It has been just about a year since the first Google Android device launch on a US carrier, the T-Mobile G1. It seems to me that adoption of Android has been quite slow by US carriers, but Sprint came through in a big way with the upcoming HTC Hero device that is the best Android device on the market. It has better features than the Apple iPhone and is my recommendation for a Sprint customer looking for a functional touchscreen device.
The back is silver with soft touch covering so you can grip the device with no worries.
I love that HTC keeps using the miniUSB port on their devices for charging and connection to your PC.
There is a volume toggle bar on the upper left side of the Hero.
The entire back comes off to reveal the battery and access to the microSD card slot.
Here you can see the back cover does need to come off to access the microSD card.
The send and end keys are small, yet distinct on the bottom panel. A large white trackball is present for easy navigation on the device.
There is some branding on the front above the display.
Here is a shot of a fairly standard home screen view with widgets and shortcuts.
HTC includes their own Twitter application called Peep.
Sprint premium services are included on the Hero.
You can see a number of applications loaded on the HTC Hero.
Thankfully, Sprint and TeleNav include the outstanding Sprint Navigation application and service on the Hero.
I enjoy following NFL football and it is enjoyable on the HTC Hero with this Sprint service.
Sprint also includes their NASCAR application for following the latest racing news.
HTC has several of their own applications included as well, including Footprints.
The Scenes provided by HTC allow you to have multiple custom home screens that you can easy switch to with just a couple of taps.
Here you can see another Scene that was setup by default on the device.
I can now enjoy The Office on the train into work thanks to Sprint TV.
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