HTC Hero smartphone

Product: HTC Hero
Website: www.htc/hero
Price: Depending on contract with T-Mobile and Orange

HTC is dominating the Android mobile arena, there's no two ways about it. Every handset running Google's mobile OS that's hit the shops has been from this Taiwanese outfit. Currently it seems to be knocking out an Android phone every couple of months, and doesn't appear to ease up on that rate anytime soon.

It's only been a short time since the last HTC Android handset hit the shelves - the Magic which arrived via Vodafone in the UK and will be coming to T-Mobile in the US soon.

The Hero differs greatly from the Magic in that it's the first to have its operating system significantly enhanced from Google's vanilla OS.

There are a few physical similarities to previous HTC Android-based phones, such as the distinct white colouring of the case, which HTC now builds from Teflon.

The overall design of the handset is more square than previous models. It's almost as if it has a masculine feel to it, whereas the HTC Magic had more of a feminine touch with its rounded edges and curves. Not that we're trying to be sexist in any way, but see the handsets side by side and you'll see what we mean.

The OS is more customisable than other Android devices. For example there are seven home screens/desktops to scroll through and each can house various applications, icons, widgets and themes.

Further, there are six possible profiles that can be chosen: one for work life and another set for personal profiles. Each can hold those seven different home screens making 42 different home screen combinations, whereas the Magic only had three possible screens.

HTC has interwoven a good twitter client into the OS, but what's easily over looked is the integration of Facebook. Whenever a contact is added to the phone their Facebook profile can also be linked. Events, photographs and other details are automatically seen on their contact page and even the contact icon or avatar for that person is taken from their Facebook profile.

At the base of a contact entry page are several icons, which when selected show all the various types of conversations had with that person. This list includes instant access to all the SMS, emails, status updates from Facebook and Flickr for each person.

The upcoming Palm WebOS has something similar, as does the INQ handset.

Web browsing on the Hero works well on most occasions and most sites we found, with multi touch ‘pinch and expand' zooming of pages possible much like in the Iphone. This wasn't around for the Magic, which has a rather cumbersome zoom.

Flash support is included for the first time and it works well. This opens up a new world for viewing pages and handling sites with video. It's disappointing Flash support was left out of earlier Android-based handsets, but what's even more disappointing is that it might not be backward-compatible for other mobiles.

In Short
The new user interface and functionality of the Hero stands head and shoulders over the vanilla OS that Google offers. If anything this will be the USP for this handset. We found it was better than all the Android phones we've seen of late and this could finally be the Google OS handset we've all been promised since last year.

HTC chief executive Peter Chou asked The INQ for our impressions of the Hero. We said HTC should licence the UI to other phone makers. We've heard the OS will at least be implemented in upcoming HTC Android phones.

The Good
Android handset, flash capable, ‘TouchFLO' UI

The Bad
Not able to update over the air; non-standard Google OS

The Ugly
Butch compared to the HTC Magic

Bartender's Report

9/10