HTC Hero with HTC Sense
When Android was first introduced, one of the big selling points on the idea was that handset manufacturers would be able to take that open operating system and build custom features into it. On Friday, HTC introduced the first device that takes advantage of that capability: the Hero with HTC Sense.
HTC has added onto the Android 1.5 (Cupcake) operating system and given users an incredibly customizable interface. The device allows for multi touch gestures, such as pinching when reading text. In addition to the touch controls, it also has a trackball for navigation. However, the most notable addition the Hero makes to Android is full support of Flash enabled websites. A video of the custom interface in action is available here.
The Sense UI features many widgets (Twitter, clocks, weather) that can be added to the home screens for immediate information. Much like with the myTouch 3G, HTC has given users many options for customizing the look of the operating system. With their “Scenes” profile feature, you can create and save different Scenes that “reflect different moments in your life.” The device also does its best to integrate all of your different types of communication, including Facebook messages. The Hero also has the ability to search your contacts, emails, calendar appointments, and even Twitter.
The insides of the Hero are on par with the best smart phones available, like the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre. It features a 528 MHz Qualcomm processor and 288 MB of RAM. The device only comes with 512 MB of storage built in, but has a microSD slot which can expand memory up to 32 GB. The Hero has a 3.2-inch LCD touch screen with a resolution of 320 x 480. For communication it supports HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz), Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g.
One of the more impressive features is the 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, which is significantly better than the 3 megapixels offered by the iPhone 3GS. It also sports a 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0 (supports both EDR and A2DP), GPS, and a digital compass.
The HTC Hero will be available in Europe in July, in Asia at some point this summer, and in North America in 2009 (though it may very well have a different name and slightly different feature set). The full price for the Hero is set at £429.99 but eligible Orange and T-Mobile UK subscribers will be able to get it free with a two year commitment.
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