Thinking of getting a Hero, thoughts?

[aspasticninja]

Hi,

Decided to finally get a smartphone, and the Hero is looking like a good choice; lots of good reviews and a good plan. But reviewers only use the phones for a week or so, so i was wondering what the people here thought of the phone; Pros, Cons, Misc thoughts, anything you think will help me with my decision.

also, read on Gizmodo that HTC was talking about updating the Hero to Android 2.0; is this still happening and will it be a software update or require a new phone? (don't wanna buy a Hero now only to have them re-release w/ newer software in a few months)

thanks

 

[CAKEMASTER]

The Hero is a great phone and it will accept the new 2.1 update when it comes out.

 

[aauussttiinn88]

yea and they even have a dev rom 2.1 i first got a pre took it back two days later for the hero and ive jumped on the bandwagon and never looked back. i would reccomend rooting the hero (if you get it) to obtain optimum results out of it

 

[aspasticninja]

if you root it can you still get the android 2.0/2.1 official update when it comes out? (whenever that is)

 

[stinky]

if you root it can you still get the android 2.0/2.1 official update when it comes out? (whenever that is)

You can, but you will have to RUU it beforehand when the update comes. Basically restoring the phone to factory conditions.

Its not that hard to root your phone, just make sure you read a lot about it before diving in. XDA forums have a lot of info on the process and research of rooting and whatnot.

 

[Sirchuk]

Keep in mind, you're coming to a Hero forum asking us if we like the Hero. I think 99% of us are going to say "Yeah, get a hero! It's great!' I love mine, but would I go for a Nexus One or Droid if they were at Sprints pricing / service? Yup!

However, if you can wait until the end of March, supposedly the next big announcement from Sprint is going to be made regarding the next Android phone on Sprint. It's been rumored to be the Supersonic or Legend or whatever since we don't really know. Either way, I would go with a newer phone than the Hero. It would suck to get a Hero today and the Supersonic come out in April.


Hero's are easy to root, and easy to flash. I'm just going to wait for a scene release for 2.1 rather than revert back to stock to get the over the air update.

 

[aspasticninja]

i wasn't asking so much if people liked the Hero (as you said, most people here will say yes), more of what their long-term thoughts were; even if you like it there has to be a few things you've noticed that wouldn't come up in Cnet or Gizmodo reviews.

well part of the reason i'm looking at the hero (besides Sprint) is because its cheaper than the droid or nexus one, but my current contract isn't up until late april or early may, so i'm still going to be looking around until then.

 

[Veritas]

i was deciding between this or the samsung moment. i liked the moment because of the physical keyboard, and ive never enjoyed txting on the touch screen keyboards. but i went into store to play with the 2, and walked out with the hero. the effectiveness of the touchscreen just amazes me. i mean i type, as fast as a i can, and rarely do i have any errors.

so far, thumbs up.

 

[aspasticninja]

yea i played w/ the Hero at a sprint store but it kept going onto some demo video and it was mounted so i could try the landscape keyboard...

 

[hood420]

i wasn't asking so much if people liked the Hero (as you said, most people here will say yes), more of what their long-term thoughts were; even if you like it there has to be a few things you've noticed that wouldn't come up in Cnet or Gizmodo reviews.

well part of the reason i'm looking at the hero (besides Sprint) is because its cheaper than the droid or nexus one, but my current contract isn't up until late april or early may, so i'm still going to be looking around until then.

If you're not buying a phone until April or May, you may as well not consider the Hero. There will probably be a couple of great new Android phones from Sprint out by then.

That being said the Hero is a great phone, I've had mine since October. It's a good phone and I haven't noticed too many problems. It was getting fairly laggy, but after I rooted it sped right back up. Other than that I've just been discovering new features and apps, and anticipating the 2.1 update.

 

[BiGMERF]

welcome to the forum, enjoy your hero

 

[dave31175]

However, if you can wait until the end of March, supposedly the next big announcement from Sprint is going to be made regarding the next Android phone on Sprint. It's been rumored to be the Supersonic or Legend or whatever since we don't really know. Either way, I would go with a newer phone than the Hero. It would suck to get a Hero today and the Supersonic come out in April.

I'm in a similar situation as the OP. My contract is up in mid-June. I'm leery about going with the "latest and greatest" phone as I fear making the same mistake I made with the Instinct. I got the original Instinct the day it was released, and it's turned out to be a buggy, unsupported POS that gets buggier with each update. It makes me more inclined to go with an established phone with a broad user base, rather than a brand new shiny toy that ends up being a loser. Is this a valid concern?

 

[ejpyle]

I'm in a similar situation as the OP. My contract is up in mid-June. I'm leery about going with the "latest and greatest" phone as I fear making the same mistake I made with the Instinct. I got the original Instinct the day it was released, and it's turned out to be a buggy, unsupported POS that gets buggier with each update. It makes me more inclined to go with an established phone with a broad user base, rather than a brand new shiny toy that ends up being a loser. Is this a valid concern?

I have the Hero and I love it. I do not think you will go wrong getting the Hero. With all 1st gen phones there is room for bugs and issues.
By the time your contract is up the Hero w/ Android 2.1 will be (IMO) flawless. I know a lot of users with the N1 from Google and they have constant issues with it.
I can only think what it will be like for the CDMA version when it goes on sale.

 

[330D]

Get it. You will have 30 days to try it. If you hate it, return it and for 35$ they will restock it and you can walk away! Im on day 30 and could return it and wait for the N1, but why? The hero is proven and will only get better with 2.1 (hopefully only a few weeks from now.)

 

[dan330]

so...

What did you get??

 

[toomuchgame441]

He got the Hero because he knows better! Lol. Nah but the hero is definitely a great choice even w/ the N1, SD and Legend making their way to Sprint

 

[toomuchgame441]

I mean S S (supersonic) Damn keyboard! Lol

 

[i VTAK]

The only downside I've had to my Hero is dust under the screen, and that's only visible when I'm outside or under bright lights. It also seems to be hit or miss, as some people don't get it. Other than that, this is the best phone I've ever had.