HTC has led the Android onslaught right from the get go with the pioneering HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1 phone. Now, they are once again unveiling yet another Android phone, the HTC Hero.
It's specs are pretty much similar to the HTC Magic, but ups the ante with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, Adobe Flash support, and improved battery life. Furthermore, the HTC Hero also debuts their new HTC Sense UI, a GUI overlay for the Android platform that works the same way as TouchFLO 3D does for Windows Mobile. This provides the much needed personalization and style to differentiate HTC Android phones from the rest of the Android fleet.
Another notable feature included in the HTC Hero is Scenes, a customizable set of profiles that lets users switch between various interfaces either for work or play. There’s also a dedicated search button that functions like Spotlight helping users find contacts, emails, app, and a whole lot of other stuff with just one press of a button. Last, but certainly not the least, the body of the HTC Hero is coated with Teflon for added protection dust and grime, and also provide a soft feel for better grip. This is the first time we've heard a mobile phone being coated with Teflon, and if it proves to be a hit, it probably won't be the last as well.
The full specs as provided by BGR are as follows:
• 3.2″ HVGA capacitive touchscreen
• 5.0 megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor
• 512 RAM / 288 ROM
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band 7.2Mbps HSPA/WCDMA
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR + A2DP
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microSD
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• GPS
• Digital compass
• Gravity sensor (probably just another term for accelerometer)
• 112mm x 56.2mm x 14.35mm, 135g
• 1350 mAh battery
• 420 minutes talktime / 750 hours standby (WCDMA)
The HTC Hero is expected to hit Europe starting next month with the Asian market getting theirs thereafter. As far as the North American market is concerned, no definite date was given, but it’ll most likely happen much later after Asia gets their share of HTC Hero goodness first.
