by Hero on October 12, 2009
Sprint finally released its chinless HTC Hero handset to the American market yesterday. However, most phone launches have one hiccup or another and there’s no exception here.
Some users are complaining that the Hero is not operating on Sprint’s fastest network (EVDO REV. A), but instead is on the slower EVDO REV. 0 network (especially for uploads). This is despite being in an EVDO REV. A area.
Are you affected? To find out, go to ‘Settings’, click on ‘About Phone’, then ‘Status’ and finally view ‘Mobile Network Type’. Hopefully, this issue can be fixed via a simple update and let’s hope Sprint gets round to it pretty soon.
Update: HTC has responded to this issue. They have said that the “status currently reads Rev 0 whether or not it is on Rev A”.
Via Engadget.
by Hero on October 12, 2009
One of the exciting new features to come out of the Donut release (v1.6) of Android is the Quick Search Box (QSB). This is effectively a self-learning system that will enable you to search the phones internet history and emails. The functions you access most often will move higher on the suggested items list.
The QSB will be available from the home screen and, in theory, should allow you to search what you are looking for by typing just a few characters. This one search box will cater for both web & phone content (including apps & browser history), all without opening the browser.
You can also use voice on the search box – tapping the microphone icon and speaking your query or the name of the person you want to call. That only works in English for now, though. Now all we need is for Donut to be released ASAP, hopefully there’s not too long to wait now. Check out a video demo of the QSB after the jump. [click to continue…]
by Hero on October 11, 2009
Today’s the day that all of you in the United States can officially get hold of the HTC Hero courtesy of Sprint. The Hero is available for $179 when buying it on contract or $479 when buying it off-contract. You can pick it up directly from Sprint or from Best Buy retail stores.
We now know that Sprint’s HTC Hero is pre-packed with Android 1.5 firmware, but hopefully it’s not too long before we all get the v1.6 (Donut) release. [click to continue…]
by Hero on October 9, 2009
Bluetooth is one of those features that can be a pretty important factor in mobile handsets. It allows you to transfer media (including pictures and music) to and from your laptop/desktop or even stream stereo music to a headset using A2DP (Advance Audio Distribution Profile). Many users now tether their cell phones to netbooks/laptops using Bluetooth, cementing just how important it can be.
However, Bluetooth doesn’t appear in every netbook/laptop/desktop. Using a USB Bluetooth dongle is one of the ways of getting Bluetooth onto your netbook and it’s a relatively inexpensive option. MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the Atomic Pico Bluetooth USB dongle for review. This particular dongle is the smallest in the world according to its manufacturers and costs £8.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe. [click to continue…]
by Hero on October 7, 2009
T-Mobile UK has finally gotten round to releasing the ROM update for the G2 Touch (HTC Hero) that most sim-free/Orange owners received weeks ago. The download will update your software ROM version to 2.73.61.5. This software update is not to be confused with the Android v1.6 (Donut) firmware update expected shortly.
This update improves the overall experience of the phone as well as adding touch focus functionality to the camera. The update has to be installed via the PC (no OTA update here I’m afraid), leaving Linux/Mac owners in the cold. Some people have reported missing paid apps from the Android Market though, so download at your own risk. The update can be downloaded from here.
by Hero on October 6, 2009
The HTC Hero has been named the Gadget of the Year in the 2009 Stuff Gadget Awards. The Hero beat off competition from the Apple iPhone 3GS to win the prestigious accolade. The smartphone was praised for its “innovative take on social networking, slick multi-touch interface and superior multimedia skills.
Stuff’s expert judge and Editor, Fraser Macdonald commented, “With the HTC Hero, we’ve finally got a phone that fully exploits the potential of the Android OS to be as clever and as sexy as the iPhone.”
Stuff Magazine celebrates the best consumer technology each year by hosting the Stuff Gadget Awards, which is collated by a panel of expert judges.
Via Daily Mail.
by Hero on October 6, 2009
Following on from the Sprint release of the HTC Hero in the United States, BoyGeniusReport has been tipped off that it will also be hitting Verizon in November.
The picture below shows Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, apparently holding Verizon’s version of the HTC Hero. If you look closely you can see the Verizon logo on the top of the handset. It also appears to be a slightly modified version of Sprint’s Hero, sporting touch-sensitive buttons. We’ll keep you posted on further developments.
Update: The original picture can be found from an official Verizon press release. [click to continue…]
by Hero on September 30, 2009
The Donut release (version 1.6) of Android is expected to be released during the month of October. It has already been released to devs and one such guy shot a nine-minute video overview of the latest improvements.
The new update improves both the camera and video recording and we even get the refreshed Android Market. Performance has also improved with smoother scrolling. You also get a quick search bar and a new battery indicator with v1.6. There’s no exact date as to when Donut will be released but we’ll keep you updated. Check out the video after the jump. [click to continue…]
by Hero on September 26, 2009
Popular gadgets normally get their own clone devices within a short time of release. Now the HTC Hero has its own knock-off called the TigerG3. Looking at the external design and button placement, there’s no question where the inspiration has come from. However, it does add a few features of its own including a front-facing camera, dual SIM card support and retractable DTV antenna.
It is also lighter at 107g (the original is 135g). There is also some marginal difference in dimensions too (TigerG3 is 113mm x 58mm x 13.5mm compared to the HTC Hero’s 112 mm x 56.2 mm x 14.35 m). This model includes the distinctive chin, although I’m sure some dodgy companies are hard at work on a Sprint HTC Hero clone too. It costs just $140 and also uses Android UI (I doubt you’ll get HTC Sense on this though). Check out some more pictures of the TigerG3 after the jump. [click to continue…]
by Hero on September 25, 2009
The HTC Hero recently received a software (ROM) update, improving the performance of the handset. However, the firmware version of Android remained at v1.5 (Cupcake). The next firmware update (v1.6 – codenamed Donut) will not be released until October. Sprint users will be happy to know that its HTC Hero handset will have v1.6 installed out of the box, according to Pocket-Lint.
The Donut release of Android contains a number of improvements including the following:
- Quick search box: Enables you to search internet history and emails. It’s a self-learning system.
- Battery indicator: Allows you to see which apps are draining the battery the most.
- Better display support: Applications can be rendered properly on different display resolutions.
- Camera improvements: Launching the camera will be 38% faster and the “gap” between shots will be 28% shorter.
- The gallery, camera and video camera UI is now integrated.
- Pico: Multi-lingual speech synthesis engine that allows any Android application to “speak” a string of text with an accent that matches the language.
Check out a demo video of Android v1.6’s main features after the break. [click to continue…]
by Hero on September 25, 2009
For those of you itching to know just exactly what you’ll get in the box, when Sprint’s HTC Hero launches on 11th October, then you’re in luck. Mobility Today has unboxed the handset from what is expected to be final retail packaging. The video gives you a very close look at the hardware and is well worth a watch.
We’ve also attached another video from Mobility Today that has a closer look at the HTC Sense UI. They will be publishing a number of other video overviews, so keep on eye on their YouTube profile if you’re interested. Check out both videos after the break. [click to continue…]
