Trying to decide between the Hero or the Moment.

[audio vicious]

New here, but I have a few questions.

I know this gets asked all the time, I'm sure. I'm due for an upgrade through Sprint. I had planned on getting the BlackBerry Tour, but I have an 8830 and they're too much alike, I don't want two of the same phone. I wanted the Pre, until I did some looking around and found a bunch of people saying they left the Pre for the Hero. I had originally overlooked the Hero, because I wasn't really familiar with the HTC brand, but after learning it had the Android OS, I started to reconsider.

I'm really interested in the Android OS, and I probably won't be getting a different phone until I'm due for another upgrade, so I'm trying to make the right choice here.

I want the Sense UI, I've heard nothing but love for it. But I'm actually not a fan of touchscreen phones, but I feel like everything is going that way now, so I should just get used to it, but my one reserve is that I want a full physical QWERTY keyboard. I like being able to feel the buttons under my fingers as I type, much more comfortable. The Samsung Moment has a faster processor, and the full slide out QWERTY, but I hear it's a little wobbly feeling. The last phone I had that had the slide out QWERTY, was the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned, granted it was an LG, so I kind of have a reserve on that too. I read that the Moment has been rooted, but I don't want to have to hack the phone to do these things, though I'll end up doing it anyway, I'm sure.

My leaning towards the Hero is mainly over the Sense UI, but my leaning towards the Moment is the slightly faster processor and the slide out keyboard. Though I understand that the Hero is a little more "clean" when switching between screens, despite having the slower keyboard.

Is it worth going with the Hero for the Sense UI? Or could I go into the Android Market from the Moment and find things to customize and help layout the Moment in a more Sense like manner? Everyone I've seen likes both, some prefer one over the other, and I'm sure I'd love them both, but I'm just looking to get the best one for me. Also, the Moment runs vanilla Android, this doesn't seem so bad, as that seems more of how Google wanted it to be run in the first place, however improvements, seeing as that's what Sense seems to be, are always nice too. What is 2.1 slated to bring anyways?

Sorry for the novel, and thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out here. Maybe provide some pointers or thoughts.

 

[toomuchgame441]

I have never used the moment but I heard good and bad things about it. I own the Sprint hero and I do love it. The browsing on it is fantastic, only gripe is that the board lags a lot while inputting text in the browser. Hopefully the 2.1 update fixes this

 

[FrogSplatter]

A friend of mine went from the Moment to the Hero and he is MUCH happier with it . Both phones have issues as any new smartphone would but, the moment was way more buggy for him. As a matter of preference, I played around with several slideout keyboard phones and was seriously considering one until I saw one dropped while open (wasnt a pretty picture ). I've become such a fan of touchscreens that I find myself trying to use not touchscreens as if they were

 

[FlyerDroid]

I recommend the hero. But, you should try both, if you purchase the phone through bestbuy they won't charge you a re-stocking fee like Sprint does, if you decide you don't like one or the other. As for the physical keyboard, HTC virtual keyboard is a bit laggy, but the text prediction makes up for it. You'll be surprised how fast you can type with the hero. The text prediction works so well that I can type faster one handed with the hero, than with my blackberry tour.

 

[audio vicious]

I went to Best Buy yesterday hoping to check them out, but none of them were on. Just had the same silly sticker display over the screen, so I didn't get to tinker with them. Everytime I go into the local Sprint store there's the same guy there who is a little too pushy about the sale, so I try to avoid that.

I was finally thinking about going to the Moment, my biggest reason for wanting the Hero was the Sense UI, but with the Moment the processor is faster, has a keyboard, and the camera. I kind of liked the optical trackpad better, just the feel, since I didn't get to use either of them. The Moment outweighs the Hero a little with reasons I like it, but everyone here says Hero. One thing that makes me hesitate on the Moment though is Samsung's history of not really supporting a phone for too long, and I hear Hero is good about continuing to support their phones. I don't want to get a phone that within a few months Samsung doesn't support anymore.

Either way I should be the proud owner of a new Android phone soon. I'm always just afraid I would rather have had the other once I pull the trigger on one, so I'm trying to be 100% positive about my decision.

 

[audio vicious]

Does anyone have an estimate for about how long they think Samsung will support the Moment? I think that might be my deciding factor here. I kind of have a brand loyalty thing for Samsung too.

 

[shawheim_a]

well even if you get the moment or the hero you have 30 days to try it out. if you dont like it take it back and switch it for the other. if you ask the people at best but to power one up for you they will. that way you can play with it a little.

 

[IOWA]

I have the moment and i am loving it. Especially with zefies custom kernels

 

[audio vicious]

I have the moment and i am loving it. Especially with zefies custom kernels

I was looking at these earlier, but being unfamiliar with the phone or it's capabilities, I was a little lost. I am though, familiar with Linux.

How does this improve the phone? The Hero has been rooted too, or are these kernels simply for the Moment? I'm leaning at the Moment, for the moment. My girlfriend is also due for an upgrade, we're on the same contract. We're thinking about getting one of both, so we can take them home and use them freely for awhile. If we wanna switch, we can between ourselves, or if one of us decides to keep ours and the other wants it aswell, just return and switch. Seems like it'll work.

Is multitouch support gonna come to the Moment?

Though I have read in a review, and heard other places that the Hero feels a little more "techy" and "gadgety" than the Moment, and I do have a gadget fetish.

 

[audio vicious]

After looking around, I've found several people and posts who say that multitouch will be coming to the Moment with 2.0.

I think I've only got a few more questions then. Mainly, how true is it that I hear Samsung doesn't stand behind their devices? Usually when looking at electronics, if Samsung is an available manufacturer, I look at them first and almost always end up going with them. I just have a thing for Samsung. And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go with the Moment. I just wanna be sure Samsung will stand behind it and not dump it in a week. Also, with it being rooted, how possible is it that the Moment will get Sense, I realize HTC owns it, but Sense or something like it, or is that even possible?

My mind is pretty much made up on the Moment at this point I'm thinking, just asking a few questions at this point. Sorry to ask so many, but you guys have all been awesome and I appreciate it. Soon, I'll be able to discuss the finer points of actually owning an Android phone with you guys.

 

[sbeckom]

I love the Moment!

I went to Best Buy to by a Hero but came out with a Moment mainly because of the keyboard. I hate the optical button so I never use it. Battery life initially is horrible but I tried some of the simple tricks found by others and battery life has greatly improved to the point where it isn't a factor anymore. Accidentally hitting the 911 emergency call button is another common annoyance but I bought the DxTop App and the button has since disappeared somehow.

 

[pastafarian]

SenseUI isn't/shouldn't be a huge issue. With a few d/l's you can have 90-95% of what it offers and the future 2.1 update will probably take care of the remaining 5-10%. I guess it's a big factor for the lazy/ludites out there? The big differenses are that the Hero has a smaller sleeker package that is a bit more stylish. It sells more and will always have a bigger hacker community. Some will claim that HTC is a better/more attentive mfg, but after owning 3 HTC phones I think they can make some highly flawed products. The Moment has faster hardware, a superior screen, and a physical keyboard. The Moment cons are that it's larger, the hinge will inevitably give it a less solid feel and the overall design is very vanilla. Some will prefer a the Hero's trackball for its accuracy, but there are complaints that it can get dust/sand in it. The Moments GPS isn't the best right now (>may< be fixed with the 2.1 update), the Hero is prone to dust under the screen. Someone will enevitably chime in that they had both and the Moment got lousy battery life compared to the Hero. Not true at all, the Moment has a battery meter issue and in reality gets somewhat (not earth shaking) better battery life than the Hero. The camera's are a wash too, both average at best. The Hero has more Megapixels, the Moment has a flash that's also/more useful as a flashlight. For me, the cons are a wash and it comes down to whether you can stomach using a onscreen keyboard day to day (I can't) and if you want to carry around the extra bulk to have a physical keyboard. As some have already suggested, play as much as you can with both. Either way, you'll be making a good decision. Have fun!

 

[IOWA]

I'm curious as to why 'multitouch' is such a big issue for people. It really doesn't add much functionality, and I get by just fine without it. Do you just want your phone to look 'cool'?

 

[scollie]

After looking around, I've found several people and posts who say that multitouch will be coming to the Moment with 2.0.

I think I've only got a few more questions then. Mainly, how true is it that I hear Samsung doesn't stand behind their devices? Usually when looking at electronics, if Samsung is an available manufacturer, I look at them first and almost always end up going with them. I just have a thing for Samsung. And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go with the Moment. I just wanna be sure Samsung will stand behind it and not dump it in a week. Also, with it being rooted, how possible is it that the Moment will get Sense, I realize HTC owns it, but Sense or something like it, or is that even possible?

My mind is pretty much made up on the Moment at this point I'm thinking, just asking a few questions at this point. Sorry to ask so many, but you guys have all been awesome and I appreciate it. Soon, I'll be able to discuss the finer points of actually owning an Android phone with you guys.

I suggest you have a look at the Samsung I7500 thread if you want to see what sort of support you may expect from Samsung. This phone is only a few months old and Samsung don't seem to want to support it. The same also seems to be true with the I5700 which is the version sold in Latin America; many users say that they would have never bought the phone if they had known about the poor level of support for a product that is still being sold.

There are many rumours that we may still get upgraded to 1.6/2.0/2.1 but most feel we are stuck on 1.5 and many have vowed never to buy a Samsung product again.

'caveat emptor'

 

[audio vicious]

I suggest you have a look at the Samsung I7500 thread if you want to see what sort of support you may expect from Samsung. This phone is only a few months old and Samsung don't seem to want to support it. The same also seems to be true with the I5700 which is the version sold in Latin America; many users say that they would have never bought the phone if they had known about the poor level of support for a product that is still being sold.

There are many rumours that we may still get upgraded to 1.6/2.0/2.1 but most feel we are stuck on 1.5 and many have vowed never to buy a Samsung product again.

'caveat emptor'

This is the kind of stuff that scares me away from the Moment. Like someone else said, I couldn't bare to use the OSK on a day to day basis, so the keyboard is a must, but this scares me.

And yeah, I'd like for it to look cool. Being able to customize it and tinker with personalization options is always a plus for me. It doesn't beat actual functionality though.

EDIT: Also, I kind of skimmed the I7500 forum, didn't really see what you were talking about. Anything specific you can link me to? This is an issue that can buy or sell me on this phone.

 

[scollie]

This is the kind of stuff that scares me away from the Moment. Like someone else said, I couldn't bare to use the OSK on a day to day basis, so the keyboard is a must, but this scares me.

And yeah, I'd like for it to look cool. Being able to customize it and tinker with personalization options is always a plus for me. It doesn't beat actual functionality though.

EDIT: Also, I kind of skimmed the I7500 forum, didn't really see what you were talking about. Anything specific you can link me to? This is an issue that can buy or sell me on this phone.

The gripes about Samsung 's support occur through many of the threads but the specific one is this one:

http://androidforums.com/samsung-i7...-never-again-see-me-pay-one-their-phones.html

In there you'll get a feeling for what many users feel about Samsung support for a new device including this reply to a user from O2 support:

&#8216;The current position is as follows:
Samsung HQ are currently not supporting a migration path to upgrade Galaxy to Android 2.0. Samsung UK continue to push for this but confidence on the change is low as Samsung HQ will be launching new devices on Android 2.0 in Q1.'

So the Moment may be the current flavour of the moment (forgive the pun!)
but there is no guarantee that it won't be sidelined when they bring out their next handset!

 

[audio vicious]

The gripes about Samsung 's support occur through many of the threads but the specific one is this one:

http://androidforums.com/samsung-i7...-never-again-see-me-pay-one-their-phones.html

In there you'll get a feeling for what many users feel about Samsung support for a new device including this reply to a user from O2 support:

 

[splenditello]

i've heard more about hero than moment. i would recommend checking out some unboxings on youtube of each and see which is more your style.

 

[trackaroo]

I'd recommend getting a device with Android 1.6 or higher (G1, Magic, Droid, etc). You may not be able to download some apps because Android 1.5 is pretty far behind. Google Googles and Google Navigation are examples of apps that require Android 1.6 or higher. With 1.5, you also don't get the enhanced Android Market. Some carriers have been committed to updating these older devices, but don't hold your breath.

Jeff

 

[audio vicious]

I'd recommend getting a device with Android 1.6 or higher (G1, Magic, Droid, etc). You may not be able to download some apps because Android 1.5 is pretty far behind. Google Googles and Google Navigation are examples of apps that require Android 1.6 or higher. With 1.5, you also don't get the enhanced Android Market. Some carriers have been committed to updating these older devices, but don't hold your breath.

Jeff

I'm on Sprint though, and none of those devices are available to me through Sprint, and I plan on sticking to Sprint. If the news on the homepage is any indication though, shouldn't the HTC Hero be getting 2.1 soon?

 

[IOWA]

Dont forget flashing custom ROM's is very easy. Why let a support issue tear you away when you can do it yourself faster & better. I'm willing to bet I'll have 2.1 on a long time before it is released officially.

 

[audio vicious]

Dont forget flashing custom ROM's is very easy. Why let a support issue tear you away when you can do it yourself faster & better. I'm willing to bet I'll have 2.1 on a long time before it is released officially.

You raise an interesting point. My current BlackBerry I had installed hybrid OS's on and I'm familiar with Linux to boot. I had seen things about custom ROMs, but I didn't know what exactly was capable through this. Through custom ROMs would I be able to continue to update the Moment past what they have supported? Say Android 3.0 comes out, and they don't plan on migrating it to the Moment, but the platform does come out, will I still say be able to get it on the Moment though one isn't being offered for it? I'm a little hazy on what's doable through custom ROMs. If this is so, I may be sold on the Moment again. I just like keeping my stuff up to date, plus software updates are always fun. They can either add whole new features or fix something that's broken. I doubt I'll ever go trough Samsung for anything to be honest, so the lack of their support doesn't bother me, it's the lack of their software updates, but if I can still make them available to myself, then it isn't an issue.

 

[Tyrahn]

I've so far found the Moment to be very sturdy, the sliding keyboard is solid and does not wobble at all. I really like the phone so far.

Sprint has confirmed that the Moment will be getting an upgrade to 2.1, it's a few months out yet, and until then it's stuck with an old operating system, but it will be supported at least past 1.5.

My girlfriend has a Droid Eris, the Sense UI is pretty and all, but I don't really care for it. I find my Moment to be more functional and easier to use.

Clark

 

[audio vicious]

If it's confirmed that the Moment will at least get 2.1, and I can continue to just support it myself through custom ROMs, then I might be sold on it again.

 

[Sharbabe54]

Wherecan I find a more detailed guide on how to use my new Samsung Moment ?
Thanks...