HTC Hero review

The most anticipated Google Android phone HTC Hero was launched with new HTC Sense user interface. This new Sense UI later on got integrated across a portfolio of HTC devices.

Its arrival marks for many the coming of age of Google's Android platform and HTC has managed to cut the cord with Google in terms of software tethering and introduce some interesting new ideas of its own.

HTC offered free data download of 100 MB per month for six  months and six customized utility based applications for Airtel customers across India with the purchase of this device when it was launched. This high-end device is priced at Rs. 31,990 in India at all leading authorised HTC resellers across the country.

HTC has implemented a new user interface concept on the HTC Hero called HTC Sense UI. This revolves around of making you, the user, its central focus. In practice it means things like letting you see your most recent contacts with a person from one screen whether those contacts be by email, SMS or voice. It is simple and obvious, yet very useful.

There are some other superbly user friendly features too. Turn the phone on for the first time and its uses its built in GPS to work out where you are, and then deliver a weather report right to the home page. Very welcoming.

The earlier released Android based handset HTC Magic also shared a design characteristic with the Hero. A lip at the bottom end of the casing which points up in the air. HTC says this helps get the microphone closer to your mouth. For our money it's not a deal-maker or deal-breaker. But you may decide you love or loathe it.

Either way, it doesn't add to the size of the Hero. A bit tall for its width the overall measurements of 112x 56.2 x 14.35mm and weight of 135g are not out of kilter with the competition, and the 3.2-inch 320x480 pixel screen is perfectly adequate.

There's a rubbery finish to the backplate which helps with grip and a smudge resistant coating to the screen – though ours still gathered finger-smears.

Beneath the screen are seven controls. They include a mini trackball and a menu button which calls up an array of different options depending on what app you are in. The search button is application dependent. So in Calendar it lets you search that, in People you can search for a contact, when you are in the Web browser you can do a Google search, etc.

The HTC Hero comes with HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps download and 2Mbps upload meaning you can get the fastest speeds your operator can currently deliver to wherever you happen to be. The GPS caters for location based services like that weather report we mentioned earlier, and Wi-Fi is here for when you don't want to use the network.

HTC has built a 3.5mm headset connector into the top end of the device. There are inline music controls on the headset, which is one piece, although we’d have liked a second connector past the controls. HTC’s headset is of average quality and the flat buds don’t suit our ears.

HTC's retouching of Android via its Sense User Interface runs to including no less than seven home screens between which you flick with fingersweeps. They are pre-configured with shortcuts but you can customise them all. You just press and hold on a shortcut then you can drag it off the screen. On the main menu press an icon to put it on the home screen you were previously viewing.

Some widgets offer realtime updating. There is a dedicated Twitter feed as well as that weather report we mentioned earlier and a widget for incoming emails. The idea is that information is in the widget rather than the widget being a link to the information.

You can save a seven home screen set as a 'scene', ready for preloading whenever you want. So you can have a set for work, a set for leisure time, and so on. You'll probably never exhaust the customisation options.

There is no front camera for video calls, but a 5 megapixel camera beats the 3 megapixel offering of the HTC Magic. Sadly there's no flash and there aren't many settings modes.

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