Getting the sprint hero...is it a bad choice in "Today's" phone market?

[Dangerzone812]

How does the Hero stack up now a day. Im kinda poor. so how does the hero run on the new updates and 2.1 and such

does it keep up? or already wildly outdated?

 

[wrench]

The Hero ships with 2.1, but 2.2 (froyo) is not being officially released on the Hero. But there are developers out there who are working on 2.2 for the Hero, and in fact, beta versions are available right now.

It's not as powerful as the Evo or others in the latest generation of Android phones, but things are changing so rapidly that by early next year, even the Evo is going to seem old.

Personally, I'm happy with the Hero - it's cheaper than the Evo upfront, and over time (no $10/mo 4G fee), and smaller too. The Evo is just too big to easily pocket. If I carried a purse, I'd prefer the Evo's size.

And if you don't live in an area with 4G, be prepared to shell out that $10/mo for nothing until 4G arrives in your area.

 

[scottmbolt]

Now a days, getting an EVO would be like betting a computer with Windows XP.

 

[XTR]

Now a days, getting an EVO would be like betting a computer with Windows XP.

and that is bad because?

 

[Hero_Guy]

How does the Hero stack up now a day. Im kinda poor. so how does the hero run on the new updates and 2.1 and such

does it keep up? or already wildly outdated?

if you root, you will be extremely happy with it. i was happy with 2.1 cuz i didnt have problems but when i rooted i was like WHOA! i didnt know my phone was capable of such things and its sad to see how much sprint limits our phones but i would definitely root, more features, more efficient, and much much more and its simple to do.

 

[JB in AZ]

Now a days, getting an EVO would be like betting a computer with Windows XP.

and that is bad because?

Yeah, I don't understnd scott's comment either. XP, in my opinion, is the best, smoothest, leanest most trouble-free OS MS has ever made.

Oh, I get it! He is saying that the EVO is THE best, smoothest..etc. smart phone ever made.

 

[lionelhutz]

does it keep up?

no

already wildly outdated?

yes

 

[stay_clean]

Yeah, I don't understnd scott's comment either. XP, in my opinion, is the best, smoothest, leanest most trouble-free OS MS has ever made.

Yikes.

Wouldn't really say that's a fair analogy. Sure, better phones with dual-processors are on the horizon, but the EVO can still hold its own with a lot of currently released phones, and ones about to be released. Same goes for the Nexus One.

 

[Dangerzone812]

Rather, lemme ask this.

Is getting a hero now a day an over all bad choice due to the speed in which phones are advancing?

Should I wait a few months since 4G is gonna be the new standard eventually?

 

[Kelmar]

Rather, lemme ask this.

Is getting a hero now a day an over all bad choice due to the speed in which phones are advancing?

Should I wait a few months since 4G is gonna be the new standard eventually?

No, it's a fine choice. Just don't expect it to be earth shattering. I love my Hero. I've almost had it a year now (and expect to have it even longer). The longest I had ever owned a phone previously was 4-5 months.

 

[stay_clean]

I would at least look for a really cheap refurbished/used one, and not pay the full price from Sprint (back to $150 or so... good lord), root, and put CM6 on it, ha.

 

[Dangerzone812]

What's CM6?

 

[Kelmar]

CM6 is a custom ROM based off of the latest android update

 

[Dangerzone812]

Ok, lemme pose this next question.

I wanna have a phone that I can use to obviously see videos and web pages as well as text, call, and take great pictures with.

AS WELL AS

What I need and am looking for in a phone:

I'm a computer nerd, so wifi tethering and some gaming emulators and also handy things like terminal, or to program on it on the go, as well as entertainment for my media like musics and videos and such...SO Battery life is vital. Yet so is screen size.

So hero? or wait?

 

[stay_clean]

Most emulators don't run TOO well with the Hero. NESoid can play some games alright enough..

 

[astrobill]

Hmm...I'm not sure I would buy a Hero like us. Too many people are having too much lag, especially under 2.1. Besides, the rate of new Android phones coming out is something like 437 per week....get out on the edge more.

If you're on Sprint, get the HTC Evo now or wait for the Samsung Epic (a "Galaxy S" phone) coming out any day with a slide-out keyboard as well. Personally, I think the HTC Sense interface wrapped around Android on the Evo (and yes, Hero) is superior to what Samsung is doing as well as Motorola's "Blur" wrapper.

If you're on Verizon, get the HTC Droid Incredible (which also has "Sense") or the Motorola Droid X. My female friend has the Incredible, and it blows my Hero out of the water....speed and bug-wise, it's far superior. Not even close. I'm so jealous when I compare her Incredible to my Hero, it kills me.

The Motorola Droid 2 is also out on Verizon, and it's pretty good too. If you want a larger screen than the Incredible, the Droid X is for you. If you want to have a hard keyboard, the Droid 2 is the way to go.

If you're on another carrier, switch to Sprint or Verizon. Don't get an iPhone. They lack the cool widgets and customizability of Android.

 

[Dangerzone812]

YouTube - How to get Android 2.2 (Froyo) on HTC Hero

it seems to be running 2.2 well.

i dont see why it wont run games well.

 

[Kelmar]

Ok, lemme pose this next question.

I wanna have a phone that I can use to obviously see videos and web pages as well as text, call, and take great pictures with.

AS WELL AS

What I need and am looking for in a phone:

I'm a computer nerd, so wifi tethering and some gaming emulators and also handy things like terminal, or to program on it on the go, as well as entertainment for my media like musics and videos and such...SO Battery life is vital. Yet so is screen size.

So hero? or wait?

Battery life is debatable. Emulators have had some problems from what I've read.

If you are willing to root your phone though a WHOLE new world of options opens up for you, including free wifi tethering.

Stock phone = get something else
rooted phone = just dandy

 

[Dangerzone812]

Battery life is debatable. Emulators have had some problems from what I've read.

If you are willing to root your phone though a WHOLE new world of options opens up for you, including free wifi tethering.

Stock phone = get something else
rooted phone = just dandy

Well i would also plan on rooting an evo

only reason i'm not getting an evo is cause of money and availability.


I just wanna make sure im not settling with the hero if i do get one.

 

[astrobill]

it seems to be running 2.2 well.

i dont see why it wont run games well.

That's a GSM Hero in the video, not the Sprint version. There are other YouTube(TM) videos claiming to show 2.2 on the Sprint Hero, though.

In any case, I can't recommend anyone get the Sprint HTC Hero at this point...waaaaay too laggy under 2.1 with some other issues, and not officially updateable to 2.2.

Also, everyone forgets that our Heroes lack a proximity sensor, which means one is constantly accidentally touching the screen and messing things up, like putting the call on speaker, hanging up accidentally, or whatever. The Proximity Sensor app in the Market is a poor substitute, and doesn't always work, depending on the lighting conditions under which one calibrated it last.

Read my post below for my personal recommedations. Again, with Sprint, one should get the HTC Evo or the Samsung Epic...I prefer HTC's Sense to other vendors' Android GUI customizations, so HTC gets my vote most of the time.

If one is on Verizon, get the HTC Incredible or the Motorola Droid X (larger screen) or Droid 2 (slide out keyboard), depending on your preferences.

 

[stay_clean]

That's a GSM Hero in the video, not the Sprint version. There are other YouTube(TM) videos claiming to show 2.2 on the Sprint Hero, though.

In any case, I can't recommend anyone get the Sprint HTC Hero at this point...waaaaay too laggy under 2.1 with some other issues, and not officially updateable to 2.2.

Also, everyone forgets that our Heroes lack a proximity sensor, which means one is constantly accidentally touching the screen and messing things up, like putting the call on speaker, hanging up accidentally, or whatever. The Proximity Sensor app in the Market is a poor substitute, and doesn't always work, depending on the lighting conditions under which one calibrated it last.

Read my post below for my personal recommedations. Again, with Sprint, one should get the HTC Evo or the Samsung Epic...I prefer HTC's Sense to other vendors' Android GUI customizations, so HTC gets my vote most of the time.

If one is on Verizon, get the HTC Incredible or the Motorola Droid X (larger screen) or Droid 2 (slide out keyboard), depending on your preferences.

I've never had any of those problems, and I make/receive calls with it a lot. Do you have your screen set to stay on when you are on the phone? It is especially hard to recommend a Hero now that they are priced @ around $150 if you get it through Sprint. I got mine at the end of May when I started my account, mostly because it was still only $70-80 through them, and I have never had a smartphone before (or anything even remotely decent, Nokia prepaid over here for years... yikes).

 

[Dangerzone812]

Its so tempting to just get it. I'm upgrading from a LG Lotus. The original Lotus.

lol

 

[ron]

Honestly, the Hero is just as good as the Evo 90% of the time. I have both and the Hero's call quality is just as good, it is nearly as fast in real world applications, battery life is better on the Hero, the trackball is superiur to the Evo's nav buttons IMO, etc.

I would guess that a lot of the people here saying the Evo wins hands down do not have both.

The one area which the Evo does have a slam dunk is that the screen is way larger, and if you are someone who watches movies on the phone, plays games or the like, the Evo may be the obvious choice. But I honestly prefer the Hero for the reasons mentioned above, as well as the smaller size. ;-)

 

[wrench]

I agree that 150 is a bit too close to the Evo price. I got it when it was 80, so 120 cheaper upfront than the Evo and of course another $10/mo over the life of the contract.

Battery life on all Android phones is a challenge. Probably more so for the Evo than the Hero - faster processor, bigger screen, 4G. If you want a smartphone with battery life, get a Blackberry. <joking obviously, that would be like getting a DOS-only computer>

 

[ron]

The Hero is $49 at Radio Shack on contract.