sounds good for T-sprint-tel.

It's had a firmware update since then:

The one from Sprint does not have the chin.

Also, the UI was tweaked for speed on the new firmware update for the Hero.

I love the multitasking of WebOS. I don't think I'll be jumping ship any time soon.

To be honest, i wanted a capacitive touch screen device preferrably on sprint with a screen large enough for multimedia, web browsing, etc. Along with the usual 3rd party apps.

This was before the Pre launched. Finally i said screw it went to iphone.

The Pre launched. I tried it for a few months. Not fleshed out enough, crappy hardware required too many exchanges, and it still had a kb and slider form factor which i really didn't need but didn't have much of a choice. Went back to iphone as i simply couldn't rely on the Pre for phone calls or other core apps currently in beta compounded by its hardware problems.

The Hero then would seem to satisfy what i wanted on Sprint all along and Sprint's Any Mobile plan has me interested again. The firmware seems to address the lag issues and 1.6 looks decent. Guess i'll find out..:P

The firmware update just made the UI faster (like moving from screen to screen). This will not help you web browsing since it will be slow rendering pages. It also does not cure application loading times or application performance. And i could not even imagine how bad flash will run on that ARM 11 procesor. The ARM11 procesor is just too old and slow to compare to the ARM Cortex A8 in the Pre.

If the Hero had a Cortex A8 or Cortex A9 then it would be a sweet phone.

I must admit that the Hero UI looks nice on first glance. But I have really grown accustomed to the control I have over multi-tasking with the cards paradigm. The widgets on the Hero are very different.

I really like the clean UI of the Pre. I just hope Palm can continue to be a success so that we can continue to enjoy WebOS products. Gotta get my wife interested in the Pixi so she can dump her Instinct.

Yes.. But what's the point of having a Cortex A8 and the neutering it with poor software and SDK? Kind of a wash there.

Also, Hero will be shipping with Android 1.6. The browser also looks better on uptate videos I have seen.

If the Pre has such a wonderful processor, why is it SO slow using the calendar and bringing up apps. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pre, but the lag is annoying. Something does not make sense.

If the PIM is better in the Hero, I am switching. Hopefully the 1.2 and app catalog will give me some choice for the calendar.

im going for the Hero, it has the firmware update that fixes the speed and lag issues (which most reviewers said is the only thing keeping it from being PERFECT) and they released Android 1.6 which im guessing the Sprint version should launch with or get an official update soon enough when HTC hooks us up since is not google branded

I also will be switching from the Pre to the Hero when it comes out. The firmware update along with the much more robust app market and Google's backing is no-brainer for me. The Pre has proven to not be ready for prime time with its crappy web-apps and terrible battery life along with a slew of missing features found on most other smart-phones.

Can't wait for the Hero!

I have both and the Hero is a really good phone. My Hero is european verison unlocked on at&t. Then new firmware is solid with minimal lag and to be honest opening apps is faster or same as on my pre. That said i am using my pre as my main phone and love it. They are different. One thing that is awesome about the Hero is the facebook integration. I like the pre notifications system better. Both great phones

edit oh and Palm please come out with an app similar to android sports tap. It is the best app ever

Same for Me! Hero looks awesome, I actually had the G1 but didnt like Tmobile and the phone was huge. I actually work at Apple though and I have supported iPhone for 2 years until recently and I dont know, Im liking the apps and games on the iPhone. Big Glass Screen, etc, not sure if wanting to go to ATT though.

Im getting upset with the Pre and its slider opening/closing causing phoen to cut off, random cut offs and like everyone battery

Be a hero, buy a Pre

I'm not sure if the Hero has improved in this department coming from the G1, but the battery life on the G1 was even worse than the pre.

So if thats any indicator, no go... The ui looks great to me as well, but Ill be damned... I can't type on virtual keyboards for crap...

Hardware KB ftw...

New ROM looks fast as hell:

YouTube - Hero ROM Update Demo

HTC Hero firmware update peps up the Sense Experience to something usable

I just preordered one at Best Buy. Seems like a steal to me at $179
It also comes with a major 15000mAh battery.

http://phandroid.com/wp-content/uplo...htc-hero-2.jpg
http://phandroid.com/wp-content/uplo...htc-hero-3.jpg
http://phandroid.com/wp-content/uplo...-htc-hero1.jpg

I would agree that the new update made the UI fast as hell. But you will still have problems with application loading and web pages rendering becasue it is using a ARM11 procesor. There is no software update that can fix hardware.

Yes at the moment the Pre's UI is slow and some apps are slow opening but that is all software problems. If you compare the redering speed of the webkit based browsers of the Pre-3GS they are basically the same because they both have a Cortex A8. If you compare the webkit based browser on a Pre to the 3G or the Hero the Pre absolutely murders in redering time. That is becasue the 3G and Hero both use an ARM11. The UI on that 3G is super quick but there is nothing apple can do for webpage rendering that is why they upped the hardware to a Cortex A8.

Yes the hero is a nice phone and the update made the UI faster but it will still be plagued with poor internet and flash content performance due to processor limitations.

The G1 has an 1150 mAh battery, and the Hero launching on Sprint will have a 1500 mAh battery. We'll see if the power draw makes that increase a push though...

number1pete, I guess time will tell about your suppositions, but from the videos I have seen it seems to run circles around the Pre in terms of responsiveness. Anyway I am less worried about an extra second to load an app and more worried about having *solid, reliable hardware*.
The HERO seems to fit the bill. I'll let you know on Oct 11 ;-)

Oh, and there are something like 8000 apps for Android at the moment. Good luck selling the Pre when the HERO is sitting next to it on the Sprint shelf. Seriously.

(p.s. I like WebOS but the hardware just kills me.) An expensive phone (+plan) should feel expensive, not cheap and hollow! I really do not think Apple would have gotten this far, this fast if they had put out the iPhone in some cheap plastic and unreliable slider like Palm did. They understood that the thing should feel expensive. Thus the glass, metal, thick plastic...

Well both the Pre and the Hero get flash in october so lets make a video together showing Hulu video playback performance in a side by side comparison. Yes i now its not fair because ill be rockin a Cortex A8 but we have to show everyone how the phones handle the REAL internet.

You are talking cpus while I am talking look and feel to the consumer who is standing in the Sprint store trying to decide which phone to get. And then they go down the mall hallway into the AT&T store and handle the $99 iPhone with it's glass screen and a billion apps! Again, good luck with your cheap hardware Palm.

Again, time will tell, But I am very glad the HERO is coming soon! I went through a few Pres myself, and am now back to my BB while I wait it out.