HTC Hero Australian hands-on
By Joseph Hanlon on 21 July 2009
Our friends at CNET UK got their grimy mitts on the Hero a few weeks ago and showed us some of the core features of this upcoming Android handset. When we were offered a similar opportunity by HTC in Australia we decided to dig a little deeper to find some of the real innovations on offer.
We discovered that the most commonly used tools and apps have had a makeover on some level. Whether, like SMS and email, they have been converted to widget form, or have been overhauled, like address book contact entries. HTC has piled in all its great ideas from previous Android and Windows Mobile handset interfaces and the results are very exciting.
There's no fixed release date for the Hero at this stage — we've been told it will launch between now and October — so in the meantime, sit back and enjoy the show.
(Credit: CNET Australia)
Sense UI
HTC's Australian director of Sales and Marketing Anthony Petts explained that the core idea behind the new Sense UI is a central question, "Does it make sense?" HTC has developed dozens of widgets in an effort to remove unnecessary user interaction; tasks that may have required an app to execute may now feature as a live home screen widget.
Some widgets are location aware as well as being connected to the internet. The weather and time displayed on this screen will change to reflect the user's change of location or update after crossing a time zone.
Topics: android, google, hero, htc, mobile phone
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Comments (9)
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Stanul commented on 25/08/2009 15:47
I have a question.
I had a Magic on loan for one week.
I noticed 2 problems:
1) slow connection to my home WiFi although the device was registered on the network. From starting WiFi to connection could take 1,5 to 2 mins
2)After turning WiFi off the 3G icon was not coming back and there was no data connection unless I was turning Airplane mode On/Off.
Then I could get connection again.
Have called HTC and they told me to hard reset.
This didn’t solve the problem, but helped me to lose all data/programs.
Can you please confirm if Hero suffers from same problems?
Thank you. -
DarrenK commented on 18/08/2009 23:22
After having the Hero for the weekend and loving it! the only thing that annoys me about it is the button placement. I mean what dodgy Feng Shui consultant did they use because using that return button is seriously bad. I prefer the button layout of the Magic or at least for HTC to have swapped the search and return keys to make pressing it easier. Other than that I love this thing. Style wise it looks like nothing else and the Sense UI is a serious piece of work
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008Zulu commented on 18/08/2009 07:28
I know a guy who is the distribution manager at the Vodaphone store near where I live, I asked when the phone was coming out here and he said there was no release info for August or September. Might be we have to wait until October.
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zaid commented on 14/08/2009 12:28
this looks great. i love how customisable things are.
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Tak commented on 26/07/2009 22:43
This phone is ugly as sin, the colour sucks as bad as the design/shape. Yuck.
I'd take the touch HD over this trendy eyesore, no matter how good people think android is. -
callum commented on 23/07/2009 16:55
it was originally going to be released in july in UK but it was bumped back to august, there hasn't been any news about how this is going to affect australia's release date
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jerry commented on 21/07/2009 19:05
u said releasing between now n august.. isn't it releasing in london in august?
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Relztem commented on 21/07/2009 13:18
I want it all... I want it all... I want it all... and I want it NOW!
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