Okay, I know that this is the HTC Hero Blog, but I couldn’t help but share my excitement in unboxing the company’s latest and greatest Desire smartphone. This little beauty comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset, 3.7-inch AMOLED display and Android 2.1.

In the video I also compare the Desire to the HTC Hero to give you an idea of size along with the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD that also sports a 3.7-inch OLED display. Initial impressions are that the handset feels lighter than expected and just as ergonomic as the HTC Hero. I haven’t had much time to play with the phone, but I can already appreciate its zippy processor.

Please let me know if you’d like me to cover more on the Desire in this blog in the comments below. Even if you have any other questions about the Desire I’ll try my best to answer them. Check out the video after the break.

Whilst we twiddle our fingers waiting for the Android 2.1 firmware , HTC are (hopefully) hard at work behind the scenes in making this a fully featured update. Part of the delay is caused by HTC customising the Sense user interface and integrating it with the new Android 2.1 firmware.

There may be the possibility that this new Sense interface will include multi-touch functionality within the HTC Hero’s homescreens. A video has emerged that shows that pinching the various homescreen panes allows you to zoom out to see all of the panes at a glance. It’s unclear if this will be in the official update or whether it’s some handiwork from a talented hacker. Hopefully, we’ll have more details at next weeks MWC show in Barcelona. Click through for the video.

Via Engadget.

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.

Via Gizmodo.

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.

Thanks Peter!

The Android 2.1 ROM was leaked yesterday and a video demo has already popped up, courtesy of AvianAzn. As you can tell, the Sense UI looks largely unchanged, albeit laggier than normal. Click through for a taste on what you can expect once the official update is released.

The Nexxus DriveMultiSolar is a well built solar-powered Bluetooth car kit. The advantages that solar power brings are numerous. This includes longer talk and standby time, as well as having no cables trawling over your dashboard. As is hinted by the name, the device also comes with a multi-point connection, allowing you to connect two mobiles.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the DriveMultiSolar for us to review. The device is also known as the Clip and Talk Solar Edition according to the retailer and costs £29.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

It utilizes the latest Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR standard so you shouldn’t have any issues with compatibility. This standard also enables better security and automatic pairing compared to Bluetooth 2.0.

The ‘ecological’ message of using a solar-powered device is emphasized on the side of the packaging. Whilst solar power can’t be used in a lot of gadgets, this is one area where it works beautifully – especially considering many will keep it attached to the underside of the car windscreen (solar panel facing skywards).

Other features include a noise cancelling omni-directional microphone. The 16-bit digital signal processor (DSP) the Solar Car-Kit filters the surrounding noise and reduces the echo of your own voice. You also get Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology that enables the device to announce an incoming callers name or phone number.

There are a number of accessories included in the box, including the DriveMultiSolar Bluetooth speakerphone, in-car charger, USB charging cable, windscreen mount/bracket with suction cups and user manual.

Nexxus has included a reasonably detailed manual for the DriveMultiSolar. This covers how to install the mount as well as thorough instructions on how to pair & sync the Bluetooth device with your phone.

Nexxus has covered every base in terms of the accessories provided, they even include a couple of extra rubber mounts, just in case the old ones degrade.

The car charger is designed for convenience of use. It includes a round grip that makes it easy to plug in & out of the car. The charger voltage is DC5.0V 550 mAh. The DriveMultiSolar takes around three hours to charge directly.

The charger has a modular approach, which means you won’t find it attached with a cable that can be messy when stored. It simply has a USB port at the back that is used to attach a USB cable when needed. The fact that these USB cables are easy to source, means it should last a long time if the cable malfunctions.

Lastly, we have the obligatory LED that lets us know if the charger is attached corrected. The thumb grips can be seen on the side.

Nexxus includes a USB to Micro USB cable in the box. This means you can use it to charge the DriveMultiSolar from both the car and PC/laptop.

The windscreen mount is made out of tough clear plastic and includes two rubber suction cups on the top and bottom. Foam buffers adorn the corners of the bracket to stop it scratching the windscreen.

Nexxus were also thoughtful enough to include two extra rubber suction cups, just incase the others get lost or damaged.

The DriveMultiSolar uses Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) that operates on the 2.4 GHz – 2.48 GHz unlicensed ISM frequency band. It is designed to work up to 10 metres, which shouldn’t be in issue given that it will be used in a car. The DriveMultiSolar can store up to eight paired devices in its memory. It also supports headset and handset 1.5 profiles.

The design of the device has been well thought out. A large button at the top is used to answer/end a call, power the device on/off, put it into pairing mode, redial the last number called and activates voice dialing. As you can probably tell, this key has quite a few functions, which are all well explained in the manual. To start using the device you have to keep this button pressed for about four seconds until you hear a short beep and the blue LED flashes five times.

Underneath this is a silver rocker bar that is used to increase/decrease speaker volume. The whole thing is quite small and has dimensions of 92.5 x 54 x 15.5 mm.

The mute button sits to the left of the device and the USB charging port sits on the right. Before using for the first time, you are recommended to fully charge the device from the USB port (either through the car charger or PC).

A large solar panel occupies most of the backside of the DriveMultiSolar. Nexxus has used as much space as possible to ensure that the most amount of light is captured.

The DriveMultiSolar uses a 650mAh lithium-ion battery. It takes around three hours to charge via USB or 18 hours via the solar panel. Once fully charged, the device is quoted to give you up to 13 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby time (excluding solar use).

I’ve been testing it for a fortnight and the battery is still going strong. However, I’m a light user when it comes to making calls in the car and it would be interesting to see how well the solar power could supplement the battery for more heavy users. For reference, a 2-hour solar charge will give you around 1 hour of talk time.

The car kit is easily attached to the windscreen via the rubber suction cups. Installation is a breeze and to be honest once it has been set up, there’s probably no need to remove it. It’s best to place it out of sight, it is recommended to place it towards the top edge of the windscreen.

To pair the kit to the phone you need to put the device into pairing mode by turning the kit off and then pressing and holding the answer button for about 10 seconds until the lights flashed red and blue. You then need to search on your phone for Bluetooth devices and select the Bluetooth car kit.

The car kit also supports multipoint technology, enabling you to connect two phones at a time. You first need to enable multipoint by pressing and hold the + button for about 3 seconds. As long as both phones are in range, it will then connect with the last two phones that it had connected to previously. When a call comes through to either of the handsets, the kit automatically connects to the phone that’s ringing and route it through the speaker.

In practice this worked very well, picking up calls separately and I was even able to make outgoing calls easily too. Personally I only carry one handset at a time, but there are plenty of people that have one business and one personal handset.

The DriveMultiSolar has a 2 Watt speaker that should be loud enough to hear the other person whilst driving. Testing it around the local roads was no problem, however I didn’t get a chance to see how it would fare on the motorway at higher speeds or in bad weather conditions (wind, rain etc). In all the calls I made, the Bluetooth signal held together and didn’t experience any dropouts.

Overall, I was very impressed by the DriveMultiSolar car kit. Use of a solar panel fits perfectly with this type of device. The fact that for most users you’ll probably never need to charge the kit speaks volumes. It can just sit on your windscreen to make calls whilst on the move, both safely and legally. Pairing was easy and call quality was good. For just £29.95 it offers great value for money too. Recommended.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this Bluetooth car kit for review!

Okay, this is technically two Heroes (European HTC Hero & Sprint HTC Hero) plus the Droid Eris. We’ve already discussed how the latter is so similar to Sprint’s HTC Hero, which is why we took some liberties with the title!

Despite the design differences, underneath the hood the handsets are mostly very similar. Engadget pitted all three handsets against each other in a comparison video. There’s not too much new information here, but it’s interesting to see all mobiles side-by-side. It’s probably useful for our US readers, trying to decide between Sprint HTC Hero and Verizon Droid Eris offerings. Check out the video after the cut.

Today we are reviewing the official desktop cradle for the HTC Hero handset. Cradles are one of those accessories that some people like to have and some don’t. They are certainly not necessary since most cradles only do as much as charge your device. This can often easily be achieved by connecting a USB cable, however, cradles do add order to a desk and some are rather stylish, much like the HTC CR G300 desktop cradle we’re looking at today.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the cradle for us to review. The cradle is actually designed to work with a number of HTC handsets including the Touch Pro, Touch Diamond and Magic and costs £29.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

The cradle can not only be used for charging or syncing your HTC Hero, but it also has a 3.5mm line out that you can use to connect to some speakers and play music with.

Apart from the cradle itself, inside the box you will find device inserts that fit various HTC phones as well as some documentation.

What you won’t find however is a USB cable to connect it to your PC. This is a ridiculous decision on HTC’s part. It means you either have to use the cable currently used in your plug adaptor or buy a new one. Given that this is a relatively premium product (compared to other cradles), it’s a bit tight of HTC not to include a USB cable in the box. I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes to use a cradle as well as a plug to charge my mobile products!

A few pieces of documentation accompanies the cradle, this includes a quick manual, warranty booklet and HTC accessory product leaflet.

Assembly is all quite straightforward, but for those that need a hand the manual gives very clear instructions.

The cradle comes with five different device handsets, each one is designed to fit a different HTC handset. Whilst, it is nice to see the cradle support so many handsets, we would have appreciated some kind of label on each insert telling us exactly which one fits each phone. As it was, we had to find the right one through trial and error.

The cradle comes in a glossy black plastic finish and it certainly looks very sleek and would be a welcome addition on most desktops.

The bottom has rubber feet to much sure it doesn’t slip once placed on a desk. The bottom comes in a matte plastic and the sharp lines exist on the bottom too.

You will only find two ports on the bottom of the cradle, one is the USB port to connect the Hero and the other is a 3.5mm line out to connect the cradle to a music system.

In terms of the charging and syncing functionality it works just as well as it does via the USB cable. The audio line out also works well with good sound reproduction. There’s no denying it’s a very sexy cradle and the minimalist design really suits the Hero handset. It’s certainly not cheap and we were surprised to not see a USB cable in the box, especially given its premium pricing. However, if these issues don’t bother you then it comes recommended, mainly for its very classy looks.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this desktop cradle for review!

Update: A few readers were curious to know how much room there is in the cradle for cases. We have included a few extra pictures below that shows there is no extra room at all. You’ll have to remove any case to use this cradle I’m afraid.

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.

Via Engadget.

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.