[kcRickSS]

I've had my TP2 for almost a year now. My wife has a Hero. The obvious thing to consider is the Hero is already 1 year old, which is a LONG time tech-wise. It runs at 528Mhz by default and all the new phones are 1Ghz or better, so you are starting off behind the curve (by a LOT). I would get a newer phone than the Hero if I could afford it.

I just overclocked my wife's Hero last night and am waiting to see how much of an improvement it has (running at 768 Mhz). If you do get one you could do the same to improve speed.

FWIW, I recently overclocked my TP2 and am running the Cookie version of EnergyROM at 768Mhz and it has never run better. Very noticeable! The only issue is amount of memory, but that is just the way WM6.5.5 on the TP2 runs (not to mention that the Hero has similar problems).

I also am doing a dual-boot on my TP2 with XDAndroid, so I'm running both OS's (and both overclocked at 768Mhz). I find myself using Android quite a bit, but it is still not polished yet. Phone calls, SMS, gps, g-sensor (mostly) is working. No camera, no MMS, and no 3D acceleration...YET! And if you aren't gaming everything runs smooth. Even some of the games are OK without 3D acceleration, but they can be sluggish. So even though the battery is not great, almost all the features are working.

If you are handy with tech changes like ROM installs and modding, I would recommend trying EnergyROM and look into overclocking the TP2. If you are willing, the dual-boot option with XDAndroid is awesome, IMHO.

When I'm eligible for the discounted upgrade, I'll probably go to the Epic myself.

Good luck!