HTC Hero

HTC Hero


The HTC Hero is going to be Sprint's first model running Google's Android OS. It will have a tablet shape with an HVGA touchscreen, wireless broadband, and Wi-Fi.

Google Android OSSprint's version is similar in many ways to the European version I reviewed recently, but there are some notable differences/improvements in hardware and software.

It will be available from Sprint on October 11 for $180 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year service agreement.

DESIGN & BUILD

The European edition of the HTC Hero has a protruding "chin" on the bottom of the device, while the Sprint version is a standard bar-style phone. I must say that I like this version better; it is simply more pocketable and comfortable to hold. It doesn't stand out from the crowd so much in an aesthetic sense, but it's streamlined and modern. It's roughly the same length as my iPod Touch, but much narrower, and it feels good in the hand. It is heavier than the Touch, but not unbearably so, and feels very solid.

The controls are very minimal indeed. On the left side you'll find the volume up and down buttons, and that's it aside from the sync/charge port on the bottom of the phone. There are two very small Call and Disconnect buttons on the front panel, underneath the screen. The first couple of days I had a really hard time with them, because they were just too tiny to hit without really thinking about it, but now I'm not having any issues with them.

The other controls such as Menu, Home, Search, and Back, are pressure sensitive and not actual buttons at all, but I didn't have any problems with them.

The trackball is larger than the European Hero, and a little looser. My control wasn't quite as tight and precise as on the other version, but this one is a bit faster to use since there's more "play" before you have to reposition your finger to keep rolling.

The microSD slot is underneath the back cover of the phone, but thankfully it isn't hidden under the battery so you can change it out on the go if necessary.

The headphone jack does accept standard headphones, which is great -- I really don't like being forced to purchase a special headset or an adapter just to listen to my music.

Display
The HVGA screen really is the star of the show here, and it's gorgeous. At 3.2 inches, there's plenty of real estate to play with here, and the colors are bright and vivid. Video looks great too, without any ghosting issues.

I found it to be very responsive to my touch, requiring only a light press of the fingers instead of heavy duty mashing. It also supports some multi-touch gestures, such as a pinch to make the text larger or smaller when you're browsing the web.

Keyboard
The virtual keyboard is the one aspect of the HTC Hero that I can't praise unconditionally. It works, and I like the feedback I get when I touch each key, but I wish that the keys were larger and easier to use. Even after practicing quite a bit, I still need to look at the screen when I'm entering text to make sure that the input is accurate.

I'm sure that if I had more time with the device that would improve, but right now the text entry experience just isn't as good on the Hero as it is for me on the iPod Touch. It's better than the virtual keyboard on many other devices, but not a perfect experience.

PERFORMANCE

The HTC Hero comes with Android 1.5, but it has some special enhancements exclusive to this device. For starters it has seven panels on the start screen instead of just three, which means that you can set up different panels for all of your most-used functions, from the calendar and music player to Twitter, e-mail, web browsing and weather. You can access each one with a flick of your finger, and if you give it a little thought when you first set everything up, you may find that you never need to look at the application list in order to launch a program.

Another special addition is Scenes, which allows you to customize various layouts for your device such as Social, Work, etc. The Work scene customizes everything at the press of a button, putting your calendar and a world clock front and center, with the next panel containing a small weather widget in addition to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi settings, then your corporate Exchange account, and then the stock report. Choose the Play scene and you'll see your music player, photo album, Twitter account and web bookmarks. You can create your own scenes, starting from one of the pre-built versions or from a Clean Slate that allows you to start from scratch.

Wireless/Call Quality
This can sometimes be a sticking point for me; many smartphones are fabulous at keeping you connected and online, but don't do so well when you actually need to place a phone call. This is one area in which Sprint's version of the HTC Hero truly shines: the voice quality is phenomenal.

Even in my office, which is virtually a black hole as far as cell signals are concerned, my test callers said that they could barely tell that I was using a mobile phone. On both sides of the conversation, everything came through loud and clear. Results outside in noisier environments were almost as good, with very little interference from background noise and wind.

Other wireless options include both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and both of those functions worked perfectly during my testing.

Productivity
The HTC Hero has full support for Microsoft Exchange, and it works perfectly. When you first set it up you can choose to sync email, calendar, and contacts. Attachments work just great, though you do have to go through the extra step of tapping on them and downloading them -- it doesn't happen automatically, even if they're just 1-2K in size. Some non-supported attachment types, such as HTML files, can only be saved to an SD card, while supported types such as Word and Excel documents can be opened from within the mail application or saved to your SD card.

QuickOffice is included with this device, and it's a great document viewer You can't edit Excel files, but you're probably not planning to do any heavy duty work on a smartphone anyway, so it's not a great loss. There's also a PDF viewer, so no matter what type of attachments you get on you Exchange accounts, you'll have the basics covered when you're on the road with the Sprint Hero.

The web browser is a joy to use, and very intelligent -- the text of the page appears quickly, so that you can get right into finding what you need/reading articles even before all of the graphics finish loading. I'm sure the Hero's EV-DO mobile broadband help out here. Scrolling is smooth as silk and very fast. You can use the trackball to jump from link to link if you like, and it serves as a quick guide that helps you quickly move through the content on busy pages.

Sprint Navigation is another winner, with clear maps, easy-to-use directions, and very quick location. Some GPS navigation apps seem to take forever to locate you, or don't do so very accurately, but I was very pleased with the performance of this device and application.

Entertainment
The Hero's music player works well, and I really like the cover flow-like view that shows off album art nicely for the track that's currently playing as well as the previous and next tracks. The controls are larger and easy to hit with your finger, and the sound quality, while better with headphones, is adequate with the external speaker, and plenty loud.

The Amazon MP3 store deserves special mention here as well. One thing I really appreciate with my iPod touch is just how easy it is to shop for new music on the go, and no other device has come anywhere near duplicating that experience... until now. You can browse the top 100 albums or tracks, browse by genre, or search for specific songs or artists. Tap a song title to hear a 30 second preview, or purchase it with just one click once you've entered your Amazon.com account information. It's easy and quick and a nice alternative to the iTunes store.

I spent quite a bit of time playing around with NFL Mobile, and I really got a lot out of the application, even though I'm not a football fan. It's well organized, offering quick access to news and highlights, and there's even a ticker running at the bottom of the screen for the latest headlines. When you first start the application you're asked to pick your favorite team, which then becomes a tab for quick access. NFL Mobile doesn't have a great depth of content, but if you want to keep up with basic scores and highlights on the go it does a good job of keeping you informed.

Other entertainment options include Sprint NASCAR Mobile (which is similar in many ways to NFL Mobile), Sprint TV, and a YouTube viewer, all of which work flawlessly. Video quality is very good, and everything works exactly as you would expect.

Camera
The 5-megapixel camera takes nice shots, but the quality isn't absolutely earth shattering. Photos come through crisp and clear, but the colors don't seem to be very well saturated. I should note that I took my sample photos on a relatively cloudy day, so it could be that the problem is more with the conditions than with the camera itself.

I really appreciate the zoom function, which is much better than what is typically found on mobile phones these days, though I did have to bump up to ISO 800 in order to get clear shots when using the zoom.

The sample photo included with this review was taken from the street of a house that was set very far back from the road -- the shot wouldn't have been possible without the good quality zoom feature.

Battery Life
Battery life is quite good; even with a lot of web surfing and network access I was only down about halfway by the end of the day, with some of that usage in an area with poor signal strength.

The Sprint version of the HTC Hero has a larger 1500 mAh battery than its European cousin, which is great for road warriors and heavy users. The device also charges up wicked fast, in just over an hour from a roughly 25% charge when I plugged it into the charger.

The power brick is relatively large, but extremely light, and it has folding prongs for simple storage in your travel bag. It works in conjunction with the USB cable that comes with your phone, so if you're traveling with a laptop you could leave it at home and just take the cable for use with your computer.

CONCLUSION

It will be hard not to gush here, because I really have enjoyed using the HTC Hero over the past couple of weeks. Everything just works, and is highly customizable, which is a real plus.

It may sound like a small thing, but the customizable panels on the start screen have really streamlined my user experience. Instead of trying to squint at a menu full of applications, I can pull out the ones that matter most and have instant access to them with a minimum of fuss. Depending on the widget styles you choose, you can see your latest emails and Twitter updates right there on the screen, since they regularly update. When you consider how often you check those sorts of things, that can save you a lot of time.

I know that there are many folks who are very attached to their iPhones, but there are some great alternatives out there. The HTC Hero is one of them, and if you want a great user experience in a sleek, durable device with great battery life and superior voice quality, take a close look at the Sprint HTC Hero.


Pros:

* Superior voice quality
* Microsoft Exchange support
* 5-megapixel camera

Cons:

* Virtual keyboard somewhat finicky at first, but practice makes perfect

Editor's Rating: Excellent

Source: http://www.brighthand.com/

AT&T Pure

AT&T Pure


The AT&T Pure is this carrier's version of the HTC Touch Diamond2 -- one of the premier touchscreen-oriented Windows phones on the market today.

It will have a high-resolution touchscreen, mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, GPS, and the very latest version of Microsoft's operating system for smartphones.

The AT&T Pure has just launched at $150 with a two-year service contract of at least $70 per month, and a $50 mail-in rebate.


DESIGN & BUILD
The Pure has a simple tablet shape that's centered around its 3.2-inch WVGA touchscreen. It's a relatively small device that's long and thin.

It's that thin shape that makes it easy to use with one hand; holding it in your palm while tapping on items on the screen is a breeze.

And at just 4.25 inches tall, 2.1 inches wide, 0.5 inches thick, and 4.15 ounces, it rides well in a pocket.

Display
The Pure has a larger screen than the original HTC Touch Diamond, but it's not as big as the one that will be on the AT&T Tilt 2, a similar Windows phone with a built-in keyboard coming later this month. I think bigger screens are always better, but the Pure's is a good size.

One of Microsoft's goals is to make devices running Windows Mobile 6.5 easier to use with a fingertip, rather than a stylus. The device's screen has to participate in this, though. The Pure does so fairly well -- it's not so small that screen elements are tiny, and it reacts well to finger touches. It's not a capacitive screen, though, and you can use a regular stylus on it.

That's important, because while Microsoft has made a lot of progress on it goal, there are still times you're going to need to pull out the stylus.

Keyboard
This model doesn't have a hardware keyboard, so you need to depend on its on-screen one for text input. This has a new design for the latest version of Windows Mobile. This is a significant improvement over Microsoft's old one, but is similar to the keyboard HTC has been using for some time.

It has versions for both portrait and landscape modes, and as usually happens the landscape version has larger buttons that are easier to type on. The portrait mode is decent, if a bit cramped.

Buttons, Etc.
Because this model is so focused on its screen, it has a fairly minimal set of other controls.

On the front are the Call and Disconnect buttons, a Back Button, and the new Start button, which opens the Start menu. On the left side are the Volume Up and Down buttons, and there's a Power button on the top.

Underneath the display is the Zoom bar, which lets you easily control how you see things on the screen. It can enlarge or reduce the size of the text in most applications, and in the web browsers it zooms and and out on pages.

There is no directional pad or trackball, which is something I'm not thrilled about. The on-screen keyboard has directional buttons on it, which help a bit.

PERFORMANCE

The AT&T Pure is a pro-sumer smartphone. With a focus on its touchscreen and no hardware keyboard, it's not ideal for heavy texters, but it's decent screen and mobile broadband make it a good choice for consumers who want a device for both work and their personal life.

It uses a 528 MHz processor, which is OK, but I'd be happier with a faster one. Generally speaking, speed and response time is average for a Windows Mobile device, but this processor was cutting-edge last year, and by this time next year will almost certainly be inadequate.

System Software
The Pure is one of the very first devices running Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro. This is an incremental update from the previous one -- version 6.1 -- with only a few significant changes.

The most noticeable of these is the merging of the Start Menu and the Programs screen, which I consider a major improvement.

User Interface
As it does with all its Windows phones, HTC has layered its TouchFLO 3D user interface over the standard Microsoft one. I can see how people like TouchFLO, as it makes it easy to access the most commonly-used features of the smartphone. And it's fingertip friendly.

This UI extends the homescreen with a number of tabs, each with a different focus: e-mail, music, calendar, applications, etc. You can switch between tabs with a flip of your finger.

If you aren't a fan of TouchFLO you can turn it off, and expose the new Today Screen that's part of Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro. This has more of a focus on consumers than the previous one, and now includes items like a music player and a photo viewer. And if you don't like this, you can even revert to the classic version.

Wireless Functionality
The Pure is a GSM phone, and can therefore be used around the world to make phone calls. But that's just the start of its capabilities.

It can connect to AT&T's mobile broadband network, giving you fairly speedy web browsing almost anywhere you go. Plus, if you're near a Wi-Fi hotspot you can get an even faster connection.

Surprisingly, AT&T allows you to tether this device, so you can share the 3G connection with your laptop.

This model also has Bluetooth, so you can use wireless headset and headphones.

Productivity
The AT&T Pure can organize your business and your personal life. Microsoft Outlook Mobile can keep track of your address book, calendar, and to-do list, and synchronize these with Microsoft Exchange or Google.

Its e-mail software can handle both corporate accounts and personal ones, and a simple wizard helps you set these up.

If your job requires you to work with Microsoft Office files, the Pure is ready. You can view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and view Adobe Acrobat PDFs.

Web Browsing
Windows Mobile 6.5 comes with a new version of Internet Explorer. While this has been improved in many ways -- it does a better job of rendering pages with advanced formatting -- it's still very slow.

This is even more true for what could have been a huge enhancement: YouTube support. This browser can now display in-line YouTube videos, but queuing these up is a sl-o-o-o-o-w process.

Fortunately, the Pure uses Opera Mobile as its default web browser. This is much faster than IE, and offers virtually all the same features.

Entertainment
The version of Windows Media Player on this AT&T phone can handle music and video in a wide variety of formats, including ones that are streamed over the web.

You can also access the YouTube mobile website for additional video, but not Hulu. In addition, the Pure includes AT&T's Mobile Video, which is a basic on-demand video service with a few news and entertainment options, or you can buy a subscription to MobiTV.

There's also a client for Facebook pre-installed.


Windows Marketplace
One of the new features in Windows Mobile 6.5 is Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft's on-device software store. This lets you easily find and install new games, utilities, etc. onto your smartphone.

This service launched along with the Pure, and the selection isn't great right now, but I know Microsoft is working hard to bring apps in.

Navigation
This smartphone has a built-in GPS receiver, so you can use it to keep track of where you are and where you're going.

You'll need software to make use it, though. If you want, you can sign up for AT&T Navigation service, which gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions but requires a monthly service fee. Another option is Google Maps Mobile, which is free but has fewer features.

Battery Life
In my testing, this HTC model lasted for over two days of light to moderate use on a single charge. The large screens and faster processors on smartphones always result in shorter battery lives than on simpler mobile phones, and comparatively speaking the Pure's is very good.

CONCLUSION

The AT&T Pure is well designed, and a good fit for its target audience. I like the hardware -- aside from the lack of a trackball or D-pad -- and the wide array of bundled software is both useful and fun.

At $150, it's less expensive than I was expecting, and quite competitively priced.

That said, if you're someone who is planning on entering reams of text messages or emails, you should seriously consider waiting for the AT&T Tilt 2, which will have a physical keyboard.

Pros:

* Good design
* Decent screen
* Loads of useful and fun apps

Cons:

* No hardware keyboard
* Processor not impressive

Editor's Rating: Impressive

Source: http://www.brighthand.com/