By Bonnie Cha, 25 June 2009 08:42
NEWS
At a press event in London on Wednesday, HTC unveiled its latest Google Android device, the HTC Hero, featuring a new user interface called HTC Sense.
The HTC Hero will be available in Europe starting in July and in Asia later this summer, while a "distinct" US version will ship later in 2009. However, pricing was not announced at this time.
Like the T-Mobile G1 and Google Ion/HTC Magic, the HTC Hero has the signature curve at the bottom but it's a bit more svelte at 4.4-inches tall by 2.2 inches wide and 0.5 inch thick. In addition, it features a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen with an anti-fingerprint screen coating.
However, the real beauty of the smartphone lies beneath the surface. The new Sense UI allows users to customise the device to their needs and give them more access to the information they want at a glance through widgets, customised profiles, and consolidated views of all communication with a contact, whether it be email, text or multimedia message, Facebook status updates, or photos. In addition, HTC said that all of its future devices will use Sense UI.
Other highlights of the HTC Hero include GPS, a digital compass, gravity sensor, a 5MP camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD expansion slot. A dedicated search button on the phone provides a more contextual search, looking through not only your contact list and email but also Twitter and other areas of the device.
Finally, similar to the Asia-specific HTC Magic, the Hero is not a "Google experience" phone, so HTC has been able to add Microsoft Exchange support to the handset.
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