please persuade me.

[gaanrowl]

hi all i have been reading the forum for a while and have just about decided to get a hero.

i had a play with one in the 3 store on sat and loved it.

im just a bit concerned that it is a difficult phone to use i have never had a smartphone before, iv used a iphone my wife has one but from what iv read the andoid isnt as straight forward to use, i am quite techie so i have no worries about learning to use it but dont want to spend all my time doing it if you know what i mean.

also i quite like the white on and was thinking about going with orange but theyt dont seem to do it so any suggestions where to get one or a pic of the graphite on in the flesh if anone has one (havent had chance to get to orange store) and does it come with all the orange branded sh!t that you normally get when buying a orange phone.

im currently with o2 and would like to saty with them but cant seem to find if they will bw releasing it.


sorry for the long post but hopefully you guys will be able to asnswer my queastions cheers.

 

[CitizenErazed]

The Orange one has the Orange logo on the back, an Orange splashscreen at startup and five Orange bookmarks in the browser (which can be deleted). That's the only branding I've found. Worth noting that if you are tech and don't mind some messing about, you can flash the software on the phone, and remove even that minimal branding.

I don't have a camera with me, so I can't post an in-the-flesh shot, but I find the phone great-looking. I doubt O2 will be launching it (or any other Android handsets for that matter), they seem obsessed with the iPhone/Pre combination for their smartphone range.

 

[andy d]

Right first the phone is very easy to use.

I have the graphite phone and for me its better than white.as for logos it has a very small orange logo on the back case.

As far as I know you can use it on o2 without any problems.

 

[gaanrowl]

thanks for your reply, nice to hear that orange have kept their mitts off, perhaps a pic if you get chance . cheers.

 

[daveybaby]

If you just want to use it as it is out of the box (i.e. like you'd use an iphone) then you can do that and it isnt really any more difficult to use than an iphone. The 'problem' you might have as a techie is that because you can do so many more cool things (some of which *are* complicated) to customise it you might be tempted to do so.

Havent got an orange branded one so not 100% sure, but IIRC when the last firmware update was release orange had their own version out pretty quick (much quicker than t-mobile), so there wasnt too much in the way of branding crapulence added to it.

Note that you can buy sim-free ones e.g. from amazon (but they cost a fair bit) and some 3rd party places sell the phone on contract (e.g. i got mine on vodafone from here even though voda dont officially do the hero) so maybe there is someone reselling o2 contracts with the hero somewhere (try searching google for "HTC Hero O2").

 

[Nighthaunt]

It's really as simple to use as an iPhone - most of the gestures used to control the phone on the screen are similar.

It only gets complex if you choose to make it so by installing some app types etc... for normal use I find mine easier than iPhone (hold down a key on keyboard to get numbers (also shown above letter) instead of having to switch to numbers keyboard (although thats also an option same as iPhone)).

I reckon you will be whizzing along inside of 5 minutes - most of the adjustment is to having few hardware buttons and using the screen - and your already used to that from iPhone.

Connecting to a PC is more complex (no iTunes) but as it can sync your contacts, calendar etc... over the air with google you wont connect to the PC often unless you use the Hero as a MP3 player - even then its a simple drag and drop operation.

Regards

Alex/Nighthaunt

 

[Jaffa]

With regards to ease of use, as a few people have already touched on, its childs play.. My partner has an iPhone, and she is completly null of any technical instincts, and loves her phone, but when I got the HERO she picked it up and was away, the 2 interfaces are not that dissimilar, but as someone mentioned, this is much more custermisable, which the iPhone isnt, your tied down by Apple.. Stncing is the only real issue, but I would rather have to mess around a litle to get sync'd than be forced to install iTunes!

 

[daffyduck]

I bought an unlocked White Hero from Expansys soon after it was released. Loved it then & love it now - you can fiddle around with it to your heart's content, or you can just leave it as default.

My wife also now has a Brown Hero on Vodafone (same network as me) & she is really pleased as she switched from an iPhone 2G (have had no complaints!).

Get it, best phone I have ever had, period. Use it all the time & it has made me much more productive during the working day (ahem, with personal email, job searches, eBay, etc, etc)

 

[kingvortex]

I would just like to add my testimonial to the Hero.
Having been able to upgrade in November, I was researching which phone to get quite a while before that (love my new gadgets!).
I know a few people with an iPhone, so have had quite a few opportunities to have a play with them. I had actually pretty much settled on getting one, to be honest, even if it meant buying an unlocked one or changing networks.
I also looked at an N97, but discounted that quite quickly, as I found the screen unresponsive.
Then, I had to go into the T-Mobile shop to exchange my faulty USB broadband modem. While I was waiting, I spotted the G2 Touch (TM's name for the Hero) that they had out as a working display model. Had a good 10 minutes with it just trying out all the apps and the touchscreen etc. I had a look through the market and was surprised that most apps were free. Altogether, I just enjoyed using the phone.
So, that lead to me researching the Hero quite a bit when I got home. The more I read about it, the more I wanted one.
So, I did indeed get one and I made an excellent choice. As others have said, the phone is as easy to use as you like. You can just use the apps that come with it or customise it to your heart's content.
The real thing that cemented my good choice for me is the reaction I got when I showed it to my iPhone using friends. All of them loved it and were surprised at how good the touchscreen and the Sense UI are. I think I've even convinced one of them to sell his iPhone and get a Hero!

So, to sum up, if you don't want to read that wall of text, GET ONE.

 

[gaanrowl]

thanks for your replys, you have me convinced, but should i wait untill they release the 2010 line up i.e the legend or just get the hero???????????????

 

[daveybaby]

thanks for your replys, you have me convinced, but should i wait untill they release the 2010 line up i.e the legend or just get the hero???????????????

If i didnt have the hero and i didnt need a phone urgently i would probably wait for the legend (or, if i was feeling flush, the bravo) since it looks like it will have a better camera (with flash) and probably a nicer screen (AMOLED). But there really isnt that much difference between them, the legend basically is a repackaged hero with a few tweaks, the hero is a great phone now and it will still be a great phone next year.

 

[david83]

I'd definately wait. Yes i know you can never stay ahead, but Hero's hardware was struggling from day 1. In 3 months time you'll be able to get an android handset which you'll be much happier with in the long run.

 

[gaanrowl]

@david83
thats just the answer i was looking for thanks ill wait just hope it will be early march.

 

[Jaffa]

I'd definately wait. Yes i know you can never stay ahead, but Hero's hardware was struggling from day 1. In 3 months time you'll be able to get an android handset which you'll be much happier with in the long run.

I have not noticed my Hero's hardware struggling at all, if your always waiting for the next generation handset, you will never get anything, there is always something better around the corner, My phone works great, no hardware issues at all...

 

[daveybaby]

but Hero's hardware was struggling from day 1

It might have been struggling from day 1, but it's been fine since they updated the firmware. Not struggling any more.

 

[david83]

if your always waiting for the next generation handset, you will never get anything

I agree however the Hero is already half way through it's life span. If you bought it when it first came out then fair enough you'll have 10 months of feeling like you've got a great phone. Which is a decent length of time. If you buy it now then you'll only have 5 months of feeling like you've got a great phone. So basically you should get a handset when if first comes out. That's just my opinion.

 

[Slug]

If you bought it when it first came out then fair enough you'll have 10 months of feeling like you've got a great phone.

That only applies if you're a fashion victim who has to have the newest fad. A device doesn't cease being "great" just because it's no longer current. so long as it still meets the user's requirements.

I've still got a Sony Z5 that, whenever I use it, gives me that "wow" feeling. Yup, no 3G, not even GPRS, but as a mobile phone/messenger it's still up there with today's best due to full HTML support in its little 4-line greyscale display and a built-in POP3 mail client. All in a package not much bigger than a box of matches.

 

[david83]

That only applies if you're a fashion victim who has to have the newest fad. A device doesn't cease being "great" just because it's no longer current. so long as it still meets the user's requirements.

I've still got a Sony Z5 that, whenever I use it, gives me that "wow" feeling. Yup, no 3G, not even GPRS, but as a mobile phone/messenger it's still up there with today's best due to full HTML support in its little 4-line greyscale display and a built-in POP3 mail client. All in a package not much bigger than a box of matches.

Yeah i've got to have the latest tech but i realise that not everyone wants to pay the price for that. im just giving the advice i would want if i was thinking of buying a Hero right now.

i used to like the jog dial on those sony phones. they should bring that back.