HTC Hero now official
John Chan | Jun 25, 2009
The HTC Hero will come in both brown and white.
At an event held in London, HTC officially announced its latest Android smartphone, the Hero. This device has been talked about quite a bit, with leaks showing not just the physical form factor, but also its custom user interface (UI). We now know that this UI is called HTC Sense, and will be used not just on the Hero but also in upcoming phones from the company.
Specifications of the new HTC include a 3.2-inch HVGA (480 x 320-pixel) display, 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera. One feature that stands out is the inclusion of a dedicated 3.5mm audio jack for plugging in standard headphones, something not found on many HTC smartphones.
Hardware aside, the highlight of the Hero is really the way HTC has tweaked the Google Android operating system to create its Sense UI. This is supposed to make tasks such as organizing emails and messaging more effective. Social-networking services such as Facebook and Twitter have also been integrated to make viewing updates from the phone's contacts page easier. This is not unlike what HTC has been doing with its Touch interface on its Windows Mobile handsets and should differentiate its Android offerings from the competition if done well. Another interesting tidbit is Adobe Flash support, the first on an Android phone.
According to the company's press release, the HTC Hero will be available in Asia "later in the summer", which translates to some time before August ends. Pricing details have yet to be disclosed.
Click here for the hands-on pictures from our sister site, CNET UK.
Filed under:
Mobile Phones
11 Comments | Bookmark | Share
11 Comments | Bookmark | Share
Tags: android, htc hero, hero, htc sense, google inc., smart phone, high tech computer corp., phone, google android, gps
Talkback
DamnGorgeous2 says...
Omg. A hybrid of Mr. Diamond2 and Dream!
Jun 25, 2009 11:14
Omg. A hybrid of Mr. Diamond2 and Dream!
Jun 25, 2009 11:14
stdennis2 says...
Hero kills Magic in every possible way and I think HTC should never have released Magic if they are going to introduce Hero so soon after.
3.5mm jack is the main reason I'm leaning toward Hero.
Jun 25, 2009 14:16
Hero kills Magic in every possible way and I think HTC should never have released Magic if they are going to introduce Hero so soon after.
3.5mm jack is the main reason I'm leaning toward Hero.
Jun 25, 2009 14:16
Devlin says...
The Hero looks slick overall and I wouldn't mind trying out Android, especially on Sense. Briefly played with my friend's T-Mobile G1 and wasn't a fan of the UI so HTC's tweak might make a difference. I just don't understand why they would continue with the Android chin since it doesn't exactly make it pocket friendly either. I'll probably wait and see what happens and would pick an HTC Android device once it loses its chin. That or wait for either Samsung or Sony Ericsson to come out with their own take on Android.
Jun 25, 2009 15:26
The Hero looks slick overall and I wouldn't mind trying out Android, especially on Sense. Briefly played with my friend's T-Mobile G1 and wasn't a fan of the UI so HTC's tweak might make a difference. I just don't understand why they would continue with the Android chin since it doesn't exactly make it pocket friendly either. I'll probably wait and see what happens and would pick an HTC Android device once it loses its chin. That or wait for either Samsung or Sony Ericsson to come out with their own take on Android.
Jun 25, 2009 15:26
vin8tan says...
The chin makes it more ergonomic but i guess it doesn't fit in your pocket very well. It's very edgy though. I guess a good compromise would be that of the Motorola Z10. It's flexible and only pops up when in use.
Jun 25, 2009 19:28
The chin makes it more ergonomic but i guess it doesn't fit in your pocket very well. It's very edgy though. I guess a good compromise would be that of the Motorola Z10. It's flexible and only pops up when in use.
Jun 25, 2009 19:28
vin8tan says...
i guess the HTC looks like a device to test the market and gather as much feedback as possible. Google could have pumped in money to make the device (magic and G1) a reality to score a foot hold in the market as more and more company releases UI updates and touch screen phones.
Jun 25, 2009 19:25
i guess the HTC looks like a device to test the market and gather as much feedback as possible. Google could have pumped in money to make the device (magic and G1) a reality to score a foot hold in the market as more and more company releases UI updates and touch screen phones.
Jun 25, 2009 19:25
Devlin says...
If Google did provide funding for the Dream and Magic, that would go a long way into explaining why those phones aren't as good looking as the Touch Diamond or Touch HD. I hope HTC brings back their usual design cues to their later model phones because I'd love to own one.
The upcoming Samsung Android phone initially appealed to me but upon seeing better pictures of it I was disappointed. It looks kind of plain and sub-par design-wise for a Samsung. I wonder why most Android phones are plagued with designs that could have been so much better.
Jun 26, 2009 02:21
If Google did provide funding for the Dream and Magic, that would go a long way into explaining why those phones aren't as good looking as the Touch Diamond or Touch HD. I hope HTC brings back their usual design cues to their later model phones because I'd love to own one.
The upcoming Samsung Android phone initially appealed to me but upon seeing better pictures of it I was disappointed. It looks kind of plain and sub-par design-wise for a Samsung. I wonder why most Android phones are plagued with designs that could have been so much better.
Jun 26, 2009 02:21
vin8tan says...
An explanation could be that Google wanted to position this phone as a "geek", open-source, "developer's" phone. Hence the design. Magic was a very Google product. Rough on the edges but, it works. It was to demonstrate the raw power and possibilities of an open source software, and not hardware orientated marketing strategy.
Jun 26, 2009 17:09
An explanation could be that Google wanted to position this phone as a "geek", open-source, "developer's" phone. Hence the design. Magic was a very Google product. Rough on the edges but, it works. It was to demonstrate the raw power and possibilities of an open source software, and not hardware orientated marketing strategy.
Jun 26, 2009 17:09
isaac976 says...
wait till its really out, and lets wait and see the sensitivity or lag-ness of that toy ! hope it would stand out better than the rest of the HTC product, and hope that they have a Xenon flash, so far these guys are listning to the consumers to install a 3.5mm jack !
Jun 25, 2009 22:07
wait till its really out, and lets wait and see the sensitivity or lag-ness of that toy ! hope it would stand out better than the rest of the HTC product, and hope that they have a Xenon flash, so far these guys are listning to the consumers to install a 3.5mm jack !
Jun 25, 2009 22:07
Devlin says...
Check out the gallery of the launch and you'll see the Hero from different angles. Apparently, it's only got a camera lens on the back with no self-portrait mirror or flash. Xenon flashes are great, and I think they generally do a better job than LEDs but from what I've seen this type of flash is primarily reserved for higher-end camera phones. Also, I noticed that most phones that are designed with the US market in mind tend to have lower resolution cameras and skip a flash more often than not since camera phones aren't that big over here.
Jun 26, 2009 02:16
Check out the gallery of the launch and you'll see the Hero from different angles. Apparently, it's only got a camera lens on the back with no self-portrait mirror or flash. Xenon flashes are great, and I think they generally do a better job than LEDs but from what I've seen this type of flash is primarily reserved for higher-end camera phones. Also, I noticed that most phones that are designed with the US market in mind tend to have lower resolution cameras and skip a flash more often than not since camera phones aren't that big over here.
Jun 26, 2009 02:16
vin8tan says...
It's not the US market that's at fault. It's the sector the phone manufacturer is targeting at, and HTC's phone is usually targeted at the CEO level or equivalent. Your boss, most likely, won't need a flash because they get people to take his photos at Gala or social event. Your board directors have no idea, even if they do, they don't bother, what's the difference between a 3.5 mm jack and a proprietary jack that HTC had used to supply. That explains why the apple iPhone sells so well. They just want a no brainer that works.
Jun 26, 2009 17:02
It's not the US market that's at fault. It's the sector the phone manufacturer is targeting at, and HTC's phone is usually targeted at the CEO level or equivalent. Your boss, most likely, won't need a flash because they get people to take his photos at Gala or social event. Your board directors have no idea, even if they do, they don't bother, what's the difference between a 3.5 mm jack and a proprietary jack that HTC had used to supply. That explains why the apple iPhone sells so well. They just want a no brainer that works.
Jun 26, 2009 17:02
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vin8tan
I think I've finally found a phone that I really want.
Every other phone seems to be missing something. But this little baby has it all.
Style and substance !
Jun 25, 2009 09:50