Back to the iPhone

[Brad]

I had my HTC Hero for 1-2 months and I loved it. Before this, I had an iPhone 3G.

Here's a list of stuff on why I loved the phone and what problems I had.

Positives:

• Sense UI (+ and -)'s customisation is far ahead of every phone! Loved it
• Flash support which is an advantage over the iPhone
• Market - good for applications, not much so games, try out a paid app for 24 hours before getting charged
• Android as a whole - open source, you can have different messaging clients etc

Problems:

• The camera is terrible without being in an area with a lot of lightening
• Slow and very unresponsive at times. The ROM update was a major plus, but still as the phone's processor isn't that fast it maxed out its potential without draining the battery
• Sense UI - I loved it. But as HTC have to update it every time for an Android update, we have to wait ages for the new updates.
• Market - only a handful of good graphic games. GPU is not near to the iPhone's.

I would rate the HTC Hero a solid 8/10.

Why back to the iPhone?

The App Store is one of the main reasons why I am exicted to go back. Developers all around the world are jumping on it. EA and Gameloft just to name a few have tons of applications out. The iPhone's graphics are amazing and its processor is also very fast. (Underclocked to MHz)

The iPhone's video recording capability at 30fps is a major plus. Its 3.2mp camera is actually superior to the HTC Hero's. (Ability in low lightening, camera speed)

I have sold my HTC Hero, going to sell my Touch 3G and will make up the rest for the iPhone.

Anyone else?

Anyone else switched back to the iPhone?

 

[markie-m8]

I've bid on a couple of 3gs on ebay just lately but they are still going for silly money.

 

[islandmixed]

Seems as if theirs similar bad & good feedback with both phones. i just got my hero couple days ago and like it so far. i have afew friends with the iphone and in all honesty, the only advantage iphone users seem to say is about the app store & how fast it is when browsing the web, i truly dont find it a big deal if a phone takes its time to do something, i mean i dont think thats the most important thing when buying a phone but ayyy my hero has never been sluggish yet, it works perfect but even if their was a lil delay, i would not be dissapointed lol. its a phone, not a pc/laptop

 

[Brad]

Fair enough. I just want the App Store, speed and camera to be honest.

I've saw a few 3GS's (new 16gb) for

 

[islandmixed]

I see your points brad iam not knocking you at all, just giving my say on what alot of folks with iphone say about it. i think if i had a iphone i might say the exact same thing. its a damn shame about the cam on hero!! iam really shocked theirs no flash at all as ive taken some decent shots in doors with decent light. grrrr

 

[lekky]

Well using Camera Zoom FX my heros pictures are a lot better than my mates iPhone... The speed is a funny issue, because if you use a Hero like an iPhone, ie one app at a time its just as zippy, I mean i have multiple widgets on my desktop and its pretty fast (Maybe if you have a Sprint Hero its slower i don't know).

Fully agree with you about the games, if you really want to play lots of games on your phone it could be a deal breaker.

Overall I just couldn't handle an iPhone after having experienced my Hero, but its down to what suits you i guess!

 

[Brad]

Seems as if theirs similar bad & good feedback with both phones. i just got my hero couple days ago and like it so far. i have afew friends with the iphone and in all honesty, the only advantage iphone users seem to say is about the app store & how fast it is when browsing the web, i truly dont find it a big deal if a phone takes its time to do something, i mean i dont think thats the most important thing when buying a phone but ayyy my hero has never been sluggish yet, it works perfect but even if their was a lil delay, i would not be dissapointed lol. its a phone, not a pc/laptop

I've bid on a couple of 3gs on ebay just lately but they are still going for silly money.

Well using Camera Zoom FX my heros pictures are a lot better than my mates iPhone... The speed is a funny issue, because if you use a Hero like an iPhone, ie one app at a time its just as zippy, I mean i have multiple widgets on my desktop and its pretty fast (Maybe if you have a Sprint Hero its slower i don't know).

Fully agree with you about the games, if you really want to play lots of games on your phone it could be a deal breaker.

Overall I just couldn't handle an iPhone after having experienced my Hero, but its down to what suits you i guess!

Fair enough. Although the iPhone also has a lot of camera applications to improve the quality. The one app at a time thing would be very annoying. Going to the task manager constantly etc. Push would be good for Android.

But yeah, it's down to what you like. I prefer speed, apps, camera etc. I don't mind customisation.

 

[Forcefed]

People have to be patient with the Android market. The iPhone was released in 2006 so it has 3 years head start over the Android market. When the iPhone first came out it was buggy and slow too, not to mention the app store was lacking in many aspects. Give the Android platform and market sometime (i will guess around 6-8months) and it will exceed everyones expectations.

 

[daveybaby]

I agree with you about the camera, HTC phones always seem to have terrible cameras. Even though the iPhone's cam seems worse on paper (it's only 3.2MP vs 5MP) its actually much better. Having said that, neither device is good enough to replace even the cheapest dedicated compact camera.

As for the whole games thing, i still havent seen any games on either platform that have piqued my interest, and i strongly doubt i ever will - touchscreens just arent any good as an input device for gaming, save for puzzle and casual games. If youre serious about mobile gaming, then you should be looking at a nintendo DS or a PSP. How many variants of bejeweled do we need, anyway?

As for the app stores, i think the android market is catching up pretty quickly, and a lot of developers are getting *really* pissed off with apple's approval process lately. Very interesting article on this here: Apple's Mistake

Neither phone is perfect. I think the iPhone 3GS is a great piece of hardware - the main problem i have with it is apple's control-freakery. I will never buy apple because i find the prospect of them becoming the dominant phone or PC vendor utterly terrifying.

 

[Bøygen]

Forcefed: I disagree with you that you have to give android time when comparing iPhone to Hero.
It is also not really interesting that iPhone was laggy or whatever three years ago.

This is unfortunately arguments that android users use often when android is compared to iPhone.
When you by a phone, what is interesting is how that phone works, not how it might work in a few years, not how a previous model worked three years ago.
When the android people use this kind of arguments it really seems that they don't have any good ones.

When all that is said, I'm very happy with my Hero, and I wouldn't change it for an iPhone.

 

[lekky]

[quote="B

 

[Brad]

People have to be patient with the Android market. The iPhone was released in 2006 so it has 3 years head start over the Android market. When the iPhone first came out it was buggy and slow too, not to mention the app store was lacking in many aspects. Give the Android platform and market sometime (i will guess around 6-8months) and it will exceed everyones expectations.

The App Store may have been out for 3 years but it grew leaps.

I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I do believe the iPhone is the superior phone not just because of its hardware, but mainly its capability with applications.

Also guys, if your jailbreak the phone; you can get much more. You can background applications etc.

 

[lekky]

The App Store may have been out for 3 years but it grew leaps.

I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I do believe the iPhone is the superior phone not just because of its hardware, but mainly its capability with applications.

Also guys, if your jailbreak the phone; you can get much more. You can background applications etc.

Much more, like a worm!

 

[Elpelco]

The App Store may have been out for 3 years but it grew leaps.

I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I do believe the iPhone is the superior phone not just because of its hardware, but mainly its capability with applications.

Also guys, if your jailbreak the phone; you can get much more. You can background applications etc.

Just out of interest, how easy is it to jailbreak your iphone compared to rooting a hero? I've always wondered.

 

[Forcefed]

double post

 

[Elpelco]

you got me wrong guys.
When it comes to hardware yes HTC does not have any excuse. They now who is the competitor and they need to tear it apart and see what will make their phone superior. And yes I agree, the HTC Hero is better than the iPhone(i have both), the screen is much more responsive, the weight is perfect.....plus others.
But when it comes to the App store I still stand by my words, Apples App store is ahead of the Andriod Market. The App store didnt start like what it is today. Over time they improved it, people used it and suggested things and Apple listened. You cant even preview on the Android market and many times the products explanation doesnt give you the whole picture interms of what you are getting. What will improve the market is suggestions from users and TIME.

So NO, I am not using TIME as an excuse for Android, it is a true FACT. Software, Phones, Cars, you name it the first year is buggy and with TIME things are ironed out and improved.

Cheers

The app store is better than the market in terms of quality, sure. Market wins when it comes to the approval thing, though.

 

[Forcefed]

[quote="B

 

[daveybaby]

The app store is better than the market in terms of quality, sure. Market wins when it comes to the approval thing, though.

Well i'm not too sure about the quality thing either. The approval process means that new versions can take months to appear, and can even get rejected because somebody at apple didnt like the new icon you included along with a bugfix. As a result many apps on the apple store are buggy and out of date.

Oh, apple's approval process means that they all *look* nice and polished (because we MUST HAVE SHINY THINGS). Actual functionality and stability can be another matter.

 

[trick202]

I had a great time with my iPhone 3g when I had it. The only issues I had were that it wasn't really up to the job when you asked it to be a workhorse. I went back to the BB Curve which was ideal (but boring).

Since then, I have slowed work down and run more of a "lifestyle" business. The Hero really works well for me - and I can't fault it. I'm very bored of waiting for the 2.0 update to kick in, and I'm very bored of waiting for the "consumer" side of Android to develop (Android version of iTunes, some decent games, some more mainstream apps), and with more devices being released I'm feeling less and less part of a "family".

Aside from that, the Hero is OK for what I need right now. It needs to up it's game though, and quickly!

 

[WildWayz]

I agree with you Brad - the iPhone certainly has a lot more, better applications. In the last year, it has REALLY taken off. It's also better playing the games and using the apps rather than the Hero.

Don't get me wrong, the Hero is probably the closest I have come to an 'iPhone Experience'. The HD2 isnt an 'iPhone Beater' - too fiddly as it is a stylus OS that has been rushed to be capacitive... feels like it is about 60% complete.

 

[Brad]

I had a great time with my iPhone 3g when I had it. The only issues I had were that it wasn't really up to the job when you asked it to be a workhorse. I went back to the BB Curve which was ideal (but boring).

Since then, I have slowed work down and run more of a "lifestyle" business. The Hero really works well for me - and I can't fault it. I'm very bored of waiting for the 2.0 update to kick in, and I'm very bored of waiting for the "consumer" side of Android to develop (Android version of iTunes, some decent games, some more mainstream apps), and with more devices being released I'm feeling less and less part of a "family".

Aside from that, the Hero is OK for what I need right now. It needs to up it's game though, and quickly!

I agree but the hardware in the Hero really cannot be used that much further than what it currently is.

 

[HER0]

Agree with you OP, I have just made a similar thread about my issues.

I use an iMac and I was willing to give Android a shot, and I am so annoyed that I have been left disappointed, because now if I do opt for the iPhone I am going to look like such an Apple fanboy...

 

[trick202]

I agree but the hardware in the Hero really cannot be used that much further than what it currently is.

If this is true, then I have bought a lemon.

 

[lekky]

I agree but the hardware in the Hero really cannot be used that much further than what it currently is.

Could you explain what you mean?

 

[daveybaby]

the hardware in the Hero really cannot be used that much further than what it currently is

What? You mean theyre closing the android market? No more apps ever??!?