HTC Hero
Encyclopedia
The HTC Hero is the third phone manufactured by the HTC Corporation for the Android platform, as part of the A series. Notably, it is the first phone of that series to feature a 3.5 mm audio jack, multi-touch
capability, the HTC Sense
user interface, and a "Lite" version of Adobe Flash
. The phone was announced on June 24, 2009 in London. It was released in Europe during July 2009, and in the U.S. via Sprint on October 11, 2009 and via Cellular South
on November 9, 2009. FCC documents surfaced to show that there would be a version of the HTC Hero supporting Rogers
and AT&T's bands for 3G, which was later released in Canada for Telus
's new HSPA+ network. The phone is available in the UK on Orange, 3, T-Mobile, BT Broadband Anywhere (MVNO), and SIM-free. In Australia it is available exclusively through retailer Harvey Norman
SIM-free.
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The Sprint
, Cellular South
, Cellcom
, Bluegrass Cellular, Ntelos
, and Cox Wireless
version of the HTC Hero is different from those that are sold in Asia, Canada and Europe. The outer body has been significantly altered, with the controversial "chin" that is present on the Asian, Canadian and European models being removed in favor of a smooth, beveled surface where all but two of the once raised buttons now lie flat. Also due to performance issues some of the clock animations were removed.
network on November 6, 2009. Pictures of Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt have been circulated showing him holding the Droid Eris after a press conference that announced an Android-centric partnership between Verizon and Google. The Verizon Wireless version, unlike the Sprint and GSM versions, features a proximity sensor.
The Eris was succeeded by HTC's Droid Incredible
in 2010.
HTC announced their intent to release an update for the Hero in the first half of 2010 that would upgrade the Android OS to version 2.1 while incorporating Sense. This news was released via Twitter
on December 17, 2009. Sprint further clarified on their own Twitter
that the 2.1 update would be released early in the second quarter of 2010.
had made a system update to Android version 2.1 publicly available for their Droid Eris. The Sprint Hero 2.1 update was released on 19 May 2010.
The update to 2.1 has been officially released on the HTC website for the Sprint (CDMA) version. On June 4, 2010, the Android 2.1 update for the GSM Hero was made available in Taiwan. On June 17, 2010, the first part of Europe was provided the update, the second part on June 28, 2010. The Worldwide English (WWE) version was released on June 28, 2010. HTC has suggested that they will not be updating the device further to version 2.2.
Though the 2.1 update has been officially released by HTC a few networks have refused to allow the Hero phones running on their networks to receive the update. Most notably Orange in Europe did not announce any officially update policy or guidance for the phone despite numerous requests for their customer base, until late July 2010. This proved to be so frustrating that a Facebook group was set up to try to gain more information from Orange and their lack of support for the HTC Hero. Nevertheless, on 28 July 2010, part 1 for the 2.1 update was released OTA (Over-The-Air) to Orange handsets. Three UK released the full 2.1 update OTA on 26 August 2010. The 2.1 update noticeably increases the browser speed and there appears to be an automatic closing of background apps as system resources diminish with increasing multitasking.
Telus had also refused to offer guidance or an update for their HTC hero. While initially slated for release in May 2010, by mid-August no update had yet been released to Telus customers. Furthermore, customer service at Telus complained that the fault lies with HTC. On the morning of 25 October 2010, Telus officially pushed down the Android 2.1 update to its clients.
drew the ire of many of its HTC Hero and Samsung Moment customers when it announced in June 2010 that it would be upgrading its Android devices to Android 2.2, but later corrected the statement to say that the upgrade would only be available for the HTC Evo. The criticism has been particularly fierce from those who purchased the Hero on 2-year contracts shortly before and even after Sprint effectively ended the upgrade lifespan of the phone. Widely-reported problems with Android 2.1 on the Hero have further fueled criticism among customers who feel Sprint has shirked its responsibility to acknowledge and fix confirmed problems with the device.
Separately, numerous groups have created custom ROMs for both the CDMA and GSM versions of the HTC Hero based on various versions of Android 2.1, including the popular "VillainROM", "CyanogenMod
", and others. Although there will not be an official version of Android 2.2 for the Hero, several separate groups have created functioning ROMs which include this. A popular Android 2.2 ROM for the GSM HTC Hero is FroydVillain. Android 2.3 has also been ported to the GSM HTC Hero by the popular aftermarket firmware creation team CyanogenMod. The final stable version 7.0 was released on April 10, 2011 and has been reported as fully operational, though not stable enough on the GSM version.
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
capability, the HTC Sense
HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a graphical user interface developed by HTC Corporation for mobile devices running Android, Brew and Windows Mobile.Based on the TouchFLO 3D design, HTC has referred to HTC Sense as both a user interface in itself and also as a user experience layer on top of TouchFLO 3D.Announced June...
user interface, and a "Lite" version of Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
. The phone was announced on June 24, 2009 in London. It was released in Europe during July 2009, and in the U.S. via Sprint on October 11, 2009 and via Cellular South
Cellular South
Cellular South Inc., doing business as C Spire Wireless, headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the eighth largest wireless provider in the United States. C Spire has approximately 900,000 customers in Mississippi, the Memphis Metropolitan Area, the Florida Panhandle, parts of Alabama...
on November 9, 2009. FCC documents surfaced to show that there would be a version of the HTC Hero supporting Rogers
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
and AT&T's bands for 3G, which was later released in Canada for Telus
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
's new HSPA+ network. The phone is available in the UK on Orange, 3, T-Mobile, BT Broadband Anywhere (MVNO), and SIM-free. In Australia it is available exclusively through retailer Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...
SIM-free.
US version
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, Cellular South
Cellular South
Cellular South Inc., doing business as C Spire Wireless, headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the eighth largest wireless provider in the United States. C Spire has approximately 900,000 customers in Mississippi, the Memphis Metropolitan Area, the Florida Panhandle, parts of Alabama...
, Cellcom
Cellcom
Cellcom may refer to:*Cellcom , a cellular service provider for Northeastern Wisconsin*Cellcom , a cellular service provider in Israel...
, Bluegrass Cellular, Ntelos
NTelos
nTelos is a wireless telecommunications company based in Waynesboro, Virginia, United States. nTelos is a provider of PCS services to customers.- Wireless services :...
, and Cox Wireless
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
version of the HTC Hero is different from those that are sold in Asia, Canada and Europe. The outer body has been significantly altered, with the controversial "chin" that is present on the Asian, Canadian and European models being removed in favor of a smooth, beveled surface where all but two of the once raised buttons now lie flat. Also due to performance issues some of the clock animations were removed.
Droid Eris
A modified version of the Hero, the HTC Droid Eris, was released on the Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
network on November 6, 2009. Pictures of Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt have been circulated showing him holding the Droid Eris after a press conference that announced an Android-centric partnership between Verizon and Google. The Verizon Wireless version, unlike the Sprint and GSM versions, features a proximity sensor.
The Eris was succeeded by HTC's Droid Incredible
Droid Incredible
The HTC DROID Incredible is a smartphone manufactured by HTC Corporation using the Android operating system. The DROID Incredible was released on April 29, 2010, and is available through Verizon Wireless only. The device is similar to the Sprint HTC Evo 4G...
in 2010.
HTC 2.1 Update Development
The HTC Hero is the first phone to feature HTC's own "Sense" software, which includes a customized user interface. There had been initial issues regarding lag on the device, however a firmware upgrade resolved the problem to some extent.HTC announced their intent to release an update for the Hero in the first half of 2010 that would upgrade the Android OS to version 2.1 while incorporating Sense. This news was released via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
on December 17, 2009. Sprint further clarified on their own Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that the 2.1 update would be released early in the second quarter of 2010.
HTC 2.1 Update Release and Carrier Issues
By May 14, 2010, Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
had made a system update to Android version 2.1 publicly available for their Droid Eris. The Sprint Hero 2.1 update was released on 19 May 2010.
The update to 2.1 has been officially released on the HTC website for the Sprint (CDMA) version. On June 4, 2010, the Android 2.1 update for the GSM Hero was made available in Taiwan. On June 17, 2010, the first part of Europe was provided the update, the second part on June 28, 2010. The Worldwide English (WWE) version was released on June 28, 2010. HTC has suggested that they will not be updating the device further to version 2.2.
Though the 2.1 update has been officially released by HTC a few networks have refused to allow the Hero phones running on their networks to receive the update. Most notably Orange in Europe did not announce any officially update policy or guidance for the phone despite numerous requests for their customer base, until late July 2010. This proved to be so frustrating that a Facebook group was set up to try to gain more information from Orange and their lack of support for the HTC Hero. Nevertheless, on 28 July 2010, part 1 for the 2.1 update was released OTA (Over-The-Air) to Orange handsets. Three UK released the full 2.1 update OTA on 26 August 2010. The 2.1 update noticeably increases the browser speed and there appears to be an automatic closing of background apps as system resources diminish with increasing multitasking.
Telus had also refused to offer guidance or an update for their HTC hero. While initially slated for release in May 2010, by mid-August no update had yet been released to Telus customers. Furthermore, customer service at Telus complained that the fault lies with HTC. On the morning of 25 October 2010, Telus officially pushed down the Android 2.1 update to its clients.
Android 2.2 Update (Froyo) and beyond
SprintSprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
drew the ire of many of its HTC Hero and Samsung Moment customers when it announced in June 2010 that it would be upgrading its Android devices to Android 2.2, but later corrected the statement to say that the upgrade would only be available for the HTC Evo. The criticism has been particularly fierce from those who purchased the Hero on 2-year contracts shortly before and even after Sprint effectively ended the upgrade lifespan of the phone. Widely-reported problems with Android 2.1 on the Hero have further fueled criticism among customers who feel Sprint has shirked its responsibility to acknowledge and fix confirmed problems with the device.
Separately, numerous groups have created custom ROMs for both the CDMA and GSM versions of the HTC Hero based on various versions of Android 2.1, including the popular "VillainROM", "CyanogenMod
CyanogenMod
CyanogenMod is an after-market replacement for the firmware of over sixty cell phones and Internet tablets. Based on the Android mobile computer operating system, it offers features and options not found in the official firmware distributed by vendors of these devices.Features supported by...
", and others. Although there will not be an official version of Android 2.2 for the Hero, several separate groups have created functioning ROMs which include this. A popular Android 2.2 ROM for the GSM HTC Hero is FroydVillain. Android 2.3 has also been ported to the GSM HTC Hero by the popular aftermarket firmware creation team CyanogenMod. The final stable version 7.0 was released on April 10, 2011 and has been reported as fully operational, though not stable enough on the GSM version.
See also
- List of HTC phones
- List of Android devices
- Comparison of smartphonesComparison of smartphones-Hardware and OS:-Networks and connectivity:...
- Comparison of Android devices
External links
- HTC Hero official website
- HTC Droid Eris product page
- HTC Hero features official video (computer animated)