Definitely considering a HTC hero - Page 5

LeperousDust · 01-08-2009, 12:33

Arg, Daz i already have gadget envy now

*******

I'm next in queue to play later, i think i'll give this wedding lark i've been invited to a miss...

Mark · 03-08-2009, 15:33

Didn't play much. I don't like playing with people's phones in case I break something important, which is why I didn't. There is one place I do regret not looking though - the People screen. I think I have a way to cover that by another visit to an Orange store (local one should do).

Quick question for Daz - are there any options for tweaking the layout of the all programs screen? Icons there seemed a little on the small side from what I recall.

Mark · 03-08-2009, 22:23

Daz, FYI, in return for help.

The reason all the apps you found in Android Marketplace are free is simple. It's a 'feature'. Most paid apps weren't/aren't listed on some HTC Hero phones...

http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/71...s-problem.html

Daz · 03-08-2009, 22:30

Thanks for that Mark, I'll look into it

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

Quick question for Daz - are there any options for tweaking the layout of the all programs screen? Icons there seemed a little on the small side from what I recall.

Yep, from that screen just press 'Menu' and you can toggle it to a list view, one app per line, pretty big

SDK remote screen capture is handeh.

Mark · 03-08-2009, 22:46

Will find another in store and check out the notification list. It's the same font as most of the other lists (e.g. People), so if I can manage it there I can manage it elsewhere.

The font used for many of the widgets on the home screen is a bit small for my liking but that doesn't bother me at all because I'll lay it out the way I want and learn the layout. That's how I've always done it and would be similar to what I'd do on the 3GS, so it's no bother.

If I can get the accessibility issues sorted out, then the raison d'etre of the 3GS accessibility options goes away somewhat and with it one of the main planks of my reasoning for getting a 3GS.

Daz · 14-09-2009, 11:22

Just thought I'd post a little update after having it for a little while now.

Really getting on with the phone very well, such an improvement after being on WinMo for so long. The initial niggles have all been solved now (some apps missing off market, lag issues in the ui) - after the latest firmware update it feels like a new phone performance wise. Tethering works out of the box with Karmic (and I presume Jaunty, it looks to use the same rndis driver), same as my old WinMo device. Dont need that stick after all so I'm very happy about that.

I ended up selling my soul to Google a bit - they now host my mail and calendar. I'd been considering it for a while anyway - simply because they're much more Linux friendly than Exchange/MAPI was - the main kick up the ass was that the Google Mail app is so much better than HTC's stock mail app. I got the Exchange stuff working fine in the end, I just prefer the mail experience using Googles own stuff.

The Android Market isn't as rich as Apple's App Store, but there's a wider array of apps. Apps to do things on rooted phones for instance aren't blocked at all. Flashing the firmware was an absolute doddle, can easily get a remote shell, can change anything I want to without issue or resistance... and I haven't actually rooted it. It's like a jailbroken iPhone without having to jailbreak it - which is exactly why I wanted it in the first place, I hate any sort of resistance from my kit.

It does have a couple of killer apps, my favourite being Locale. You can alter various settings of the phone (ringer, wallpaper, theme, brightness etc) based on various conditions (time of day, day of week/month/year, battery capacity, calls from certain people, actual location based on asissted GPS). So things like, automatically put the phone on silent when in work, only ring overnight for your missus, that kind of thing. It has a plugin architecture though which is genius. Google wrote one for the Android Scripting Environment, meaning you can trigger your own scripts on events. There's a Wake-On-Lan plugin, which I used to turn my PC on when I get home (dont actually use that, just wanted to play

)

It does suck as a music player though. Pretty much any media software on the laptop will detect and sync music/videos/podcasts to the phone so I dont want for anything there, but the bundled music app needs to be a lot slicker, far too basic and not very intuitive. Gap in the market for a really good player. Servicable though, and I dont use it very often as a media player. It does have an unofficial iPlayer app though which works very well - I can watch Top Gear while taking a dump

Oh, and the browser is fabulous. A very happy customer, would deal again, A++++

Davey_Pitch · 14-09-2009, 11:40

Good review, sounds like an awesome phone. I must admit to being very very tempted to get that instead of my iPhone, but the music and video player on the iPhone won for me as that's a big part of what I use on my phone. When it comes to renew my contract I'll definitely be considering one of these, especially given how mature the platform should be by then.

Mark · 14-09-2009, 11:41

Glad you're liking it. The only thing that put me off was the inability to customise it whatsoever to allow for my eyesight (beyond the browser, of course). If it wasn't for that, I undoubtedly would have got one, but it wasn't to be. I've discovered that I get on just fine without the accessibility options on the iPhone, but I think the fonts are better to start with. Android will get there, and it probably will get me as a customer - just not yet.

PS - I recently discovered my old (and unused) gmail account. Cleaned out the spam and it's good to go, so I'll be using that. Google got me too, I guess.

Daz · 14-09-2009, 11:56

I'm a lot happier with GMail, it's handy being able to aggregate the other accounts into one interface properly. It's also very mailing list friendly, being written by a bunch of geeks and all

If you know anyone with a Hero do encourage them to get the new firmware, the difference in performance is enormous. Tis a top quality geek phone that can be used by normo's happily

Just need PopCap to bring on Peggle now

mejinks · 14-09-2009, 12:55

The biggest problem with mine is the **** poor bluetooth implementation. It just doesn't work properly and was a half arsed attempt by the seem. I find myself using the app killer more and more and sometimes it will randomly go like treacle for 5 minutes and then "catch up" with all the key presses. Its annoying that I should have to work around these issues on a new phone when my 5 year old se950 does a much better job (other than having no wifi)

01-08-2009, 12:33	#41
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	Arg, Daz i already have gadget envy now ******* I'm next in queue to play later, i think i'll give this wedding lark i've been invited to a miss... __________________

03-08-2009, 22:23	#43
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Daz, FYI, in return for help. The reason all the apps you found in Android Marketplace are free is simple. It's a 'feature'. Most paid apps weren't/aren't listed on some HTC Hero phones... http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/71...s-problem.html Last edited by Mark; 03-08-2009 at 22:27.

14-09-2009, 11:22	#46
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	Just thought I'd post a little update after having it for a little while now. Really getting on with the phone very well, such an improvement after being on WinMo for so long. The initial niggles have all been solved now (some apps missing off market, lag issues in the ui) - after the latest firmware update it feels like a new phone performance wise. Tethering works out of the box with Karmic (and I presume Jaunty, it looks to use the same rndis driver), same as my old WinMo device. Dont need that stick after all so I'm very happy about that. I ended up selling my soul to Google a bit - they now host my mail and calendar. I'd been considering it for a while anyway - simply because they're much more Linux friendly than Exchange/MAPI was - the main kick up the ass was that the Google Mail app is so much better than HTC's stock mail app. I got the Exchange stuff working fine in the end, I just prefer the mail experience using Googles own stuff. The Android Market isn't as rich as Apple's App Store, but there's a wider array of apps. Apps to do things on rooted phones for instance aren't blocked at all. Flashing the firmware was an absolute doddle, can easily get a remote shell, can change anything I want to without issue or resistance... and I haven't actually rooted it. It's like a jailbroken iPhone without having to jailbreak it - which is exactly why I wanted it in the first place, I hate any sort of resistance from my kit. It does have a couple of killer apps, my favourite being Locale. You can alter various settings of the phone (ringer, wallpaper, theme, brightness etc) based on various conditions (time of day, day of week/month/year, battery capacity, calls from certain people, actual location based on asissted GPS). So things like, automatically put the phone on silent when in work, only ring overnight for your missus, that kind of thing. It has a plugin architecture though which is genius. Google wrote one for the Android Scripting Environment, meaning you can trigger your own scripts on events. There's a Wake-On-Lan plugin, which I used to turn my PC on when I get home (dont actually use that, just wanted to play ) It does suck as a music player though. Pretty much any media software on the laptop will detect and sync music/videos/podcasts to the phone so I dont want for anything there, but the bundled music app needs to be a lot slicker, far too basic and not very intuitive. Gap in the market for a really good player. Servicable though, and I dont use it very often as a media player. It does have an unofficial iPlayer app though which works very well - I can watch Top Gear while taking a dump Oh, and the browser is fabulous. A very happy customer, would deal again, A++++ __________________ apt-get moo

14-09-2009, 11:40	#47
Davey_Pitch I iz speshul Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Liverpool Posts: 6,296	Good review, sounds like an awesome phone. I must admit to being very very tempted to get that instead of my iPhone, but the music and video player on the iPhone won for me as that's a big part of what I use on my phone. When it comes to renew my contract I'll definitely be considering one of these, especially given how mature the platform should be by then. __________________ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

14-09-2009, 11:56	#49
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	I'm a lot happier with GMail, it's handy being able to aggregate the other accounts into one interface properly. It's also very mailing list friendly, being written by a bunch of geeks and all If you know anyone with a Hero do encourage them to get the new firmware, the difference in performance is enormous. Tis a top quality geek phone that can be used by normo's happily Just need PopCap to bring on Peggle now __________________ apt-get moo

03-08-2009, 15:33	#42
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Didn't play much. I don't like playing with people's phones in case I break something important, which is why I didn't. There is one place I do regret not looking though - the People screen. I think I have a way to cover that by another visit to an Orange store (local one should do). Quick question for Daz - are there any options for tweaking the layout of the all programs screen? Icons there seemed a little on the small side from what I recall.

03-08-2009, 22:46	#45
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Will find another in store and check out the notification list. It's the same font as most of the other lists (e.g. People), so if I can manage it there I can manage it elsewhere. The font used for many of the widgets on the home screen is a bit small for my liking but that doesn't bother me at all because I'll lay it out the way I want and learn the layout. That's how I've always done it and would be similar to what I'd do on the 3GS, so it's no bother. If I can get the accessibility issues sorted out, then the raison d'etre of the 3GS accessibility options goes away somewhat and with it one of the main planks of my reasoning for getting a 3GS.

14-09-2009, 11:41	#48
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Glad you're liking it. The only thing that put me off was the inability to customise it whatsoever to allow for my eyesight (beyond the browser, of course). If it wasn't for that, I undoubtedly would have got one, but it wasn't to be. I've discovered that I get on just fine without the accessibility options on the iPhone, but I think the fonts are better to start with. Android will get there, and it probably will get me as a customer - just not yet. PS - I recently discovered my old (and unused) gmail account. Cleaned out the spam and it's good to go, so I'll be using that. Google got me too, I guess.