Best source of Hero accessories (from the "Sprint Hero Family"!)

[markwill]

I've been a long time WinMo user and generally pretty happy (and, no, I don't need a barrage of "WinMo sucks" comments ). But I decided to switch to Android recently. In fact, since our contract was up for renewal I bought one each for our family of four. So, as of two days ago, there are four new Sprint Hero users in our household. Given our new toys, we sometimes find time to speak to each other

Anyway, what this does mean is I am in the market for a bunch of accessories and wondered if folks had recommendations for a good source. I am looking for a holster (simple horizontal design in black or something). I don't want a "clip-in" design since I prefer the flap that just falls over the phone.

My wife and kids won't go for the holster design So, we are probably looking at either a soft or hard "shell". I'd be interested in why folks prefer one over the other (soft shell vs. hard shell). The kids will also look for some striking designs, which we need anyway since right now we have four identical looking phones!

With my WinMo phones I never bothered with screen protectors (or ended up regreting that decision). Touch wood, I have owned such phones for 4/5 years and never had a situation where I wished I had a screen protector.

I will be buying an additional car charger cable (have one already).

Beyond those things, I'd be interested in any other suggested accessories since I want to buy all this stuff together. So, any suggestions for this, plus a recommended place to buy this, would be most appreciated.

Thanks.

Mark

 

[JB in AZ]

I don't have a favorite place to buy accessories, or even a favorite acessory, but I did buy an extra battery and wall charger for the battery on ebay. It was about $11 total, and it works quite well. Let me see if I can insert a link. It only took 12 days from overseas to arrive.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Battery-USB-Charger-For-Sprint-HTC-Hero-1500mAh_W0QQitemZ370315723754QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPDA_Accessories?hash=item56388983ea

Also, regarding screen protectors, there are probably 3 schools, one who think it is necessary, one who feel it isn't, and one that don't know or care. I think the screen is very hard, probably glass, and I have not seen one scratch on mine in about 4 months. I had an instinct prior, also touch screen, and it did get scratched.

 

[dmm5157]

I don't have a favorite place to buy accessories, or even a favorite acessory, but I did buy an extra battery and wall charger for the battery on ebay. It was about $11 total, and it works quite well. Let me see if I can insert a link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Battery-USB-Charger-For-Sprint-HTC-Hero-1500mAh_W0QQitemZ370315723754QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPDA_Accessories?hash=item56388983ea

Also, regarding screen protectors, there are probably 3 schools, one who think it is necessary, one who feel it isn't, and one that don't know or care. I think the screen is very hard, probably glass, and I have not seen one scratch on mine in about 4 months. I had an instinct prior, also touch screen, and it did get scratched.

Welcome to the Android family. I came over from a WM device as well, and am loving Android. The Hero is fantastic and the future is bright!


I will add a comment about the screen. For the first few weeks I had my hero I had a screen protector and started getting frustrate becasue it'd make the screen look awful. Took it off and haven't looked back. It's been almost 2 months now and I have 2 small scratches, but here's what caused them. I was getting out of the car on a road trip and was half asleep. I had my phone resting on my lap and dropped the phone face down on the asphalt. As I got out of the car, I stepped directly on it and stood up (I was wearing snow boots). I heard a crunch and as I stepped up (I hopped up immediately when I heard the noise) the back cover and battery had gotten scraped off. My heart sank, as I just KNEW I'd cracked my screen and my Hero was dead. I stood in disbelief for a few seconds, sulking, and then reached down to pick it up. To my surprise, the phone had nothing but 2 very small scrapes (one in the center, one off to the top next to the SPRINT text) and that was it! I had stepped on it on asphalt SCREEN DOWN with all my weight wearing snow boots (I weigh about 220lbs) and there was almost no damage to the screen. The sides got a bit scraped up and one of my buttons took a little damage, but that was it.

Phone still works great and you can barely notice the scrapes when the screen is off (and can't even see them when the screen is on).



I should add I usually carry the phone in my pocket and am fairly rough with it. It's as rugged a phone as I could ask for.


That's just my testimonial. I'm not advocating stepping on your phone and trying to scratch it, but mine has held up better than any phone screen I've ever seen.

 

[thatjerk]

Get some screen protectors. I did not feel the phone needed a screen protector and now I have a permanent scratch on my screen. I simply keep my phone in my pocket with nothing else but still suffered w scratch.

 

[dan330]

i am still on the fence about screen protector too...
i tried one... but it gave the screen a sticky resistance that I did not like...

I want to find one.. that is very thin.. NO change in look... with smooth swipe feel...
Maybe just a wishful dream

Here is a website that I ordered my stuff from.
Accessories, iPod, iPhone, Zune, Toys, Gifts, Sporting Goods, Samsung, LG, Blackberry & More
Dont buy their screen protector in Mirror finish!!! It had too much refection, took away some clarity, and bad sticky swipe feeling.

 

[dan330]

on the case question..
there are pros and cons for each
here are my experiences

soft..
- feels like better protection
- very durable!
- much better grip on phone.. will not slip out of your hands
- it picks of all kinds of dust and lint out of your pockets and hands
- not as visually appealing

hard..
- solid feel
- smooth case, has slipped out of my hands!!!
- looks great! in the rubberized hard case. Hard case also comes in different graphics
- top part of case is very thin and can break if you remove it often.... which i have!

 

[jersey221]

i personally like hard cases i think they have better protection the case i have is by bodyglove i got it at the sprint store the day i got my phone link= Sprint - All Accessories

its a good case it doesnt add to much bulk it has a good feel and texture wont slip out of your hand it protects the screen a little cause if you lay it screen down on the table it wont touch the table...usb port volume rocker and headphone jack are easy to use the case is easy to take off and on the speakers on the back are also open here are some pics of my phone with it.....

 

[hempwallace]

I got my horizontal leather holster/case from Sprint (it's a universal size. I also use a hard shell case that I got from Amazon, it's a cheap one made by Amzer. I think it was $12. I don't use a screen protector since I keep it in the leather case.

 

[acp]

does anyone own a silicone case or any black one piece case that isn't a dust collector? I had one for my iphone, it was all black and it was a hard rubber instead of silicone, it was a perfect case. I can't seem to find anything similar for the hero.

 

[thatjerk]

does anyone own a silicone case or any black one piece case that isn't a dust collector? I had one for my iphone, it was all black and it was a hard rubber instead of silicone, it was a perfect case. I can't seem to find anything similar for the hero.

I got the htc branded silicone case from BestBuy. It does collect a little dust but the dust wipes away easily. It also adds very little bulk and I can easily remove my phone if needed. I recommend it.

I have not seen a hard rubber case similar to the silicone cases... maybe you can fabricate one from a old tire? Lol. (I think I actually saw someone do this for a iTouch somewhere...)

 

[acp]

lol @ old tire

I'll have to check bestbuy..I have a clear silicone one, but it doesn't look as nice as black.

 

[Moe2005]

Seidio Innocase FTW!!!

 

[acp]

I returned the seido case for a refund, I didn't like the sharp edges around the openings for the usb port and volume rocker. I could feel the edges every time I was using the phone and I also didn't like the fact that the left (while looking at the screen) part of the case didn't align perfectly, so I could see some of the gray showing compared to the right side where all you see is black. $30 for a case that doesn't fit perfectly, **** that.

I like the silicone or rubber cases because they cover the volume rocker, which makes the phone look a bit sleeker and you don't have the extra openings.

 

[TheBiles]

Innocell 1750mAh Slim Extended Life Battery

This is what I want to get my hands on!