not quite what you were looking for? Well, look at it this way: at the right market you'll be able to find it for a minute fraction of the X10's cost -- and without a carved-in-stone ship date, maybe this thing can hold you over for a while.
Russia gets mocha-edition HTC Hero, plastic flavor coming soon
Sure, you lament about this or that certain smartphone not coming to your wireless provider of choice, but imagine if that phone hadn't even been released in your country. For those who are Russian and for whom That Certain Smartphone is the HTC Hero, your time is finally coming, and soon. HTC sent out devices to many members of the .RU press, but rather than providing functioning ones they received models made entirely of chocolate. Not entirely encouraging, but the company's Cyrillic Twitter page (which has been responsible for creating a stir in the past) is saying the phone is coming soon, as in the next few weeks, and HTC also created a Facebook fan page for the phone over the weekend. So, buckle up Russian readers; looks like you're getting your Hero soon.
HTC Hero gets firmware update (no, not you, Sprint customers)
The GSM version of the Hero just got hooked up with a new firmware update, version 2.73.771.73 (H3G). We don't know what's in here yet -- HTC hasn't offered up a changelog -- but we're foolishly hopeful that it's something newer than Android 1.5 (emphasis on "foolishly"). Let us know how it goes, folks. [Thanks, Nabeel M.]
WoW Moviewatch: Hero
Today's video comes from long time machinima fan, first time machinima maker Bridin. His first story uses the most classic of action tropes. The main character is just your average guy, the bad guys show up, things get bad, and your average guy is driven to become not-so-average. It's simple, but it works. Come on, who doesn't like Die Hard? Overall, Hero is very good as a first outing. The soundtrack is appropriate, as is the foley. The animation is as close to natural as WoW gets, though the moving characters set on a stationary backdrop is always a little jarring. That just comes with the territory though and will just get better with time. If I were to give one piece of advice, I would suggest practicing with a less epic tale for the next go around. It's understandably hard to include intense action sequences and things of that sort when it's your very first go at machinima, but some of the events seem to happen a bit randomly because of it. Any resistance the Alliance put up was off screen, except for our hero being punted off of a seemingly abandoned ship. Deus ex Diabolus keeps our hero from eating dirt. Making these sequences a bit more smooth and sensical would add a lot to these stories. I look forward to Bridin's future work, and considering Hero comes with the prefix Warcraft Stories, I'm hoping that there's a whole lot more coming our way. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
