There’s not much that the HTC Hero can’t do and now you can strike ‘controlling robots’ off that list too! The guys over at ENEA in Sweden use a customized Android application on the HTC Hero that controls a Mindstorms robot using Bluetooth and the tilt sensor in the phone.
For those wondering if this was tricky given the Hero’s limited Bluetooth support (as we’re still on Android 1.5 – hurry up HTC!), the answer would be yes. They instead had to use the Wi-Fi abilities of the phone to send the information to a laptop with Ubuntu Linux with a TCP/IP to Bluetooth tunnel. Once we (eventually) get Android 2.1 then this convoluted step can be skipped as we’ll get full Bluetooth support. Until that hallowed day comes, you can check out the video after the break. [click to continue…]
HTC will apparently the launch the Android 2.1 for the HTC Hero by the end of March, according to a representative of Irish mobile operator, Meteor. Glynn from the website forum said the following:
“Just got another update on this and HTC have said they are releasing 2.1 on the Hero and we are hoping to have this available by the end of March.
This will be available via the HTC website and we are also looking at other ways to make this update easier to access for our customers. As soon as I hear any more on this I’ll let you all now because I know the release of 2.1 is something that everyone is looking forward to.”
It’s hard to say that the update has been delayed, especially when Sprint were talking of a H1 2010 release for the update. However, with MWC on the horizon, HTC better get on their bike before people give up and move on to their next phone! Personally, speaking the rumoured HTC Bravo has me very interested…
Those of you paranoid about security may be interested to know that WaveSecure, the mobile security application, is available to download free of charge on all Android handsets (as long as you register before the end of January). Once registered you get free lifetime membership. It supports other phones (Symbian and Windows Mobile) too where they charge €15 for the app.
WaveSecure helps you to secure and track down a lost or stolen phone. It tracks down your phone’s location and who is using it and even allows you to lock it down remotely! As well as this, you can backup or wipe all of your data remotely. The app can be downloaded from the Android Market, just search for WaveSecure. Check out a video demo of it in action after the break. [click to continue…]
As many of you will know, each of Android’s major new releases have been codenamed after delicious bakery goods, as well as running in alphabetical order. So far we’ve had Cupcake (v1.5), Donut (v1.6) and Eclair (v2.0) and apparently the next iteration will be called Froyo i.e. frozen yoghurt.
Engadget got the scoop via a conversation with Erick Tseng, Senior Product Manager of Android at Google. At the moment, there’s no idea how substantial an upgrade Froyo will be over v2.1 (a minor update of the Eclair release) or when we might expect it. Now I’m just wondering what they could use for the letter G…
The latest version of HTC Sync has been released, which updates the software to V2.0.18. The software is for HTC Magic, Hero & Tattoo smartphones.
The only major change I can see is that this update is now compatible with all versions of Windows 7. Still no sign of that Linux/MAC compatibility though.
There’s been a lot of buzz today surrounding the official launch of the Google Nexus One smartphone. As most of you know the Nexus One will be arriving with Android 2.1 in tow, this brings with it a host of new features. This includes some nice new additions to the Gmail application,
As we know that HTC Hero owners will be getting Android 2.1, we can all look forward to this upgrade at some point down the line. The list of new Gmail additions in Android 2.0 and 2.1 are as follows:
- Quick contact badge: Press the contact status icon within Gmail, and a handy box shows all of the ways you can reply to a contact — including email, chat, SMS, and Facebook.
- Voice input: Swipe the keyboard, then just speak to select contacts or write an email, complete with punctuation.
- Multiple Gmail accounts: Sync multiple accounts to the same device and switch between them without leaving the app.
- Undo: A handy ‘undo’ link makes it easier to retrieve messages when you hit archive or delete by mistake.
Check out a video demonstrating these new features after the break. [click to continue…]
The Desk Genie is an interesting mobile phone accessory. As the name suggests, the Desk Genie is a mobile phone holder that charges pretty much any mobile phone out there whilst also acting as a two-port USB hub and 8-in-1 card reader. It comes with a non-slip surface that holds your phone in one place.
MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the Desk Genie for us to review. The device costs £14.99. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe. Click through to read our impressions of this charging desk stand. [click to continue…]
Mugen Power, one of the most reliable third-party providers of mobile phone batteries, has listed a new high capacity 3200mAh battery for the Sprint HTC Hero. The 1800mAh extended battery was listed some time ago, but this new battery will give you over two times the capacity compared to the original Sprint Hero battery rated at 1500mAh.
Due to the size of the battery, it comes with a new battery door. It is available right now for $79.95 with free worldwide shipping. Mugen Power kindly sent us both extended batteries for the GSM HTC Hero, we hope to bring you our impressions on them shortly.
Following on from our last post regarding a possible new Sense UI from HTC, we now have some video evidence. The latest ROM build of HTC’s rumoured Espresso handset is caught running on a HTC Hero handset.
The translucent app icons didn’t seem to go down well, judging by your comments on the last post, and the sceptical amongst you won’t find anything in this video to change your minds. Other differences include a Call & Contacts button that is added to the app launcher bar at the bottom. We also noticed that that notification pane now has a ‘Recent’ section that details recently used apps.
Hopefully we’ll hear something official during CES on the new UI and exactly which handsets it’ll be hitting. Until then, check out the video after the break. [click to continue…]
The latest HTC Sense UI has been spotted from a leaked HTC Espresso ROM that was running on the HTC Hero handset. We’ve touched on the HTC Espresso before; rumours point to it being a QWERTY version of the HTC Hero. The new Sense overlay has translucent squares holding the app icons, you also now have a direct link to People (contacts),
Whether this new user interface will end up shipping on HTC Hero handsets with the Android 2.1 upgrade is unknown at this point. HTC may only be making exclusive to its new handsets (like the HTC Espresso). Certainly looks like an intriguing update, check out some larger screenshots after the break.
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There has been some confusion as to whether HTC Hero owners will be seeing the Android 2.0 (Éclair) or Android 2.1 (Flan) update when it eventually releases. However, Sprint has confirmed that the Sprint HTC Hero will get updated straight to Android 2.1.
This is likely to mean that European (GSM) HTC Hero owners will also see Android 2.1. HTC would have already done the hard work in updating the Sense UI to v2.1 so I’d very surprised if for some inexplicable reason they only released v2.0 for GSM owners. [click to continue…]
