UK mobile phone reviews - HTC Hero Review

Your HTC Hero Reviews

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Reviewer: David Atkinson - Guildford, UK
Date: 16th Jun 2010

I have owned this since the beginning of the year. It is absolutely excellent. The integration with Google makes it resilient (I needed to do a factory reboot after sing a dodgy app. Google allows it to totally restore the address book from your online account, automatically & seamlessly (& for over 100 contacts, that is a seriously useful feature.
The phone itself is very usable, reasonable battery life, great camera (no flash) & very user friendly.

I love it & for me this is more appealing than the iPhone.

The Desire is bigger, quicker & in reality a step up from my Hero. The Desire knocks spots off the iPhone.

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Reviewer: Shona - Stirling, UK
Date: 29th May 2010

Had this phone for 7 months now. Brilliant. Easy to use, fast, the Android market is brilliant, only gripes that I have is that the camera's not great, needs a flash. & HTC haven't got off their bottoms & released the upgrade. I have Bluetooth on my phone & I can't use it. & Orange's signal is not too good.

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Reviewer: Luca - UK
Date: 3rd May 2010

I bought my Hero at the end of 2009 being reassured by the seller (three) & in various press articles that the android OS 2.1 was to be released imminently & would open up the market to newer & even better apps. But after a few weeks I noted that the update was needed to get the phone workable, e.g. my desktop win PC boots in less time than the HTC phone : (.

I've been watching all the rumours fly around about late March, April 16th, April 26th, early May & now June. June release date (the Google release was in late October & nexus Google HTC phone with android 2.1 was in early January).

Meanwhile on the HTC site there are NO clues as to what is happening or what might happen. It's still a good phone but I was very much hoping to use a few of the features of 2.1 & I couldn't be LESS impressed by HTC's attitude to keeping owners NOT informed about what's going on.

I have NO confidence in a June release & am beginning to suspect that HTC are allowing these constant rumours to circulate to keep people buying Hero's whilst never actually bothering to update them at all. Why should they, with so many new phones to sell coming on line?

In the end, this is the first, last & only HTC phone I purchased. No more HTC for me.

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Reviewer: Myk - Derbyshire, UK
Date: 1st May 2010

Had this phone from Orange & had my fair share of problems since getting it in December 2009. Very very poor reception with Orange & have complained to them on more than ten occasion with no prevail.

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Reviewer: Steve Soper - UK
Date: 3rd Apr 2010

Had this as a upgrade on the BT Anywhere plan.

In short, what a dismal phone, all the reviews claim it to be an iPhone killer! Utter rubbish! Don't bother!

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Reviewer: Jane - UK
Date: 31st Mar 2010

I am writing on the behalf of my husband, who is far too busy to write a review but has time to chat continuously about his HTC Hero Smartphone.

He has owned this phone for over 6 months & is very happy with his decision to get the Hero, it is the first HTC phone in our house & we were all impressed by its design & looks. Loved the HTC Sense interface & great apps available.

But & only a small BUT, the battery on this phone is causing problems as my husband can't even get 1 days usage from a fully charged battery, is anyone else experiencing this problem? Please let us know.

We would recommend HTC to all our friends & to you, so much better to different & not following the iPhone band wagon.

Enjoy your Hero, Jane.

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Reviewer: Duncs - UK
Date: 3rd Feb 2010

This is a phone for someone that loves to fiddle & make it theirs. Since getting this phone, I am never off it. I considered the iPhone but I am not a big Apple fan so for anyone wanting something as interesting & works similar to the iPhone this is your phone. But if you're not one to fiddle & prefer a phone that's intuitive & ready to go from the second you get it then the iPhone is for you.

Greatest aspects are.

- Apps are just as good as the iPhone (though games tend to be better on the iPhone).

- You can use more than one program at a time, I can listen to music, use maps, browser, & have a few apps running all at the same time (it does slow it sometimes but not to the point you want to throw the phone or anything).

- HTC Sense is amazing, I think if I upgrade my phone anytime soon I might skip the Nexus one & go for the HTC passion, bravo as it will have HTC Sense but basically be the same phone.

Not so great issues, the camera during the day its not to bad but I wouldn't rely on it as a great camera, especially at night & the interface is not the greatest as it uses on screen touch to focus on a point you choose but you need to use the track ball to take the photo, this often creates fuzzy photo's & kind of goes against Androids one handed use policy. But hey the phone rocks & the camera is OK. & in the end, it is a phone right.
Apps are saved on the phone storage & the only way around this is to root your phone, an annoying issue for people that aren't that knowledgeable about this process, & really for something of this calibre, I would expect the phone creators to sort it out.

Battery life, will last you a day easily but it does start to get in the red after a day's use (especially with my use of the Internet).

All in all an amazing phone with lots of function & great ability to personalise even to the point you can have more than one browser on your phone (try dolphine a great alternative to the native one running on the Hero, Firefox is suppose to release a browser for Android soon too) too. Highly recommend it.

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Reviewer: Viraj - UK
Date: 1st Jan 2010

I have been using this phone since August 2009 & I simply love it. Apart from the curve in the design, which I don't like, it has everything that an ideal phone should have.

I have seen people complaining about the slow response time, but I have not seen the problem (it will obviously slowdown if you keep all the programs & widgets in the world running in the background!)

I am happy with the camera results too. & the market is just great!

Love it all.

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Reviewer: David Plumb - Cheshire, UK
Date: 13th Dec 2009

Important notices first.

- Make sure to calibrate the QWERTY keyboard straight away. I was going to get rid of this phone purely because the typing was rubbish, but after a quick one sentence typing calibration it suddenly didn't seem that bad. Shame you can only seem to do this with the compact (portrait) keyboard as the landscape one would make for far faster two thumb typing. It does try & guess what you want with fair accuracy so you can select long words from the auto complete bar.

- I can take videos but can't edit them. This seems odd as my previous phone Samsung u900 soul could, & the big rival in the iPhone can do this.

- Had problems sending text messages. If I tried sending a different message then it worked fine so it wasn't the operators or signals fault. Downloaded chomp SMS app which seems to do the job when the main app fails,

- The shape. The bend at the bottom makes it harder to get generic cases to fit so you have to hunt down specially made ones (eBay or Amazon it is).

- When you get this phone make sure you check for updates to android & HTC stuff on the website. The first major update transformed the phones speed when scrolling through menus, removing one of the phones initial drawbacks against the iPhone. Also make sure to get app killer as this will stop things from running at your command. You can also get droid wall app to stop things using your Wi-Fi or 3G connection without permission.

- You will find plenty of apps that force close or have other problems.

- The camera is alright but had no wow factor to me, having said that I have not really taken anything in proper daylight yet.

Right, now the good stuff.

This phone should be less than £300 now, making it a feature filled alternative to the iPhone. The Wi-Fi works great, touch screen Internet with finger scrolling & pinch to zoom works great. GPS is slow but works, & combined with co pilot software (£30 or less) means you have turn by turn sat nav. By downloading the app installer app you can install files from the micro SD card, thus bypassing marketplace if you want to install something otherwise not available. I have had an MSN app that allows me to use my normal MSN login to chat to PC users. I have also played divx/xvid files on the phone using yxflash app. Great for when I am bored. Accelerometer changes the orientation for most things just by turning the phone. It can even turn maps to suit the compass direction.

This is written after a few days use. It is a great phone especially if the apps side interests you. It's just that it's a hard choice between this & the iPhone, overall the iPhone might wing it simply through sheer numbers, thus getting more support, apps, accessories & media. I am just waiting to see if android 2.1 perks up the phone a little more.

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Reviewer: Matt Are - London, UK
Date: 3rd Nov 2009

I debated between this phone & the other Smart phones currently out there as a recent upgrade & I have to say I think I made the right choice.

I didn't hold out for the iPhone on Orange for 2 reasons. Firstly, I hate anything made by Mac & secondly this phone uses Android an open source OS unlike Macs continued approach towards their uniqueness that whilst it may look cook continues to be there downfall. Best looking car that only works on 2% of roads.

So, as a lifelong Nokia user swapping to something different was going to be odd. But within a day the OS was very familiar & very user friendly. The basic manual is a bit naff but if providing you are not a totally silly you can figure out what you need & there is a pdf full manual on the card to look at.

The screen is fantastic. The touch response is excellent & Android has a multitude of apps (widgets) that easily equal Macintosh. More importantly being open source. It will provide many more that will push the OS quicker than Macintosh ever will, & with Google behind it you know things will move fast & develop fast.

Anyone that is holding out on Orange for a iPhone I'd recommend don't.

I have not had a single problem with this phone. The keyboard is excellent. The user friendliness is fantastic. & really impressively the way you can personalise the massive homepage that scrolls over 6 screens if amazing.

I would recommend this phone to anyone considering an upgrade & especially those on Orange waiting on the looming iPhone. Good Luck.

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Reviewer: Gerard - Ireland
Date: 1st Nov 2009

Can't fault it. Has all the swishy goodness that your iPhone friends tend to show off at every chance. Great OS comes alive with the great Sense UI from HTC. I was a long time Nokia user before moving to the Hero & I felt a bit of regret in the first hour but everything just clicks. Every setting, is no more than 3 taps away from your home screen. It's all highly customizable too which is a bonus.

Most of you looking at this phone will be choosing this or the iPhone I suspect. Save a bunch & grab this.

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Reviewer: Bert - Bryden, UK
Date: 22nd Oct 2009

I came from a Sony Ericsson P990i early touch phone to the Hero, it was like the future suddenly zoomed forward, this phone does all it promises & all my friends are very jealous, the one thing I am getting used to is the onboard keyboard my fingers are one size down from the biggest ring size so a bit of room between keys would have been an advantage, saying that I am getting used to it, better than sliced bread the apps just keep coming & coming, if you cannot find something that suits you then you are not trying.

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Reviewer: Julie - Worcester, UK
Date: 20th Aug 2009

I was in two minds whether to go for the new Apple iPhone 3Gs, Samsung Jet or the HTC Hero & spent many hours researching reviews. Suffice to say, I've definitely made the right choice in choosing the Hero! Screen clarity is brilliant & the touchscreen is incredibly responsive. Wi-fi is a doddle to set up & so Internet browsing is much quicker than I expected it to be. The bonus for me is the option to use either keypad or qwerty style keyboard for texting. There are so many apps that I've yet to discover exactly everything that this phone does & has to offer. It did take me a few hours to become accustomed to it seeing as it's the first touchscreen phone I've owned. Battery life seems fair depending on how much you use it. Camera is good although it is missing the flash, but if I wanted fanastic photos I'd use my Panasonic, but it's good enough for standard photo taking for say uploading to web. My only minor gripes so far is the Bluetooth does not seem to accept or connect to another device, although it discovers other devices, there doesn't seem to be an option to Bluetooth a photo to another phone or vice versa, so it's slap on the wrist for HTC unless I am doing something wrong? & the other thing, why have HTC not put the anti-fingerprint screen protector on the graphite or brown versions? Otherwise, those little gripes apart, I am absolutely loving this phone!

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Reviewer: Dave - UK
Date: 15th Aug 2009

Well let's get one thing straight. Those who write negative views about the phone probably haven't spent a few hours setting the phone up. This phone is absolutely brilliant & I come from having owned an iPhone, HTC diamond, Nokia 5800 & Nokia N97.

I have put about 6 to 8 apps on the phone free from the android market & it has transformed the phone where it let itself down a bit. More & more apps are coming out & making the phone usability better & better.

Chomp SMS is marvellous, the voice activated Google app is spot on so no need to type anything & the shortcuts are blisteringly quick.

The battery life is not bad I can get a day & a half out of it but I am constantly playing with it.

Beautiful display which is definitely on par with the iPhone for legibility outside in the sunlight.

Yes the camera is a bit poor but it really is OK for quick snaps & sending on social sites etc. Now & then it produces a really good picture with great depth.

I can't wait for the first firmware update which should bring more goodies to the table.

Excellent phone & graphite brown is the best colour by far. If you get one just spend a bit of time & play with it & get it set up properly. Google android websites & there is loads of stuff which helps.

Enjoy.

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Reviewer: Russ - Nottingham, UK
Date: 13th Aug 2009

WOW, looks great, the user interface (which is the software you user, touch, interact with) works a treat & looks awesome. A pleasure to use, although it took me a few hours to do most functions. The best part is if you don't like ANY of the software eg, the screens when you send texts, the way it stores your no's. Etc you can change it, I wouldn't at the moment but I could.

Android is great & the amount of apps is massive & growing everyday, much better than iPhone apps.

Only downside, like all smartphones it occasionally takes 2 seconds to do something & the battery gets drained because I am playing with it all the time!

Great phone get one!

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Reviewer: James - UK
Date: 6th Aug 2009

I so wanted to like this phone, the reviews on usability etc sounded good & as a heavy Gmail user I was looking forward to great Gmail integration (including Gmail calendar, tasks & docs).

But after some time playing with this I decided this is not the phone for me. These are the things that really put me off.

- The back button is on the far right. It's a key I was using a lot but using it is very awkward, my thumb felt like it was going to get cramps (it's fine for left handed people- not for right handers).
- The calendar has a month view & a day view. Where's the week view! This seems such a basic thing to leave out. Maybe there's a third party app.
- Adding an appointment. Even if you add basic details you have to scroll down to get to the 'add' button which is right at the bottom.
- The shape is too rectangular for me & it didn't fir so neatly into my pocket as I was hoping.
- Quick office is view only.
- Allows Gmail to work offline, for emails (like most phones). But there's nothing extra to link the calendar to your Gmail, Calendar. & forget linking to your Gmail tasks offline.

On the plus side.
- The screen display is nice.
- It seems responsive.
- Predictive text is pretty reasonable (I prefer the iPhone approach).
- Camera is 5megapixels (even though it lacks a flash & some of the features you get on proper camera phones).

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Reviewer: Steve - UK
Date: 30th Jul 2009

I NEED A HERO by Bonnie Tyler comes to mind every time I pick up my new phone, I am showing my age here, a great name for a phone though. It an awesome Smartphone, Have you seen the weather application on this phone? I admit you need to spend some time playing with it but it is really a pleasurable experience & spending a little time gives you time to really fall in love with your new phone, only had mine for two days but so far it's a great Smartphone & I am an ex Blackberry & iPhone user. I am recommending HTC to all my colleagues. Enjoy the UI, beautifully designed.

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Reviewer: Captain Kristoff - UK
Date: 9th Jul 2009

The lack of any worthwhile on board storage is a massive massive disappointment, I was seriously considering this handset until I saw the best I could get memory wise is 16 gigabytes & that's at the cost of an extra £45 for the card. Such a shame.



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