Discussion on:

Product Spotlight: HTC Hero

I know Cellular South is a regional carrier, but, their customer service at least tries to be helpful, doesn't rip you off($80 unlimited everything plan FTW), and has the same coverage map as Verizon Wireless. Plus, the phone is cheaper there($99 w/new 2 yr contract).

I own the GSM version and I reckon it's a great device. The UI is simply awesome.

Unfortunately I have to charge it every second day (at night). I try to run only necessary widgets on my desktop otherwise I may have to charge it every day. As soon as the battery drops to 30%, you better charge it. The sad thing is, by the time HTC releases the 2.1 firmware update and fix the messaging app, our batteries would have already been worn out due to frequent charges so we would need to get a new battery to start over to truly take advantage of this. I have turned off Weather widgets, RSS News Services, stock market widget, deleted my pop account hoping to squeeze more battery power.

Final impression? The HTC Hero is an awesome device, I love it, it's great, it does what I want.

Pros:
- Beautiful UI (Sense UI) and Beautiful Hardware Design
- Beautiful Widgets on Desktop
- Thousands of apps
- ActiveSync and POP Email support
- Ability to install non-market apps
- 7 home screens
- External speaker sound is acceptbly loud and crisp
- Soft keyboard is very user friendly with multiple predictions

Cons:
- Battery drains quick (hoping to be fixed with 2.1)
- Pinch & Zoom is sluggish/sticky (due to underpowered hardware I believe) and scrolling through web pages sometimes is sticky/sluggish.

Either con or pro:
- Soft Keyboard

download a task manager that kills tasks when you turn the screen off, direct from the Android marketplace and for free!

so your calling me smart?

Processor Qualcomm? MSM7200A?, 528 MHz

Operating System Android?

Memory ROM: 512 MB
RAM: 288 MB

Dimensions (LxWxT) 112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm ( 4.41 x 2.21 x 0.57 inches)

Weight 135 grams ( 4.76 ounces) with battery

Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320x480 HVGA resolution

Network HSPA/WCDMA:

*
900/2100 MHz
*
Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

*
850/900/1800/1900 MHz

(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)

Device Control Trackball with Enter button

GPS Internal GPS antenna

Connectivity Bluetooth? 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets

Wi-Fi?: IEEE 802.11 b/g

HTC ExtUSB? (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)

3.5 mm audio jack

Camera 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Audio supported formats MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media? Audio 9
Video supported formats MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media? Video 9

Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery

Capacity: 1350 mAh

Talk time:

*
Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA
*
Up to 470 minutes for GSM

Standby time:

*
Up to 750 hours for WCDMA
*
Up to 440 hours for GSM

(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot microSD? memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V

AC, 50/60 Hz

DC output: 5V and 1A

Special Features G-sensor
Digital Compass
Protective Coating * Treated with a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene

Although your pic looks like the inferior model:

http://www.htc.com/www/product/hero/product-tour.html

Unfortunately, Android devices do not support many critical security features for MS Exchange. This is a deal breaker for many IT organizations.