Should I buy Sprint Hero?

[kkeller87]

hey everyone,

so i know there are a lot of threads out there that are similar to this one, however i feel that this will get all my questions answered much quicker than posting to individual threads.

Im currently with sprint and am currently eligible for a phone upgrade, as well as being in contract for another year regardless. I want something that runs android. Been running in as a secondary os on my diamond for a while but its got a long way to go yet. So I am leaning towards the sprints version of the hero.

here are my concerns/questions.

1. Android version.
so i know that the the hero is running a version behind the moto droid. however the sprint rep that i talked to today said that 2.1 is coming out within the next couple weeks. (true? or bologna?) He also told me that sprint was going to be offering updates either through the website, OTA downloads, or in-store. My concern is whether or not this man was credible or not. has anyone been able to update without messing stuff up?

2. visual voicemail was a HUGE +1 for me. Hows that working out for everyone?

3. Trackball
anyone thats every owned a blackberry will understand what im talking about. Trackballs, on bb's at least, are the source of problems and frustrations. I would know, i went through six of them.
Does the Hero's trackball have a lot of the same problems with dirt getting stuck in the inside and what not? and does it get ing looking with use?

4. capacitive screen
ive read that like the iphone, the hero can use the two-fingered pinch to zoom in/out. Ive also read that its not as smooth as the iphones. what are your thoughts?

5. Processor/RAM
Every review ive read says that the moto droid is faster than the hero. Is the hero noticeably slower? looking at the hero today it didnt seem slow to me at all, keep in mind im currently on a diamond.

6. Storage Space
Ive not gotten clear specs anywhere that will say how much device storage there is apart from the micro sd card. Anyone care to enlighten me? Does anyone get that annoying situation that i get on my diamond when it says its running low on device storage even though the only thing on there is the OS?

7. Battery Life
Someone please tell me its better than my Diamond's battery life. I have 2 batteries that I go through in a day even though i charge it throughout the day.



OK, so i will be watching this thread pretty much constantly until i decide what im going to do. Thanks in advance to anyone that can give their thoughts! ill try to post/reply as often as i can, as well as adding new questions as i think of them.

Thanks,
Kkeller87

[bradart]

Originally Posted by kkeller87

hey everyone,

so i know there are a lot of threads out there that are similar to this one, however i feel that this will get all my questions answered much quicker than posting to individual threads.

Im currently with sprint and am currently eligible for a phone upgrade, as well as being in contract for another year regardless. I want something that runs android. Been running in as a secondary os on my diamond for a while but its got a long way to go yet. So I am leaning towards the sprints version of the hero.

here are my concerns/questions.

1. Android version.
so i know that the the hero is running a version behind the moto droid. however the sprint rep that i talked to today said that 2.1 is coming out within the next couple weeks. (true? or bologna?) He also told me that sprint was going to be offering updates either through the website, OTA downloads, or in-store. My concern is whether or not this man was credible or not. has anyone been able to update without messing stuff up?

The officvial isn't out yet, but the 2.1 roms out right now are awesome, with just some minor hiccups. Hopefully it drops soon. We're hoping for the first half of april.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

2. visual voicemail was a HUGE +1 for me. Hows that working out for everyone?

It's great. Never had any issues with it.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

3. Trackball
anyone thats every owned a blackberry will understand what im talking about. Trackballs, on bb's at least, are the source of problems and frustrations. I would know, i went through six of them.
Does the Hero's trackball have a lot of the same problems with dirt getting stuck in the inside and what not? and does it get ing looking with use?

Had my hero since october, and the tracball has never even looked dirty. Works well all the time, every time.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

4. capacitive screen
ive read that like the iphone, the hero can use the two-fingered pinch to zoom in/out. Ive also read that its not as smooth as the iphones. what are your thoughts?

Depending on how you use your phone, its smooth. In the stock browser, with nothing running in the background (suck on that, iphone!) its butter.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

5. Processor/RAM
Every review ive read says that the moto droid is faster than the hero. Is the hero noticeably slower? looking at the hero today it didnt seem slow to me at all, keep in mind im currently on a diamond.

It runs extremely well and, having played with the higher-end devices, it is a little slower, but not enough for me to even care.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

6. Storage Space
Ive not gotten clear specs anywhere that will say how much device storage there is apart from the micro sd card. Anyone care to enlighten me? Does anyone get that annoying situation that i get on my diamond when it says its running low on device storage even though the only thing on there is the OS?

There are quite a few aps in the market and built into the phone that show you how much memory you have left. I would recommend use of those.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

7. Battery Life
Someone please tell me its better than my Diamond's battery life. I have 2 batteries that I go through in a day even though i charge it throughout the day.

The battery life is better than the diamond, vogue, and iphone. Its a beautiful thing.

Originally Posted by kkeller87

OK, so i will be watching this thread pretty much constantly until i decide what im going to do. Thanks in advance to anyone that can give their thoughts! ill try to post/reply as often as i can, as well as adding new questions as i think of them.

Thanks,
Kkeller87

Buy it. Now.

[kkeller87]

thanks bradart. I like what im hearing!

[highwayman1224]

I'd personally wait a few months to see if the supersonic is gonna be available & when. That's gonna be a sweet phone.

[gangmobb]

Being a former diamond owner the hero is beast. Great batt life. I txt constantly n play several games n high internet use! No lock UPS like the diamond at all and if yu choose between moment n hero, go with hero. The moment has very little support and slow progress in roms and what not. And trackball I don't use much but its been couple monyhs n its still clean looking and running perfect love this phone!

[piratedninja]

Originally Posted by highwayman1224

I'd personally wait a few months to see if the supersonic is gonna be available & when. That's gonna be a sweet phone.

i agree 100%
if you can, just wait a few more months, if the supersonic comes out, its going to be one hell of a phone.

I love the battery life on this hero, have been using it non stop the entire day almost 5/7 days a week and never had to worry about a dead battery because it really lasts forever! (even with it fetching emails from 4 different accounts every 5 minutes, as well as getting tweets every 5 minutes)

the trackball is really nice too, ive only had my hero for about a month but I have a friend who has had his since october and has never had any issues with the trackball.

+1 on the supersonic

[jye75]

Speaking to my Sprint Corporate guy, he hinted that something big was coming to Sprint in the near future with Android. That was all he could confirm for me at the time, as he was bound to silence otherwise. I asked if it was the rumored Supersonic, and he repeated that he couldn't say, but gave a little chuckle.

BTW, Sprint Corporate treats their customers well... I have two tickets to the Pistons/Pacers game next Tuesday, with a VIP reception/dinner prior to the game, courtesy of Sprint!

[KBZL]

Originally Posted by jye75

Speaking to my Sprint Corporate guy, he hinted that something big was coming to Sprint in the near future with Android. That was all he could confirm for me at the time, as he was bound to silence otherwise. I asked if it was the rumored Supersonic, and he repeated that he couldn't say, but gave a little chuckle.

BTW, Sprint Corporate treats their customers well... I have two tickets to the Pistons/Pacers game next Tuesday, with a VIP reception/dinner prior to the game, courtesy of Sprint!

No offense. I heard that sprint is gonna get something really great within the next 10 years!! Keep your eyes open for some big things. LOL.

[kkeller87]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Windows Mobile; WCE; Opera Mobi/WMD-50255; U; en) Presto/2.4.13 Version/10.00)

thanks for responses folks. keep em coming!

and i just looked at specs for the supersonic, and all i can say is "omfg"
that phone looks like a powerhouse of awesomeness.

I'd like to see it come to sprint first but how often does sprint get anything first?

lets hear some more about the hero, thanks again!

kkeller87