HtcHero
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HTC Hero heading to Sprint October 11th for $179.99, no chin in sight (update: exclusive to Sprint)
Semi-official no longer, Sprint has now officially announced the HTC Hero for its network. Here's the skinny: it's coming October 11th and will be $179.99 after assorted rebates. Also noteworthy? It's the chinless model we just spied just days ago, but otherwise it looks like the same internals, Exchange Active Sync, and Sense UI we've been toying with for months now, plus Sprint TV. Pre-registration (note: not pre-order) is now available for those eager to already claim stake. We can't help but notice there's no mention of exclusivity here, but regardless, well played, Sprint, between this and the Pre, you're amassing quite a nice collection, there. Update: We spoke to Sprint, and the Hero is in fact an exclusive for the company. Read - Press release Read - Hero pre-registration
Sprint developer site claims HTC Hero as network's "first Android device"
These two have been eying each other from opposite ends of the room for quite some time now, but at long last, we're seeing the first semi-official word that HTC's Hero is indeed coming to the Now Network. Planted over in the Android section of Sprint's own Developer site, we're greeted with this statement: "Announcing the HTC Hero, which will be the first Android device running on the Sprint network." The brief post (copied in full after the break) goes on to inform readers that the Sprint developer program will deploy an Android development section by September's close, and there's even a direct link to begin downloading the Android 1.5 SDK immediately. Of course, this isn't as good as a carefully worded press release from the bowels of Overland Park, but it's certainly enough to whet our appetites. C'mon Sprint -- out with the price and release date, pronto![Via Phandroid]
Mysterious HTC Hero revision pics surface, angled chin now M.I.A.
It's not unusual for HTC to repackage the same phone in dramatic ways for different carriers (see Sprint Touch Pro vs. Verizon's vs AT&T Fuze), but the Hero that 8080.net reportedly has is a pretty marked difference -- most notably a more conservative chin. Here's what we can glean from the admittedly bad machine translation: the outlet claims it's the Hero200 that the FCC just approved for CDMA bands, and while it certainly seems like a Hero variant one way or another, we have no proof that this is actually the same recently-approved version, nor have we seen what Sprint's Hero will actually look like. With all those caveats all the way, feel free to jump into the read link and enjoy a number of pictures up close and personal with the device. [Via Cloned in China]
HTC prepping better, stronger firmware for Hero
The Hero might not pack a 1GHz Snapdragon or anything awesome like that, but that's no excuse for it to lag its older cousins in day-to-day use. Sure, you've got Sense on there -- but HTC's got to keep things snappy, particularly in light of how well TouchFLO 3D performs on the newest batch of devices. Fortunately, we've followed up with HTC in light of a recent SlashGear report that there's fresh firmware on the way, and indeed, it's been confirmed -- details on the exact contents are sketchy at best, but we're cautiously heartened by the "performance" part of the "performance improvements and bug fixes" statement we've received. We'll see just how much better it gets.
HTC Hero and Click coming to China under Dopod brand
HTC has been on a global Android-pimping mission with its Hero device, and it looks like Chinese subsidiary Dopod gets the honor of announcing three new handsets for the Middle Kingdom. Unlike others, the Hero retains its WiFi capabilities by playing nice with China's custom WLAN security protocol and is expected in late August on China Unicom for 5,600 Yuan ($820) along with the few-frills Click for 3,400 Yuan ($500). The carrier has opted to strip Google Maps from the Hero (though it's still downloadable), and to soften the blow it will likely offer a snazzy red version of the phone. China Mobile will have to settle for an as-yet unspecified TD-SCDMA handset and the already announced Magic, both of which will likely be sporting the OMS flavor of Android. We're not sure we'd classify the Hero's price tag as reasonable -- but really, can you put a dollar figure on being the first big-name Android release in the world's largest wireless market?
HTC Hero coming October 11th to Sprint?
Let's go through the steps together, shall we? A "senior member" forum poster on the xda-developers forums has posted the above pic as proof that the HTC Hero is coming to the US on October 11th -- a claim he's been making as far back as April, but this is the first time he's brought a picture with him. The poster says he works for a wireless developer firm, and while this picture can easily be faked, we don't think it's necessarily that much of a stretch. Let's look at some of the other phones listed. There's "Samsung Q (Android)," which could provide a missing link between the InstinctQ and the company's mysterious Android phone that was supposed to be out on Sprint and T-Mobile by now. BlackBerry Aries is the CDMA version the Curve 8520, and traditionally RIM's CDMA devices wind up on both Sprint and Verizon. The LG LX610 / Lotus 2 is a new one to us, but Lotus seems to have been well-received for Sprint. So to pull all that data together, if this list is the real deal, we'd say it came from Now Network company. This is the sort of phone Dan Hesse would be glad to have waited for, isn't it? Read - HTC Hero (Android) Release Date: 10/11/2009 Read - Initial release date claim
Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited
While speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm: Tech event in Pasadena on Friday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse apparently got all kinds of verbal when it came to Android and his carrier. The honcho (and TV commercial star) remarked at the industry conference that he was "Glad we waited on Android," adding "The reviews say now it's ready for prime time. It wasn't when it first came out." While we knew Sprint had interest in Android phones (and potentially some forthcoming models), we hadn't heard a peep about timeframes, and the last thing Dan had to say was that he thought Googlephones weren't quite ready for prime-time. That's all changed now with the appearance of Android 1.5, it seems, as Hesse stated that the carrier will ship at least one model with the OS onboard this year. We don't want to be zany conspiracy theorists, but the timing of this seems to dovetail nicely with the very public launch of HTC's heavily modified Hero and Sense UI... a device which has been rumored to be making its way to Sprint sometime this year. The carrier obviously has a storied history of partnering with HTC on phones, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to see it land on Sprint (we certainly haven't seen any other carriers pipe up). Regardless, it looks like Sprint won't be putting all of its eggs in the Palm basket for long. It's going to be a very interesting holiday season.
HTC Hero review
The HTC Hero has been an object of lust for some time now for gadget enthusiasts. Even from the earliest days of leaked hardware shots and blurry demo videos of its UI, smartphone fans seemed to agree that the company had finally achieved what has been missing in the world of Android. Namely, a polished and attractive device -- polished enough to go head-to-head with the iPhone -- that kept its open source heart. So, here we are months later with an actual, bona fide Hero in our midst. Yes the reports were true, it is a beautiful device, both inside and out (though of course opinions differ on that chin). But does being a beautiful device mean Android is about to move to a bigger stage? Is HTC's spit-shine enough to overcome some of the hurdles that have plagued the platform? That question -- and more -- is answered in the text below, so read on for the full review.
HTC Hero on sale tomorrow at Orange UK
We may have scored HTC's latest Android-infused device for a brief window of time, but if you're hoping to snag one for keeps, you'll need to jet over to the UK and sign away your cellular soul to Orange. Based on a brief but pointed tweet from a carrier representative, the HTC Hero will be "available from Orange UK retail stores [starting] tomorrow." The phone is already up on the operator's website in a delightful graphite hue, and the price of £0.00 on a pay monthly contract sure is luscious. So much for T-Mobile Germany getting a jump on everyone, huh?[Via Twitter, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The HTC Hero has landed... in our hands
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
HTC Hero freed from generic box, called best Android device yet
It's not officially available yet, but the fine folks at Android Community have gotten their hands on a HTC Hero and posted up a quick unboxing and overview. Their unit is an unaffiliated generic whitebox model, so it's likely that the retail packaging the rest of us see from carriers will be different, but none of that changes the device itself, which AC thinks is the "best Android device to date." That's quite a statement, but we're inclined to agree -- we'll see if anything changes when we get that US 3G version in our hands. More pics at the read link, video after the break.
HTC Hero's UK launch pushed back to July 24th or later?
The official time box for the launch of the HTC Hero in Europe is July -- entirely too broad a date range for the most celebrated Android device to date. That leaves the Hero hopefuls idle, aimlessly wandering the dank HTML corridors of on-line retailers for more detailed clues. In hopes of slaking that jones, we just learned that Amazon UK has pushed its release date back from July 15 to July 24th while another site, Devicewire, says via its Twitter account that it won't have stock until the first week of August. There, feel better?[Thanks, Drew T. and Sam P.]Read -- Devicewire tweet Read -- Amazon UK
Engadget Podcast 154 - 07.11.2009
The podcast is a little late this week, but for good reason -- special guest Michael Gartenberg joins Josh, Paul, and Nilay this week as they sort through the Google-dominated week in news. We've got Chrome OS, the myTouch 3G, some more HTC Hero hands-on time (as well as a Magic flashed with the Hero ROM), and the leaked Sony Ericsson Rachael on tap -- oh, and to top it all off, Sony backtracked huge and released its first true netbook, the VAIO W. It's a bit of a wild one, we won't lie -- buckle up. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Guest: Michael Gartenberg Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: No Rain Hear the podcast 00:01:22 - Google announces Chrome OS, coming to netbooks second half of 2010 00:26:37 - myTouch 3G hands-on (with video!) 00:39:35 - New HTC Hero ROM leaked, Flash 10 already chugging along on a few lucky G1s 00:56:25 - Sony Ericsson Rachael UI video leaks out, Kiki comes for the ride 01:04:55 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development 01:12:58 - Sony announces VAIO W... netbook! Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
HTC's Hero appears in soft and sensuous pink
We've now seen the HTC Hero in white, black, and a full-on hot ugly pink, and thankfully HTC's apparently seen the light and pushed this softer pink version Carphone Warehouse's way. The cell superstore has it slated for launch in July -- subject to change, of course -- with the other members of its clan, so if pink's the color of your Hero, you're golden. Nice to see these things slipping outside of the realm of black and white, so now that we have a pink version, how about some other colors HTC?[Via IntoMobile]
HTC Hero vs. T-Mobile myTouch 3G... fight!
Two long lost siblings, at last reunited. But can there ever be unity? We don't think so. At every turn, the HTC Hero seems to trounce the myTouch 3G -- it's really hardly a contest. The myTouch is certainly lighter, and in many ways "feels" smaller because of it, but the size differences really are negligible. They're still both great phones, but the Hero really feels like a million bucks, while the myTouch feels a bit like a toy. Unfortunately, only one of them just went up for pre-order on T-Mobile, and it's not the one we want to marry.
HTC Hero pre-release model taken for a spin, previewed in Russia
It's been less than two weeks since we laid hands on HTC's latest Android masterpiece, the Hero, and so while we wait to see it again, the cats at Russian site Mobile-review have gotten some extensive time with a pre-release engineering sample, and give it some high marks for those in the "tech geek" demographic who are looking to pick one up. Some caveats to be had, including the use of pre-release Sense UI firmware and the curious case of calling the screen resistive, especially since the model we used was definitely the more finger-friendly capacitive, and all the promotional material we've seen show a capacitive model in use. Still, it's well worth a read, if for nothing else than a glimpse at the sample pictures / video we can expect to capture with the phone ourselves.[Thanks, Fegan]
HTC Hero hits FCC with US 3G
No mention was made of a Hero with 3G that'd work on Rogers or AT&T back at its announcement a few days ago, but HTC has been getting awfully good at making phones that work properly around these parts -- so we can't say we're entirely surprised to see a Hero approved for WCDMA on Bands II and V gracing the FCC today. For the record, Bands II and V are 1900 and 850MHz, respectively, which is exactly the combo AT&T subscribers would need to flip the switch on high-speed data. We're not sure if this negates rumors that the Hero would be coming to Sprint, but if we can just get this version released and in our hands, you know... maybe our minds would be operating with a little more clarity.
New HTC Hero ROM leaked, Flash 10 already chugging along on a few lucky G1s
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/New_HTC_Hero_ROM_leaked'; Step aside, JAC Hero, there's a new firmware in town. Fatal1ty (that Fatal1ty?) and nk02 have not only managed to obtain the HTC Hero's new (and almost final) Sense UI-infused firmware, but have spruced it up for consumption by HTC Magic / Dream users. There's naturally a bit of glitchiness -- apparently WiFi and Bluetooth don't work at the moment, and the camera is all funkified, but the real treat here is the first implementation of Flash 10 on Android, even if it is a bit "laggy" on the RAM-starved G1. The widgets are also on display, and other than Flash the general experience is apparently pretty snappy. Naturally, the xda-dev folks won't be leaving well enough alone, and we should be seeing refined versions of this and future Hero firmwares leading up to and after the release of the actual device.[Via xda-developers forum; thanks Jeremy W., screenshot by johnnylicious]
HTC Hero spotted on Orange UK website
The HTC Hero has made its first appearance on a UK carrier's website, but finds itself burdened with a teasing "coming soon" badge. Having talked to Orange, we can confirm previous reports that the device will be available for free on some, as yet undetermined but surely eye-gouging, price plans. The company said they are still testing the device and should have pricing information by tomorrow. Expect T-Mobile to quickly follow suit and unveil their Hero by another name (G1 Touch?), also fully subsidized. Both carriers will be offering the graphite edition of the phone, so if you have your heart set on the white Teflon-coated goodness, you may have to go the SIM-free route.
HTC Hero up for pre-order on Amazon UK: £429, July 15 delivery
We doubt the July 15 delivery date is set in stone, but UK residents itching to get a little Hero in their lives are now able to pre-order HTC's latest for £429 ($708). That's pretty much what we'd expect for an unlocked set, but Orange is planning to offer the Hero free on contract, so we'd be inclined to hang on just a teensy bit longer. Video after the break.[Via Phandroid]
