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HTC Hero - Few days usage - outcome



rctempire

ClioSport Moderator
Got the HTC Hero from Orange on a good deal, so Android.

HTC-hero.jpg




Interesting, since ive moved from 5 Windows Mobiles Phones, heres a boring list of phones since i was young
Nokia 3210, Nokia 8210 (x5) (idiot), SPV C500, SPV C550, SPV C600, SPV M5000, SPV M500, HTC Touch Dual & HTC Touch (Both ran at the same time) and now the HTC Hero.

Boring progression i find, but since ive moved to android, i am not so sure if i love it yet, or want windows mobile again.

A few things are taking a bit to get used to, such as texting with this new touch interface keyboard. Very iphone like, but pretty accurate, i do recommend calibrating the phone touches, as it is alot faster since i did this.

The size of the phone is perfect, not as chunky as a PDA, but still smaller than a Iphone, fits in the hand perfectly.
Seems a good weight for me, isnt that light, so i wont throw it about, and seems robust. The Chin on the phone makes it more comfortable with buttons in reach of the thumbs, making me a happy man.

Phonecalls, seems very easy, press phone, a huge keypad comes up, perfect, non of this tiny press me buttons, big lovely buttons, readable too. So i was happy typing names, numbers, quick lists etc. Excellent sound too, and i like the vibrate when the person picks up, very cool. The picture is still the wee android man, so ill figure out how to change that later on. But very good for me.

Weather part is good, i was used to this on the HTC Touch, but the new weather is quite funky, with different destinations, oh and it has Glasgow, none of this Edinburgh crap like the last one. I like the windscreen wiper on the rain parts.

Texting is a bit boring actually, i liked the full menu i had on the WM phones with Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox, Sent Items and Outbox. I cannot find these in the default interface, so maybe another program will help. But so far the texts have been grouped in one person if your texting them, and listed like a wee converstation, not like the iphone speeches, but a list of texts. Seems simple and effective.
If you miss a text or dont hear the phone, the trackball in the middle pulses white until you look at the phone, it has come in pretty handy

MMS is a bit rubbish ive found, but looked around and found a good article for HTC HERO stuff, it suggests alternatives, which i havent tried yet, but will be looking into.

http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/20511-htc-hero-tips-tricks-useful-apps.html
Which is a godsend, excellent choices and im using quite a few of them now.

The Android market is a bit of a App store rip off, but what else is going to happen now that it seems to be the way forward. Some apps are paid for, as usual, but i like the try for 1 day, if you dont like it uninstall it, and they refund you. Quality idea, but i feel a week is more like the trial period for applications.

Next item is the syncing from your PC to the phone. I was used to plugging in the phone, activesync poping up, and away you go. Oh no no no says Mr Google. You have to use HTC Sync, the most pointless program ever. Not only is it required to sync data from Windows Mail, Outlook and such like, it has to be installed from the SD card of the phone. Wait? I have to install it from the phone? Give me a download off the internet! Not off the phone. Pointless. So i was looking around for updates, which can be found, off the HTC site, with a bit of digging. So updated and away we go.
Syncing data is quite easy, however i have noticed you get groups now on this Android, so i havent tested the groups from outlook into the phone, just the android to the pc.
So i now have 2 lots of ClioSport.Net contacts on my outlook. Pointless. YES.
So mild rage over, im ok with it, until i figure out if i can create the group in outlook, or just in the phone only.

Next thing is this agreement that google will follow your phones movements for data purposes. I feel im giving alot of freedom up by doing that! Why should they want to know where im walking, or where i live?
I am unsure if apples T&C says that, but i read some of the Android and it does, bloody hell is scary what you actually do allow them to have.

So all apps basically use Data over the air at one point in time, so wireless slider will be on in every place i visit that i can get WAN access. Save me on the data crap i need. Which is a huge drain on the battery ive found, but i need BT and Wireless on all the time for when i dive from house to car, car to work etc. But i reckon ill turn off wireless and BT when im just in the office normally. Have to see.

I initially set GMail up on the phone, but took that off, as i hardly use it, so no point in using it. I may set Exchange up on it, but ive got a work phone for that, so have to see how this week in the office goes.

The camera is a HUGE benefit from the old HTCs, most had 1.2 or 2.1 MP cameras, with no light etc. Which always made the pics crap, so im glad this one is upgraded to 5MP, still no light, but ahh well. Its very shaky, or thats my hands as it takes and is slightly blurry, but ive read how to change that, as its very accurate. I would say even more so than the IPhone cameras ive tried.
Barcode reader isnt new, but is new to me. Its a life saver too, quick snap on screen and away i go to a site, its excellent in terms of that.

There isnt so many down falls as i thought, but it is a BIG change for me, especially not having a keypad. All touch is hard to get used to, but i reckon ill get there.
Im sure im missing most of the functionallity of the phone at the moment, but im sure ill find out more this week.

Anyone got any Android Apps they use all the time etc that i could benefit from?

This may not appeal to people, but its just a quick wee list of things ive noticed so far.
 
  BMW e46 320 Ci Sport
i found the hero sluggish with a poor battery. more excited about the nexus one out today.
 
  Clio200 EDC Lux
I have had my hero for 2 weeks now its a great bit of kit, only prob so far is it won't sync on win 7 ultimate for some reason.
 


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