Not to be a downer, but it seems like nobody likes 2.1 around here.... Everybody wanted 2.1, then we got it and it doesn't work the way it should.... My rooted 2.1 is and has been great from moment one. Why can't sprint/htc fix all this crap?
Hard to sell new phones if everyone was happy with the one they had, isn't it?
Ooops, sorry, was that too cynical?
I like 2.1, all in all. It's not perfect, but then I never expected it to be. The problem came from the expectations, I think. I noticed it running up to the release. For some reason, a lot of people got it into their heads that 2.1 was going to fix every problem that they had with 1.5 and/or their phone.
But, 2.1 was a new OS release, not a patch or a bug fix. It was as much about new features, OS capbilities, enhancements, if not more, as much as it was about fixing any problems. 2.1 was never intended to fix the problems people were having with their Hero's. It was to lay the foundation of support for the next go round of phones, the EVOs and the Incredibles.
But people got expectations, and those expectations weren't realized. People who had problems still have problems. People who were happy with 1.5, but were excited about new "features" were disappointed that things weren't spectacular. So, basically, it's business as usual.
I think it's always going to be like this. New releases are for new phones, and there will always be something better, since by the time the new release comes out, the phone you have won't be new anymore. The only way to be happy is to lower your expectations. I know that sounds worse than it is, but I'm happy with the Hero & 2.1. It does more than any other phone I've ever had, and the technology is freaking amazing.
Seriously, if someone had told you in 2005 that you'd be holding something like the Hero in your hand in 5 years, and that you could afford to buy it, you'd have called them crazy. And yet, here we are now complaining about it.
Maybe it's an old guy thing, but seriously, this phone is amazing. It's just that our expectations are so high, and new sh*t comes out so fast, we're bound to be disappointed. That's too bad, really.