Best HTC Blog

Last Monday, HTC has released a new update intended for Hero units running Android 1.5 to upgrade to Android 2.1. Unfortunately, it seems that Orange, T-Mobile UK and Three’s HTC Hero toting customers will have to wait a little while longer to get their Android 2.1 upgrade.

This may be a big letdown for those who are expecting to have their ‘Droid update at the same time as those with unlocked units, but the mobile network operator has assured the press that this is for the benefit of concerned users. To ensure network stability and smooth operations all the way, tests are being conducted using the new update.

The new update is scheduled to be out around “mid to late July” for Three customers. HTC originally planned for all their phone operating system upgrades to happen before the end of the month, but it seems it is just not possible for subscribers.

Although no exact date was given, Three has stated that it would be more likely for the update to happen later instead of sooner.

T-Mobile UK has given a similar statement, saying that everyone will just have to wait for their official announcement. At this rate, a June 30 release date is an optimistic estimate. G2 (their HTC Hero) owners using their service will just have to be a little more patient.

Like the two operators, Orange has been equally vague, saying that the mobile phone upgrade will be live in the “very near future” although no release date estimates were given.

This is truly a big blow for HTC Hero owners, seeing as Google already released version 2.2 of the little green robot, but at least having a delayed update is better than none. Hopefully, network performance will not fail to impress once the update is officially released.

One of the finest mobile phones of the era, HTC Hero, which was released to the mobile market this year and utilizing Google’s Android Operating System has been seen pictured with the Android 2.1 flavour on board. There are however no available information on the new platform version neither are there information on how HTC managed to have lay hold of this Operating system. There are now series of screenshots revealing the relationship between the two.

The Taiwanese mobile phone maker, HTC Corporation already disclosed in the past that it would not considering the upgrade of Android 1.6 flavour of Google’s Operating System because of the fact that it may automatically update to the Android 2.0 version. However, Hero still does not have the Éclair even though the Sprint’s version had received the update a long time ago.

Concerning the Android 2.1 version of the platform, as most people have already heard, the version is expected to be released as a minor update for the Éclair, and will focus mainly on solving any issues associated with the latest Android modifications. There is a great likelihood that only a few number of users will benefit from the update since the Motorola Droid on Verizon is the only mobile device that is currently running the platform and makers/ carriers are not too keen on the release of the updates for other devices too.

As is the case with other new platform releases, it will be well appreciated if this new Operating system continues to develop and wax strong. If you decide to compare the UI of the 2.1 version and that of the Android 1.5 flavour, you will notice a great amount of similarity between the two which depicts the fact that the Taiwan-based handset vendor intiated Sense to the Android at a fast pace (already noted by Engadget) and the update may not be too far away for both the Hero and other devices.

Aside from their exceptional designs, HTC mobile phones have also always had the reputation of having one of the best software sets in the business. Testament to this fact is their almost exclusive partnership with Google to have the Android OS, one of the best mobile operating systems of today, on most of their mobile phones. And now, with the new HTC Hero, they have the latest version of this OS which promises to be even bigger and better. But the best part is, that’s not all she wrote for the HTC Hero in terms of excellent software.

Widget World

Along with an outstanding OS, the HTC Hero also has an array of wonderful widgets and applications that serve a multitude of purposes. For starters, HTC have created Peep, which is their own dedicated Twitter client. This app has a widget installed in the home screen which can provide real time tweet updates. When you open the full-on application itself, it’s definitely a lot of fun – comparable to that of the iPhone’s Tweetie.

Another neat app on the HTC Hero is one called Footprints. This application allows you to easily snap a picture and then automatically geo-tag where it was taken. It’s definitely a cool twist that works well with the Hero’s 5-megapixel snapper.

Flash This

Flash support has become one of the most important elements of recent Smartpones. While both the BlackBerry and the iPhone don’t have it, the HTC Hero is proud to say that it is able to support Flash-based files. However, based on initial testing, there is much room for improvement on the device as the web browser can’t seem to cope with sites that are more data intensive and heavy on Flash – it does tend to freeze up and loading times were quite appalling.

HTC Hero Links:

• HTC Hero Contracts
• HTC Hero on Vodafone
• HTC Hero Sim Free