Sprint HTC Hero Hands On Part 1

[starbucksisblessing]

Holy crap! You're my biggest hero! :3

[JustinBieberFever888]

So my only two choices right now are the HTC Hero or the Motorola Milestone. Which one would be my best bet? I don't have any other options because my new service provider sucks for phones. Help? :D

[Kev50027]

@JustinBieberFever888 Ouch. Both phones are 2 years old now. I would go with the Milestone. I did a review of it as well (called the Motorola Droid in the US). It has a faster processor, bigger, higher resolution screen, a real keyboard, better battery life, and in the US it ran vanilla Android, which meant it was great for rooting and putting a custom ROM on. Still, you sure there aren't phones from say.. this year available?

[JustinBieberFever888]

@Kev50027 Other than a Blackberry positive there aren't any newer ones and it sucks I've been looking forward to getting the Nexus 1 but now we changed service providers.

And also I can't get a Blackberry anyways because my parents dont wanna get me one so it's between those two :\

[Kev50027]

@JustinBieberFever888 The Milestone isn't a bad phone, it's good for texting and surfing the web.

You could always get an unlocked phone, but they are quite pricey.

[alienroot]

Have you tried youtube on it?...does it play videos?

[Kev50027]

@alienroot Yes, it plays videos just fine. Keep in mind this video is nearly 2 years old, as is the phone, so I wouldn't recommend this phone anymore. There are much faster, better phones out now.

[ENIMSAJSM]

If it is Wi-Fi does it mean the internet is free where ever there is a router/internet server

[romanj18]

@ENIMSAJSM well if you get it on sprint it should be free internet wherever, but yeah

[Guitar4life97]

just ordered mine on amazon yesterday and i CANT WAIT!!!!

[romanj18]

@Guitar4life97 how is it?

[wuutisup]

should i get the htc hero, samsung finesse or the samsung messager touch?

[Kev50027]

@wuutisup Are those your only 3 options? The HTC Hero is out of date now, and there are far faster and better Android phones out there. If you want a keyboard, the Samsung phones will work better, but I swapped the Hero for a Droid and like it much more. If you can get a better Android phone I would recommend it.

[wuutisup]

@Kev50027 my carrier is cellcom....i dont mind them but they only have a limited amount of devices which i dont like....the newest phone is probably the HTC touch pro 2 so i dont kno wat you think of that phone?

[AlexSmash100]

this phone is quite sexy.

[MrFabreez]

talk louder

[red2jd]

thank u...everybody knows att suck balls...sprint is better and the hero is da same as the iphone and it doesnt cost as much

[poll0011]

i love this phone im getting tomorow

[Fruitcakes345]

I'm getting this phone for my birthday!! Yay!! Up until now I've had the original Rumor

[drzbigpitbull19]

wow bummer i had a bad expierence with apple too

[MrBobolobo]

great phone((((((;;

[pppaullll]

what is better this or normal hero what is the diffrence

[popcornymom]

he he now i know that this guy lives in cincinnate.

[cpm537]

att is awful go verizon

[thebossmanz]

can u music tommorrow

[cmillymillmill]

let me know if there is a way to get a free htc hero in the cleveland ohio are

[datdudeml23]

This was more of an iphone comparison than an actual review of the hero it self

but was helpful

[luigirules1212]

hey i might get the phone.. but i have a question.

is the internet wi-fi?

[Kev50027]

Yes, the Hero has wi-fi, as well as 3G internet access.

[theblur24]

@luigirules1212 it is also a have to for the hero for $15 extra a month for data if u want the fone u have to pay $15 extra a month who cares though it aient bad and im gettin it too and its an amazing phone!!

[butcher669]

should i get this fone?

[ghettobabyboi]

i have the hero by far the best device i have ever had.. i actually work for sprint its a pretty good device... with all the apps you can download which a lot of them are free.... the customization surpasses the iphone its just wow

[1rewd1]

The Sprinty Hero is an ugly little creature, looks like the control panel on my blender.

Too bad, fail.

NEXT!

[Kev50027]

The Sprinty Hero? You have a control panel on your blender with a capacitive touch screen and a scroll ball that runs Android? Also, I think your name fits you, you are rude, and you have bad taste in phone style :-)

[1rewd1]

No, my blender does not have those technical wonders and it's looks pretty much reflect that.

The Sprinty Hero, however, does and it's design should be just as cutting edge. The new, so called "Google Phone" has the same problem ... poor hardware aesthetics.

Thank you for help making my case.

LOVE YOU!

[Kev50027]

@1rewd1 First, there is no such thing as a "sprinty hero", second, could you show me a phone that has good hardware aesthetics? After using the Hero for a month, I must say it fit into my hand better than the iPhone, and was far better designed with nicer materials and a better overall feel. Comparatively, the iPhone is garbage with it's cheap feeling scratch and fingerprint magnet plastic back, and it's too large to hold in the hand comfortably.

[krazokevin]

Agreed, I look at functionality over  form and shape. What good do you get out of a phone that's not reliable. Its simple just like the iPhone but the hero doesn't attract finger prints like its made out of tape. All phones are different and for that reason select different audiences.

[nazo7]

Ha i agree!!! his really rude, and wit bad taste! ha this phone is LEGIT!

[XdistantXskylineX]

Its a shame there are immature little shits on here, like you.. This phone, im sure, is much better than your own..

[KidReTro1028]

How to get internet on this Phone ive been trying for 2 days now. Sunthing bout turn off Wi fi and Turn on mobile network but after that im stuck :(

[Kev50027]

Internet? If you got the phone from Sprint, you had to get a data plan, so as long as you have a cell signal, you should be able to surf the web on the browser.

[MrTutubongo]

does this cell got flash on the camra

[antissageecuzz]

No, its a 5.0 megapixel camera however no flash.

[Frogeta101]

Thank You Lots Im Getting The Phone Soon You Just Made My Choice Much More Better I Was Going To Get The Moment But Now I Want Tha Hero

[Frogeta101]

Sorry One More Thing Can It Multitask like Can You Be On The Internet And Get A Text And Get Out Of It And Go Right Back To It?

[Kev50027]

Yes, Android running phones can multitask, running as many programs as you want.. I have had my Hero running up to 15 programs at a time.

[Frogeta101]

Okay One More Thing Lol Okay You Said It Can Download From The Internet What Kinda Video Formats Can I Download From The Web (Such As Wmv Avi Mpg) Or Do I Need To Download a App To Play Those Kinds Of Format

[Frogeta101]

Another Thing Can You Download Music Or Videos Free To The HERO from The Internet Cause i can do it with my Diamond and i just wanted to know if it can do that

[Kev50027]

Since it has wifi, you're free to download anything you like.

[Frogeta101]

I Just Want To Know Before I Get It.. Can You text in With A Phone Display Insted Of The full Keyboard Because I Have The HTC Touch Diamond and it gives me that option Please i Hope It Does because i won't get it just because of that

[Kev50027]

Yeah, you can text using T9 on the touch screen, but I prefer the compact QWERTY.

[whos56]

what kind of touch screen is the hero?

[Kev50027]

It uses a capacitive touch screen, not a resistive screen, so it will register fingers, and you will never need a stylus.

[crucialroots]

will i be able to change that smokey looking background picture?

[Kev50027]

Yes, you can change the background

[zanna467]

does anyone knowo wat the price of this phone is with an upgrad?

[MrVante1991]

thats a sexy phone

[ZhooMan]

Does it have autocorrect feature in typing on other languages as Russian for ex.?

[Kev50027]

I'm not sure about that.

[superbad786]

awesome vid..taht part about the clock widget...hilarious.

[lowspeed]

Hey i'm curious ... did you calibrate the keyboard ?

[Kev50027]

Yes, I did. It didn't seem to help too much though.

[lowspeed]

Say what camera did you use to record this ?

[Kev50027]

I used the Kodak Zi8, which is amazing.

[lowspeed]

Yea i agree... very nice quality.

[likensav]

lmfao "idk wat the hell that is but...." that shit was hilarious good work dude

[iamkyle4sure]

i have had an iphone that is a great phone, pre witch i liked to start with but decided i dont like it or palm period, and a hero. the hero is the shit. its just as good as the iphone. pre just doesent hold a candle to these phones

[NTEZ4322]

have you used a palm pre if so, hero better or worse

[Kev50027]

Not much, but I preferred the Hero.

[kbudi92]

i have an iphone too

how did the wifi fail??

[MisterBaz1]

A lot of people are having the WiFi radio fail in their iPhone. You can easily get it replaced as long as it is under warranty.

[Kev50027]

I did get it replaced, but then the cell phone radio failed, and then the phone turned off randomly.. I was sick of it, as well as AT&T's constant dropped calls. Sprint is way better.

[magentafeelings]

ur videos are going on my facebook profile..

[magentafeelings]

and twitter too

[magentafeelings]

you are patiently answering all the questions....awesome....keep up the good work

[Kev50027]

Thanks magentafeelings, I appreciate your compliment! Hope you have a great week, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

[magentafeelings]

u r welcome...

by the way my name is Sree

[Electronlight]

OK, since I'm looking for a decent multimedia phone, two of the biggest questions (for me anyway) are these:

1. How is the video playback? Can you put a movie on the microSD card and try the playback option. Does it studder? Is it smooth?

2. How is the music quality (dynamic range, bass, etc.) through a decent set of earphones?

Thanks for a really practical review Kev. Very much appreciated.

[Electronlight]

Oops. I just noticed you already covered the music quality question in you other video. Guess the video playback question is the only thing left for me before taking the plunge. I will be getting 3 phones for a new 3-line family unlimited plan, so I want to make the right choice.

Excellent videos! Thanks.

[Kev50027]

I must say, I just got the Motorola Droid, and the sound quality is FAR superior to both the iPhone and Hero. If you are looking for a music phone, you can't beat one that comes with a 16 GB memory card and has great sound quality.

The Droid is ever so slightly bass heavy, but it's so much crisper than the iPhone or Hero. It's comparable to Sony mp3 players.

[dodgeramo2]

so you went from ATT to Sprint..but then to verizon..lol the droid specs ARE VERY GOOD..BUT man the phone is ugly as hell...

[Kev50027]

Nah, I think the Droid is very stylish. It doesn't fit in your hand as well as the Hero, but it has a style of its own, and doesn't bother copying anything else.

[Kev50027]

The major drawback of Android is the lack of a video program. You can download programs that do video, but I haven't gotten a chance to try them out yet. As stated in the comments on the other video, sound quality is good, not perfect, but good. Video playback from the web is great, while youtube has a slow framerate. Google is working on getting video into Android, so expect to see it within a few months most likely. Right now your only option is 3rd party programs.

[ramos928]

I just got this phone and I am very impressed with it.

[rand5190]

Since you have already been using the iphone, do you miss the proximity sensor? Any problem without it?? Also lots of online reviews have said the hero is slow and laggy... As a real world user, how do you rate the hero's speed so far Any laggy-ness? Gr8 hands on review......Thanks

[Kev50027]

The only thing I miss about the proximity sensor is the "cool" factor. I have not once pushed a button accidentally on a call, so it's unneeded really. The only nice thing about having one is that the second you take the phone away from your face the screen will come on again, while on the Hero to end a call you must press the "end" key twice. The Hero is not slow or laggy at all, it's not as smooth at scrolling as the iPhone, but it's certainly not slow by any means.

[Kev50027]

Also, turning on the animations makes the phone feel a lot more modern. In many other reviews they left animations off, and the Hero comes off looking jittery and slow. This is not my experience with it, it's certainly a fast phone, and I constantly discover new features. Today I found you can snip a song and create a ringtone right on the phone! Beats fiddling with times on iTunes for 10 minutes for a 40 second tone, or lord forbid paying any money to Apple for a song you already own!

[rodneycubed]

+5

Thanks for taking the time to up this video.

[antonioromeromario]

Hey does any one notice that his phone does like that sliding window effect when he opens programs and in other reviews of this phone theres dont does any one no y!!!!

[Kev50027]

Yes, for some reason the phone comes with screen transition animations turned OFF. I found it in the display settings and turned them on, since they are pleasing to the eye, and make the phone feel quicker.

I honestly wonder why they delivered it with that setting off, since it improves the polish of the GUI by a great margin, and doesn't slow the phone down at all.

[magentafeelings]

5 * for you!!