Is a Hero worth buying at....

[awtryau89]

$200. I have an iPhone from my company but I want an Android phone. I am on AT&T and I am locked to that carrier since my company pays the bill. I love the OS and have used it before. I just cannot bring myself to turn loose of $550 in cash to get the N1. Along comes a friend who offers me his Hero. It is a Telus version so it works on AT&T 3G. It is pristine and less than 5 months old. So here is where I ask, should I think about this? Is this phone too outdated? I would plan on rooting and using custom ROMs etc. Should I just save my money and wait for the Desire or and N1? I need all the pros and cons. $200 seems like a great deal but just need a push one way or the other. TIA.

 

[ebartolon]

HTC doesnt cost 200 dollars! Well depending on your service.

 

[Adam Sawyer]

honestly? I'd save your money and wait for the next gen Android device. AT&T should be releasing some nice phones this summer. I mean, you already have the iphone -that should suit you for now.

The hero is a good phone but it does have its problems.

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I agree with the poster above. If you already have an iPhone, you don't really need the Hero. Personally, I like the Hero better than the iPhone because of the Google integration. I also like the customization. But it isn't worth the extra money you are thinking about shelling out.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

I like mine, but thats also due in part that I have Sprint, so I have 3G everywhere I go (Not so on ATT). Its not a bad phone, but I'm willing to pay the full out of pocket price of the Evo when that comes out, so I'm not that attatched to it. Its better than any phone I have owned and I honestly have never used an iPhone, so I can't comment on how it would be better or worse other than the obvious that:
1. Widgets are the ****
2. Multi-tasking is fun
3. I'm not worried that if I hack it, someone will come after me
4. Android 2.1 is the shiznit (don't know if there are leaks for the GSM model)

What I'm not crazy about on the GSM
1. I think the chin is ugly and awkward
2. On either model- no proximity sensor
3. Notification LED is only green and Orange and cannot be changed to do something else. But even the fact that it has an LED makes it an improvement over the iPhone when it comes to notifying you of missed calls/ new texts.

 

[awtryau89]

Wow! You guys are pretty brutal about this phone. I guess the Sprint version experience has not been a good one. I used a G1 for almost 6 months so I sort of know what I am getting into but I guess I am going to pass on this deal. I wish AT&T would go ahead and announce the Desire. What scares me about that is that it will be locked down and no one will root it. I guess the N1 is the only real way to go Android right now.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

Wow! You guys are pretty brutal about this phone. I guess the Sprint version experience has not been a good one. I used a G1 for almost 6 months so I sort of know what I am getting into but I guess I am going to pass on this deal. I wish AT&T would go ahead and announce the Desire. What scares me about that is that it will be locked down and no one will root it. I guess the N1 is the only real way to go Android right now.

Its not that its not a great phone, it is. Its just "old" when you see the amazing devices coming out on the Android platform. The Sprint Hero provides a much better experience than the GSM model here in the US due to support. There are like a bagillion different ROMs available now, each with their own unique twist. It runs fine and if you root it, have the ability to make it fly. 528mHz is by no means slow in cell phone processing. The 159mb (may be lower on the GSM model) that they give you kinda makes it necessary to run things like Apps2SD if you are not going to limit the size of e-mails stored on the phone.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

HTC doesnt cost 200 dollars! Well depending on your service.

He's looking at an unsubsidized GSM Hero, 200 is a very fair price when you check out these prices:
GSM Hero, Cell Phones Smartphones, Unlocked. Great deals on eBay!

 

[awtryau89]

rufflez, there are tons of ROMs over at XDA for the GSM Hero. Many of them are the new 2.1 but are using the old kernels so they don't really work properly. After watching the Legend reviews and if HTC gives us that 2.1 ROM, I think this phone would be a steal. Maybe I can talk him down some. You are also right about the price. It is a good deal for an unlocked GSM. I think I could make money on it at ebay.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

rufflez, there are tons of ROMs over at XDA for the GSM Hero. Many of them are the new 2.1 but are using the old kernels so they don't really work properly. After watching the Legend reviews and if HTC gives us that 2.1 ROM, I think this phone would be a steal. Maybe I can talk him down some. You are also right about the price. It is a good deal for an unlocked GSM. I think I could make money on it at ebay.

At 200.00? Unlocked?

It's a hell of a deal as long as it's in good shape. At least $100.00 under market value.

 

[awtryau89]

Well I slept on this overnight and I have decided to buy it. I want to play with this. I am going to wait for the new 2.1 update and evaluate then as well. I read where the Telus official update will be in May. I will probably root it and just flash a custom 2.1 ROM when they start releasing the Euro versions this month. If I decide I do not like it then, I can sell it and make some money.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

Cool. 1.5 is good, but 2.1 is such an improvement, I would recommend trying one of those. Please let us know if you need anymore info, and check out xda-developers.com as well.