What the heck? A reader sends in this image of his HTC Hero. It apparently changed color as it began to heat up. Insanity.

As I changed from a 1st gen iPhone to an HTC Hero I was very satisfied with it. Until it started getting very hot and turned into a redish color as well. While HTC told me to send it in, which I did on March 7, and they will replace the chasis I still dont have it back. As I was thinking about the Desire or Evo 4G I am really sad about the way how HTC treads their customers. So, I might wait for the iPhone 4G now.
6:16 So, while blogging about all the “cool gadgets” we should buy, can you be the voice for us as well and maybe post this?

Has anyone else seen this? The reader sent his in but HTC still hasn’t sent it back.

It took me a while to review an HTC Hero, now known as the predecessor to the Google Nexus One. The summary? Pretty fast and responsive, and the PDA phone benefits from HTC’s customization of the Android OS. But some issues with the speaker volume, integrated camera, and a lack of a physical keyboard were encountered. It’s still worth the price however:

…the HTC Hero is definitely a phone for those who want everything in one neat package. For those who have money to spend and want to get things done away from the computer, it’s worth the price.

You can read my complete review here.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

First released last July in Europe, the HTC Hero is the maker’s third phone built for the Android platform. The slightly slanted touch-screen phone packs quite a punch with a tremendously comprehensive feature set—which includes HSPA-capability. Geeks most likely know it as the predecessor to the long-awaited HTC Passion, rumored to be AKA Google’s Nexus One.

So yes, you know about the HTC Magic. But I bet you’re not from the Philippines, and thus wondering who Bianca King is, and what “Filipina” (what you call women from the Philippines apparently) means. Despite starring in the recent flop Wapakman—which also proved Manny Pacquiao definitely performs better as a boxer than a box-office draw—King remains one of the most attractive Filipinas basking in the local limelight.

Attractive enough that HTC Philippines decided to tap her as an endorser apparently. Ok fine, I’m simply looking for an excuse to post pictures of her, so here she is making a living:

And here are some of her other media appearances:

What I do wonder though is if HTC Philippines is simply wasting money, as the Nexus One is working up geeks all over the world—even in the Philippines—into a lather. Maybe enough that local buyers will simply ignore King’s pretty face and just wait until the Nexus One hits the street?

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Sprint isn’t doing itself any favors recently by breaking retail’s first rule: Customers are dumb, so don’t give them choices. But now at Sprint, consumers must decide between the Palm Pre, the BlackBerry Tour, and $179 (after $100 MIR & 2-year agreement) the Android-powered HTC Hero. I mean, they’re making it awful hard on customers these days by offering more than one must-have phone.

It’s so much easier to choose a phone down at the AT&T store because your options are only the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS. And Verizon only has the BlackBerry Tour. But damn, Sprint has three of the hottest phones with the Android-packing Samsung Moment and Palm Pixi coming out real soon too. Come on, Sprint, stop embarrassing AT&T and VZW with all the cool phones you have. No one likes a show-off.

Take the most daring Android phone yet, but make it faster, stronger and better (but blander). You have the Sprint take on the HTC Hero, which happens to be the best Android phone you can buy.

I said the original version of the Hero was “daring” and “ambitious, but tragically flawed.” (Read that review first.) If it was Batman, the Sprint Hero is Superman: Nearly perfect, but goddamn boring. HTC has taken the striking, aggressive angles of Hero v1 and flattened them out into a rounded, far more generic looking phone. It’s not hideous, but it’s lost its power to captivate as a geek fetish object.

Everything else about this version of the phone is better: The software, which is exactly the same content-wise on the HTC front as the first Hero, has been seriously optimized, so it doesn’t suffer show-stopping slowdowns anymore, even with a full set of HTC’s widgets running. Speedwise overall, it’s about the same as a G1 running the stock Android OS—bearable, but not exactly a blitzkrieg. (The iPhone 3GS is way faster, to compare.)

Interestingly, while HTC says the hardware is exactly the same—except for the CDMA chips to get it on Sprint’s network, obviously—there are some differences we noticed. The screen, while the same size, actually seems to look a little bit better on the Sprint model. Not worlds better, but if you look close, the difference is there. The colors are a bit more saturated, the viewing angle a little wider. Also, it’s got a bigger battery: 1500 mAh, compared to 1350 before. The bigger trackball is a plus, since it takes less thumb movement to get around, meaning less carpal tunnel problems in the future.

And, while it’s very possibly firmware at play, the 5MP camera shoots, on average, about twice as fast as the first Hero, and the metering in low light seems to be way better, too. Both of the shots above were taken using the same settings on each phone, with the old Hero running the original firmware it shipped with. (Still not great, but better.)

The only real new bits, software-wise, are a handful of pretty standard Sprint apps: Sprint Navigation, NFL Mobile Live, Nascar, SprintTV and Device Self-Service. Everything else, from the keyboard to the multitouch browser looks the same, just faster (and in the case of Flash in the browser, more reliable too, since we could actually watch videos this time around). Which is dandy, since HTC’s Sense UI, with its multiple desktops, social networking integration, widgets for weather, Twitter, settings and other enhancements, made Android great.

The real power of this Hero is that the best Android phone you can buy—it’s everything good we said about the first Hero, but with our biggest complaint, speed, fixed—is on Sprint and its solid 3G network—making it the first U.S. Android phone outside of T-Mobile—and it’s $180. Plus, the required Sprint Everything now has free calling to any mobile number, not a bad perk.

The princess might not kiss this Hero because it’s kinda ugly, but at least it’ll actually get the job done now. If you’ve been waiting for an Android phone not on T-Mobile, or one that’s finally just about ready for primetime, this is it.

HTC’s Sense UI makes Android way more usable and adds useful features like social networking integration


Almost all of original Hero’s problems are fixed


Android kinks, like no easy way to update all apps, meh store interface aren’t polished over


Jumbo trackball and more logical front placement marred by cheap front plate


Hardware blobbified into something boring and dull, not daring and awesome


Still not as polished as iPhone or Palm Pre
[Sprint]

Best Buy has our backs. No one likes mail-in rebates and so the retailer is going to sell the Sprint HTC Hero for $180 out the door with a two-year blood oath.

Sprint Stores however will sell it too you for $280 and hand you a $100 MIR. But just like with the Palm Pre, you’re not going to have to deal with those shenanigans at Best Buy Mobile who is also the exclusive retailer to have the HTC Hero. So yeah, why would you buy one at a Sprint Store?

Best Buy®Mobile Will Sell HTC Hero™ Smartphone in Stores Beginning October 11

Best Buy Mobile will apply rebate savings for the new smart phone at the point of purchase to help customers avoid the hassles of mail-in rebates.

MINNEAPOLIS, September 3, 2009 – Best Buy Mobile, now in all 1,044 Best Buy locations as well as 48 standalone stores around the U.S., is the exclusive national retailer for the much anticipated Sprint HTC Hero™ smart phone, which launches October 11. The HTC Hero runs on Google’s innovative Android operating platform.

Customers who purchase the smart phone at Best Buy Mobile can avoid the hassle of mail-in rebates with instant savings applied at the point of purchase. The phone will retail for $179.99, after $150 instant savings, with two-year activation.

“We want to bring the absolute best mobile technology that we can to our customers and the HTC Hero helps us do that” said Best Buy Mobile President Shawn Score. “The addition of the HTC Hero to our already extensive assortment allows our customers the convenience of comparing this new phone with other popular smart phones, such as the iPhone 3Gs, Palm Pre and Blackberry Tour, side-by-side and under one roof.”

Best Buy Mobile has become a leading destination for smart phone purchases, in part because of the promises the store offers its customers: better choice of phones and networks; impartial, informed advice; straightforward pricing; and someone to be there for the life of the phone.

In addition to the instant savings, Best Buy Mobile offers an array of services aimed at improving the mobile phone buying experience, including:

§ Upgrade Checker: A quick and easy in-store service that gives customers the ability to see when they are eligible for their next phone upgrade. When the upgrade time is nearing, customers receive a complimentary reminder call or email.

§ Walk Out Working™: Free in-store smart phone setup by a Best Buy Mobile Phone Specialist who will sync personal email accounts, set up Bluetooth® headsets, transfer contacts and activate other services to allow the customer to leave the store with a fully functional new smart phone.

The new HTC Hero runs on the Sprint network and is the first phone to feature HTC Sense™ – an intuitive, seamless interface experience built on the principles of personalization, connectivity and discovery. HTC Hero lets users view important content at a glance with a selection of customizable widgets that can be placed right on the home screen. Contacts’ information is easily accessible with all text exchanges, email conversations, Facebook status updates, Flickr photo albums and phone logs, neatly organized by contacts’ names. The integrated Flash player optimizes the HTC Hero for Web browsing while a dedicated search button provides for a more natural, contextual search experience that enables searches through Twitter, contacts, emails and in any other area in the smart phone.

About Best Buy Mobile

Best Buy Mobile features one of the largest selections of carriers, handsets and accessories available anywhere, as well as a highly-trained staff to help customers make the most of their mobile phones. Best Buy Mobile locations feature more than 90 different handsets from nine carriers, and over 130 accessories. Employees undergo at least 80 hours of intensive training, as well as continuing education on mobile phone technology and trends. Look for your mobile phone solution at Best Buy Mobile locations in every Best Buy store as well as in standalone stores nationwide.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five
Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, we donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.