Camera Phones Plaza

HTC Touch2 is quad-band compatible and it supports 850/900/1800/1900 MHz frequency bands, and also HSDPA 900 / 2100. For a wireless Internet connection, HTC Touch2 offers both GPRS and EDGE, and of course HSDPA. In our tests, in the EDGE network, the device has reached a transfer rate of 184 Kbit / s for download and 83 Kbit / s for upload, while in the 3G network, the device has reached speeds up to 1836 Kbit / s for download and 307 Kbit / s for upload. The Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g can also be used in the available hotspots to have a higher browsing speed and to reduce costs.
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For wireless data transfer between mobile phones, HTC Touch2 uses Bluetooth 2.1, whereas for data synchronization with the PC, the device offers USB 2.0. This HTC smartphone includes a built-in GPS receiver, which surprisingly works with the Google Maps application. To take advantage of voice guidance, users will have to install Copilot navigation software, for which you will need to download the necessary maps. The localization works without problems, and the pin-pointing link is very fast, even if you are inside.

HTC Touch2 is compatible with all the protocols and the e-mail clients (POP3, IMAP) and can be synchronized with your PC. The device is also compatible with SMS, EMS and MMS. The instant messaging includes Windows Live Messenger, but other IMs can also be installed. The interface is quite simple and easy to use.

The sound quality during a call is above average but could be better. The GSM signal is also good, as long as you do not keep the device set to the 3G band, where the reception is only mediocre.

HTC Touch2 includes a Qualcomm MSM7225 processor from the ARM11 family, which runs at speeds up to 528 Mhz. In general, we experienced no restraint or lag. Since the phone does not have animations or transitions, you will not have any problems when browsing the menus or when you run more applications.

The HTC smartphone includes 256MB of RAM memory and 512 MB of ROM memory. The storage space can be expanded up to 16GB via the microSD slot, which is hot-swappable.



The Internet applications include Streaming Media, which does exactly what its name suggests and is designed to be easily used with the fingers, Live Messenger and Windows Live Search, Internet Explorer for Web browsing, MSN Money, Market, and Microsoft MyPhone. The last two services are new and have been highlighted even at the officially announcement of the operating system - version 6.5. The Market service, as its name suggests, is where you can download applications compatible with Windows Mobile. The MyPhone service allows you to synchronize and save the Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Messages, photos, videos, music and documents with your MyPhone account on the PC. Basically, you get everything mentioned above, from the PC and you can add new contacts, events, and then you will be able to synchronize with your Pocket PC.

On the multimedia part, HTC Touch2 offers Windows Media Player for audio and video playback, and Pictures & Video to navigate through photos and videos and to modify the images.



Regarding the communications, the device includes Internet Sharing, which allows this HTC smartphone to be used as a modem, Communications Manager for enabling / disabling and changing settings for data connections, Bluetooth Explorer for managing the Bluetooth connection.
Then, there is a File Manager, a search tool, a Zip utility, a tool to encrypt files on the memory card, a function to reset the device and to come back to the factory settings, an application for GPS connection setup, JBlend Java emulator and a very useful Task Manager, which can be used to switch between applications and change the behavior of the "x" button to close the applications from the memory.



In general, the Pocket PCs do not receive an extra attention to the multimedia functions, but HTC Touch2 makes an exception, or at least it tries. First, HTC Touch2 includes, now, a 3.5 mm jack port, which says something. Second, the standard application used for playing audio and video is much more advanced compared to the older HTC devices, and that is because it has a sound equalizer and a very interesting interface. The music player supports files in MP3, WAV, eAAC + and WMA format files.
The sound of the music is very good, especially since you have access to a wide range of equalizer modes, but you can also make your own settings. Windows Media Player version 10 supports MP4, WMV, H.263, and H.264 video files.

The smarpthone also includes an FM radio, which can auto-scan and store up to 20 stations. The radio can be run in background or heard through the loudspeaker. There is also a YouTube customer included, which enables you watching movies on this website. In general, I had a good multimedia experience, and I think that the gap between smartphones and music phones is slowly equilibrating.



HTC Touch2 is powered by a Li-Ion 1100 mAh, which, according to the official specifications, the device offers an autonomy of up to 5 hours and 30 minutes in talk mode (6 hours and 10 minutes for 3G) and 500 hours in standby mode (370 hours for 3G).

In our tests, the battery power is exhausted after 4 hours and 43 minutes of standard use, with the backlight set to maximum. While it is far from official numbers, I would say that the battery life is satisfactory.

I was pleasantly surprised by the new HTC smartphone for medium budgets, especially as regards the design, but also a little disappointed with the new version of the operating system. While visually there are some changes, I still believe that Windows Mobile is far from the Android and iPhone in terms of performance, functionality and graphic interface. However, HTC Touch2 is a good smartphone, but only if it will sell at a lower price, otherwise I think people will look for more advanced solutions, and Android is much better at this time.

The package contains

HTC Touch2;
Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery;
Stylus;
User Guide;
Charger;
MiniUSB data cable.

One of the first smartphones including the latest Microsoft operating system for mobile devices, Windows Mobile 6.5 - HTC Touch2 is a Pocket PC for average budgets. The phone’s appearance was preceded by numerous rumors since the beginning, when information about the entire line of HTC for 2009 were disclosed on the Internet.

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With the code name HTC Mega, the smartphone was officially launched this autumn, under the official name of HTC Touch2. Touch2 has a beautiful design, having the same lines as his older predecessor, HTC Touch. The test equipment that we received included an earlier version of the new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, so I will try to focus more on its new features, and less on their functionality.

Announced in September 2009, HTC Touch2 is available on the market from October 2009. HTC Touch2 is available in three colors: black, brown and silver.

At a first look, HTC Touch2 is small and quite thin, just the kind of phone that fits in any pocket. The compact form also makes it resistant to easy falls, but I do not think it is an extremely durable device, because it is a phone for average budgets. The front of the whole phone is covered by a 2.8-inch touch screen, while the back of the phone includes only a 3 megapixel camera. Below the screen, there is a set of keys to improve the user interaction with the interface of the phone. Starting from left to right those are Accept calls, Home, Menu and Back, Reject calls. On the bottom of the screen, between the screen and the keys mentioned above, there is a graduated scale, which is used to make the zoom in / out when you open the interface of the camera.

HTC Touch2 has a resistive touch screen, so you will need a stylus, which was placed in the right corner, on the bottom of the smartphone's. There is also a miniUSB port near the stylus slot and a 3.5 mm audio jack port on the top of the phone. The left side of the device includes a microSD slot and a long volume key. The camera on the back of the phone does not include other options like flash, but it appears to be well protected with a metal plate surrounding the module. There is also a small speaker near the metal plate that protects the camera module of the smartphone. The dimensions are 104 x 55 x 12.9 mm, while the phone's weight including the battery is 110g. The plastic used in its manufacture does not seem cheap at all. However, the smartphone is surrounded by a strip of silver plastic, which will certainly peel after an intensive use. Certainly, this will make the phone look pretty ugly. However, HTC Touch2 benefits from a simple, yet elegant design, which will almost certainly attract most customers.

HTC Touch2 benefits from a TFT resistive touch screen of 2.8-inch that supports 65,000 colors and a resolution of 240x320 pixels. Being a resistive screen has some disadvantages such as low sensitivity to touch, lower functionality of finger control, low visibility under strong sunlight, and lack of the multi-touch function. However, this type of screen lowers the price of the phone, making it cheaper. Yet that deprives him of several more functions. HTC Touch2 does not have the accelerometer function, so users will not be able to rotate the image of the phone in landscape or portrait modes. In addition, the quality of the displayed image is a bit mediocre, since the contrast is not so good and the colors are a bit dull.

The 3 megapixel camera is easy to use, because it does not benefit from advanced features. Basically, you will need to direct the module towards the subject and just press on the button. Even if there is not a dedicated button for the camera, you can use the touch button that appears on the screen. You can zoom in / out passing your fingers on the graduated scale from the bottom of the screen.

The interface of the camera is simple and easy to use. The maximum resolution that you can use for images is 2048x1536 pixels. Video clips can be recorded in CIF mode at a maximum resolution of 352x288 pixels. Unfortunately, there are no features like autofocus, flash or others, even standard, but only the basic settings, such as White Balance, ISO, Brightness and Effects. The obtained images are decent, but do not expect more than average quality.

HTC Touch2 is running the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system, and the second version of the HTC TouchFLO interface. The HTC TouchFLO interface was stripped of any transition animation effects for the messages menu, email, gallery, music, weather, and more. The test terminal that we received has an older version of the operating system - build 21839, version that has been improved.

Even if the HTC TouchFLO 2.0 interface allows navigation through the menus by the "swipe" method, the lack of the accelerometer function limits its functionality. Thus, you will be able to navigate using "swipe" more as you scroll, and less when you move from one menu to another. However, this model introduces a new way to navigate through menus. The small icons from the bottom of the Homescreen will help you reach your desired application or function very quickly. Hold your finger down on any of these icons and then move your finger left or right until you reach the window you are looking for.

The main menu of Windows Mobile 6.5 does not impress me much, but at least the boring white background from the earlier version of the operating system was removed. Instead, the icons of the settings, functions and applications contained in the operating system are now presented in three columns, spaced winding. Strange at first, but I found no real advantage or disadvantage. Of course, there is an aesthetic side, but as tastes differ, you may enjoy this new settlement of the icons in the main menu or you may not.

The navigation is easy with no need for a stylus, using only finger swiping to the right or to the left of the screen, just as I described above. The Start menu no longer contains the frequently used programs list, but it will send you to the main menu of the smartphone. To facilitate the method of writing and to help those who use different methods for entering data, HTC has introduced three types of keyboards: telephone type keyboard, compact QWERTY keyboard and full QWERTY keyboard. For the business people, HTC has included Office Mobile package, which now includes also the OneNote Mobile application, in addition to the usual Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

The Notes application can not be accessed when talking on the phone, unless you click on the Menu button on the screen and you choose Create new note. The touch screen offers a number of interesting features like zoom (zoom in / out) when browsing the Internet or when viewing pictures. This is done by double-clicking on the screen. The Internet Explorer browser was equipped with Adobe Flash Lite 9.0, but we had some problems with some websites. I think the new version of firmware corrects the errors that I experienced while browsing.

The remaining included applications are standard for a Windows Mobile device, with a few exceptions. Touch2 includes standard productivity tools: Notes, Tasks and Calendar, Mobile Office suite with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe Reader (version 2.5) to view PDF documents, Voice Recorder, and the same boring games, Bubble Breaker and Solitaire.

This phone wants itself a business phone, but the HTC Diamond would be ideal for multimedia too. Diamond is competing with the iPhone. Among its strengths, we find the design, the connectivity and the Windows Mobile. The device is one of the best-looking terminals with this operating system, which is also due to the TouchFLO 3D interface. We will find out more about the smartphone from this HTC Diamond review.
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HTC Diamond is a candybar that measures 102 x 51 x 11.5 mm and weighs 110 grams. As expected, the front side is occupied by 2.8-inch screen, a touchscreen actually, with a resolution of 480 x 640 pixels and 65,000 colors. Above the screen, we find the speakerphone, the light sensor and a secondary VGA camera for videoconferencing. Of course, there will be plenty of people, who will think that the fact that HTC Diamond has a screen with only 65,000 colors will be a major minus for the phone. However, no one noticed the differences between a screen with 65,000 colors and one with 16 million with the eye and the image captured on Diamond's screen is one of the best that can currently be found on the mobile market.

Only the 3.2 megapixel camera occupies the back side of the phone. The plastic surface is shaped in such a way that makes the surface look like a polished diamond, which looks very good, but is not always beneficial. From here, the phone gets the name of Diamond. Here, we should also mention that the battery is under the glossy cover. A standard Lithium-Ion battery, powers HTC Diamond. It has a capacity of 900 mAh, which in theory holds in standby mode up to 285 hours and up to 5 and a half hours in talk time. Unfortunately, this leaves much to be desired. After several hours of charging, from the first few minutes of surfing the web and the menu, the battery started to show signs of fatigue. The good news is that HTC has announced a better version of the battery for this terminal with a capacity of 1350 mAh.

Being a HTC, Diamond runs Windows Mobile operating system, the latest version 6.1. With TouchFLO interface, the HTC Diamond manages to bring the audience a more than original combination. The phone menu can be navigated by touching the screen or using the wheel / navigation button on the D-pad.

HTC Diamond activates the screen when the stylus is out of its slot. Other methods do not exist, and at some point, this becomes annoying. The HTC Diamond's standby screen displays the time, the ringer status, the call menu, the calendar and the submenus: People, Messages, e-mail, Internet, Photo / Video, music player, weather, settings and programs. However, this is only the TouchFLO user interface. At the top of the screen, we have the Windows toolbar.

Because HTC Diamond is running the Windows Mobile operating system, we no longer have to deal with the normal matrix menu. This one is still placed on the main screen (Home Screen). Instead, we have to navigate through the menu that is activated from the Windows Start button, on the top left. The user has available the Office Mobile suite, Calendar, Contacts, Internet Explorer, Messaging, Phone, Programs, Settings and Help menu. Even if it has Internet Explorer browser, HTC Diamond comes with Opera Mini preinstalled. It can be found in the Programs menu, where users also find programs like Windows Media player classic, MSN Messenger, YouTube, or GPS. The Office is composed of Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word, plus the "moral support" from Java, ZIP and Adobe Reader.

As a business phone, HTC Diamond’s music player presents itself very well. As a multimedia phone, things are not so pink, but only when music is played through the external speakers. The problem is that the sound is not the best possible at whatever volume level you will set the phone. However, once the headphones are attached, things will change radically. The sound played by the headphones is very good. Even if you set the maximum volume level, you will not have problems.

However, Diamond's headphones are not the most comfortable. Those with small ears are likely to fail in fixing them and after some time it can become painful to wear them. In addition, we again face the problem that there is no 3.5 mm jack, the phone only supporting the proprietary HTC headphones. The handsfree is located on the headphones wire. This is actually the main purpose of these headphones.

If you got tired of the music stored on the 4 GB of internal memory, you can also try the FM radio. Of course, you need to attach the headphones, because as with other phones, the headphones become the antenna.

The camera available on HTC Diamond has 3.2-megapixels. That means it can capture images at a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. In addition, the camera has autofocus, a function that makes us happy. It would have been great if the phone would have had a flash, but it is missing. The picture quality is not very good, but the image noise is kept under control quite well and the autofocus does its job well. The only problem is that the target tends to capture the image too bright.

As for the photo gallery of the terminal, here we have one of the most beautiful ways of displaying the images and this is due to the TouchFLO interface. We have a phone with 3D interface. The user can choose to navigate the gallery by simply gesturing with his finger on the screen up or down, the images being displayed in 3D. Unfortunately, this action is not always the most accurate, but with a little exercise you get used to it.

The camera is also able to make videos. The maximum resolution for video capturing is VGA and the clips will be saved in MP4 format. Like the iPhone, HTC Diamond is a true portable video player. The terminal supports Windows video formats, but anytime you can install a package of codecs, which supports DivX or XviD videos.

HTC Diamond has GPRS Class 10 with download speeds ranging between 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10 with download speeds of 236.8 kbps, 3G HSDPA (7.2 Mbps), Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP and a miniUSB port. Surfing the Internet is easy, because HTC Diamond has the Windows browser, Internet Explorer and Opera Mini or the WAP 2.0, which supports XHTML and HTML. In addition, you can zoom in to read texts easier.

From this HTC Diamond review, we found out that both as a smartphone, as well as a multimedia terminal, Diamond is doing great. It gets points for its compact look, its connectivity capabilities, for its TouchFLO interface and especially for its screen, which is able to display colors in a special way. It gets minuses for the surface that attracts fingerprints, the external speakers that do not play a good sound or for the headphones that cannot be replaced. The fact that Diamond can be unlocked only by removing the stylus from the slot is another inconvenience. However, once you have the virtual keyboard at hand, HTC no longer presents mysteries for you and you will discover the fact that the terminal is worth the money. The ones who vary between an iPhone and a Diamond would do well to think twice about why would they want an iPhone, because Diamond is a competitor more than capable.

HTC Hero was officially announced in June 2009 and was launched a month later, in July 2009. The HTC smartphone is available in a wide range of colors: brown, white, graphite, black and pink.

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HTC Hero is running the Android operating system, Cupcake 1.5 version. The innovation comes with the new graphic interface Sense IU, which was made over the operating system that can be installed on earlier unlocked models of HTC Magic. HTC said that those who bought the Magic smartphone encoded on a given network will not be able to benefit from this upgrade.

However, there seems to be a solution found by 'hackers' that allows users to install Sense IU even on G1 devices. However, the new Sense interface looks a bit like TouchFLO, which was made especially for devices that are running Windows Mobile. It seems that HTC has changed a great piece of the TouchFLO interface to provide a new look, more attractive to the eyes, but also much easier to use. And what a good job they did. First of all, the advantage of including seven HomeScreens, which can be populated with two types of widgets. The common ones included in the Android interface and a wide range offered by the new Sense interface. You will be able to bring on one of the seven main screen shortcuts for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Favorite Contacts, Music Player, Camera, Android Market, Google Maps and more.

The transition between the main screens is fast and continuous, much more sensitive than the TouchFLO interface. The standard main screen includes a weather widget, which updates at regular intervals if you have a data connection available. Right under the weather widget (which includes a clock), you will see four shortcuts: Messages, Mail, Browser and Calendar. There is even a HomeScreen including previews of web pages: Google, eBay, Facebook, MySpace, Amazon, Wikipedia, BBC and CNN.

While holding down the Home button for several seconds you can access a standard task manager that will display the last six applications you have open. They remain active in the memory of the HTC smartphone, so if you open the seventh, the first you have previously accessed will be automatically closed. There is also a dedicated video player for YouTube, which gives you quick access to videos hosted on Youtube. Other pre-installed applications include Quickoffice, PDF Viewer, Footprints, Stocks, VoiceRecorder and the Teeter game.

The new Sense graphical interface radically changes the menu of the phone in a positive mode, making HTC Hero one of the most easy and fun to use smartphones on the market.

HTC Hero has all the possible connectivity tools that would be included in a high-end device: GPRS and EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and 2 Mbps HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, miniUSB 2.0. Following the tests, the device has reached speeds up to 2350.4 Kbit / s download and 621.2 Kbit / s upload while using the Wi-Fi connection and 1115.2 Kbit / s download and 336.1 Kbit / s upload using the Orange 3G+ network. These performances are more than welcome for a device that depends most of the time on the data transfer to update the widgets or for a more efficient Internet navigation.

The integrated WebKit browser can not be closed, but apparently was updated compared with the last two Android devices: Magic and G1. Regarding its control, it can be compared with the iPhone. The phone receives now the multi-touch function and makes zooming in / out easily. The browsing experience is one of the best I encountered on a HTC smartphone. HTC Hero is the first device with Android, which has included the Flash support. Version 10 has been included on this HTC smartphone, and Adobe has provided a compatibility of about 90%, future updates will be able to fix some bugs or incompatibilities. Personally, I found one website where the animated pages were not fully loaded , and I accessed many pages.

The Bluetooth connection has not been upgraded yet and is mainly used for wireless headphones. You will not be able to transfer files via the Bluetooth connection, since the platform lacks the OBEX protocol.

HTC Hero is compatible with all email clients, as well as POP3, IMAP, and it can be synchronized with Microsoft Exchange. The remaining e-mail accounts can be set to be checked at different intervals (5, 10, 30 minutes). The device is also compatible with all types of text messaging: SMS, EMS and MMS. The phone also includes Google Talk, as Instant Messaging application, but you can install others such as Yahoo! Messenger. The interface is quite simple and easy to use. The Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g connectivity is another option that will certainly reduce the costs for those who often use browsing or data transfer. The built-in GPS receiver and the digital compass work with Google Maps, for guidance. Unfortunately, there is no voice guidance software compatible with the Android operating system.

HTC Hero is a fancy quad-band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), compatible with the HSDPA 900/2100 networks. The sound quality during calls is excellent, and this is one of the best HTC phones in this regard. The GSM signal is also good, but avoid holding the device set to the 3G band because the reception is poor.

HTC Hero includes a Qualcomm MSM7200 processor from the ARM11 family, which reaches speeds of 528 MHz. Moreover, the phone responds very quickly to any command, even when multiple applications are running in the background. Even if it has been added a new graphical interface, the phone works reliable.

Hero benefits from 288 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM memory. The storage space can be extended up to 32GB with the hot-swappable microSD card slot, which was placed under the back cover in the upper left corner of the phone. The sales package includes a 2GB microSD card.

HTC Hero includes a music player that can also be used as a widget directly from the Homescreen. Unfortunately, there are no visible upgrades from the last Android device. This may be one of the few drawbacks of the phone. However, HTC is not known for its phones that have a quality sound, so I expected this. Even if the MP3 player looks nice, you will not be able to use the equalizer or any visual effects. The only thing worth noting is the addition of a 3.5 mm audio jack port on top of the phone. Thus, you can add your own headphones for a better multimedia experience.

The music player supports audio files in MP3, AAC, AAC +, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, Real Audio and Ogg format. Its sound quality is somewhat average. The video player that had appeared for the first time in the firmware of the Magic model is also present in this model, but do not look in the menu because you will not find. It will open by itself every time you click on a video file. HTC Hero was not made for playing music, that is for sure, but at least the features they offer are decent for those who want to occasionally listen to music or watch a short video.

The latest Android smartphone from HTC, and the first to receive the new Sense interface, gets your attention with each aspect. The design, the graphic interface, the usability, the performance, these make from HTC Hero to be one of the best choices for those looking for a strong and good-looking smartphone. I was very happy that I had the opportunity to use the phone and I can say that HTC has made an almost perfect job in trying to provide an alternative to the iPhone.

HTC enters the smarpthone's market with a highly praised new device running the Android operating system. Taking a fresh and a stylish design and an innovative graphical user interface, HTC Hero threaten the iPhone smartphones supremacy on the market by its performance. While its specifications are not far above what is currently on the market, how they work make Hero the best device compatible with the Android and, perhaps one of the best smartphones on the market. As things stand, I think HTC Hero is the main rival of iPhone. I avoid making comparisons between high-end phones of the three principal manufacturers claiming to hold supremacy in the market: Nokia N97, iPhone and HTC Hero, because people have different tastes and needs. Instead, I will try to show the qualities and drawbacks of Hero, and some of the strengths that make it better than its main rivals.

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Following closely as the first two devices with Android, HTC Hero presents the same characteristics with the same curved form. This time, however, the forms are more pronounced and highlighted, which is also a technical advantage, since the microphone is closer to the mouth during phone calls. The smartphone is made of a special plastic that is very much like Teflon. Unfortunately, this will fill with prints very quickly, and with the touch screen that will be full of fat very soon after use, those are two of the minor disadvantages of the phone. Of course, a small cloth will temporarily resolve this disadvantage, but the problem remains, as fingerprints will reappear as soon as you start to use your phone again. The same goes for the touch screen that can be controlled only with your finger.

However, the design of the phone should make users forget this disadvantage. There are no external control buttons around the phone, except for the long volume key, which was hidden in the phone casing, on the upper left. On the top of the phone, HTC has placed a 3.5 mm jack port, while on the bottom side, we can observe a miniUSB port. Below the 3.2-inch screen, four keys are arranged symmetrically, from left to right are: Accept calls, Home, Menu and Reject calls (Power on / off). Immediately below these keys in the middle, you will find the well-known trackball. To the right of it, there is a double key, which fulfills two functions: Search and Back.

The search function will open a Google window, allowing users to quickly find the information they need. The photo / video camera of 5 megapixels on the back of the phone has no protective lens; the module is protected by the mere fact that was introduced a little inside of the back cover. The camera lacks the flash function, but you can see a very small speaker near it. Under the cover of the smartphone, you will find the SIM card slot and the microSD memory slot. The microSD is a little hard to find being situated in the upper left corner of the phone, but is hot-swappable, so you will not need to remove the battery to insert your memory card.

HTC Hero is measuring 112 x 56.2 x 14.4 mm and weighs 135g (including the battery), making it a very well balanced device. You will probably wonder how well a phone with such a curved shape falls into a normal pocket, but to my surprise, it had no problems. The phone feels great in the hand, both because of the refined material that is made and because the keys have been placed on the curved bottom, so that it will be easier to access. I think the curved shape of the phone is the main attraction of the smartphone, at first sight. Beyond this, however, HTC Hero design is very elegant and ergonomic thought.

HTC Hero includes a capacitive TFT touchscreen of 3.2 inches, which supports 65K colors and a resolution of 320x480 pixels. Even if the display seems to be the same as that of HTC Magic, it is clearly visible in strong sunlight. Another new feature introduced is the multi-touch input method, which makes your device even easier to control. All because of the embedded technology that removes the need to use a stylus making the finger the only way you can control the smartphone's display.

The accelerometer works perfectly, but only with a low number of applications (including the gallery, the browser). However, image quality is superb, and the change between the landscape mode and the portrait mode is fast and it even includes animations. All you do using the screen seems very natural: touch, drag or move. This proves again that the technology behind these capacitive touch screens is higher than resistive screens. The process of scrolling is even better than the iPhone, while the on-screen keyboard is very easy to use. In fact, I think all these are above the iPhone, because it also benefits of the haptic feedback feature.

The photo / video camera of 5 megapixels on the back of the phone does not have advanced features, instead it benefits from autofocus. The maximum resolution that can be used for taking pictures is 2592 x 1944 pixels. Even if there is no question of making pictures at night, users will continue to take pictures on the daylight more than decent. You will not benefit from features like smile detection and blink detection, but I would say that this camera is almost the same quality with that of Nokia N97.

HTC Hero's camera can not be compared with that of the iPhone, because as we know it has a maximum average quality. The interface of the camera is quite simple, without complex settings and it can be accessed through a simple touch. To take photos you will have to use the trackball. The trackball is a bit weird to use, compared with a dedicated camera key, because it does not present that feature (to half press the button) to trigger the autofocus function. Instead, you simply have to point the camera towards the target to be photographed and just press the trackball. The camera will automatically make autofocus in approximately 1-2 seconds, and the save processing time will take another 1-2 seconds. It can be strange at first, but certainly is much easier to take pictures.

The camera can also record video clips, but to my disappointment, it only records CIF videos at 15fps. It is not a big deal, but this is one function you can use if necessary. In conclusion, I think this 5 megapixel camera takes pictures above average in terms of quality, but remains to think that an upgrade of the module with new advanced features such as Samsung and LG are already required.

HTC Hero includes a slim Li-Ion Battery 1350 mAh, which has an autonomy of 440 hours of standby time (750 hours for 3G) and 8 hours of talk time (7 hours for 3G). Our test unit required a recharge after about 2 days, but it was very used. During the tests, I noticed that you could extend the battery life interrupting the data connection for all widgets that need regular updating and for the email accounts. In fact, you can benefit from an almost double battery life of if you make these changes, which means that you will need only one or two recharges a week. However, HTC Hero has one of the best-optimized energy consumption of all other Android devices.

The sales package comes with:
HTC Hero;
Stereo headset;
2GB microSD memory card;
Li-Ion 1350 mAh battery;
Charger;
USB cable.