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HTC's third Android OS smartphone , the HTC Hero ($180 with a two-year contract from Sprint; price as of 9/23/2009), is a giant leap forward for the company's family of Android phones, both in hardware and software. It isn't without its flaws, however: Performance can be slow, video playback is unreliable, and the touch keyboard isn't the easiest to use. Even so, the Hero is jam-packed with features, and I appreciated all of its easy customization.

Compared with the European Hero , the Sprint-branded version looks like a completely different phone. Its corners are much more rounded, and it no longer has the trademark HTC chin (also seen on the T-Mobile G1 ). The hardware buttons are rearranged and now surround the trackball, instead of being placed above it. I'm not really a fan of the chin, so I found that these design tweaks actually improve the ergonomics of the phone.

In pictures, the Hero looked a bit bland with its black and silver motif. Once I got my hands on it, though, my opinion changed. The Hero is eons beyond the T-Mobile myTouch 3G in build quality; while the myTouch 3G feels cheap and plasticky, the Hero is sturdy and solid. And it has sleek lines, too: Measuring 4.5 by 2.2 by 0.5 inches thick, the Hero is about the same size as the myTouch 3G, but a bit heavier at 4.5 ounces. Still, the Hero is by no means bulky, and a little added weight is a small tradeoff for sturdier construction.

Source: Washington Post