Google Android-Based HTC Hero Makes 'Sense'

The HTC Hero, the third Android device from the Taiwanese smartphone maker, is the first device built on HTC Sense, the device-maker's new customizable user interface.

"HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center, by making your phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were designed by quietly observing and listening to how people live and communicate," the company said in a statement.

Essentially, HTC Sense makes phones simpler to use, HTC said.

The Android-based Hero builds on HTC's already impressive use of Google Android. The smartphone features beveled edges and an angled bottom and is contoured to fit comfortably in user's hands and against their faces while they're on a call. The device also uses an anti-fingerprint screen coating for smudge resistance and a longer-lasting, clearer display. Additionally, the white HTC Hero includes a Teflon coating for a durable surface that's soft to the touch.

According to HTC, the Hero features a 3.2-inch HVGA touch-screen display. The smartphone is optimized for Web, multimedia and other content and also includes aGPS, a digital compass, a gravity-sensor, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and expandable microSD memory.

The HTC Hero also integrates a dedicated search button that goes beyond basic search, offering users a contextual search experience that searches Twitter, locates contacts, finds e-mails and searches any other area on the smartphone.

"HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to people and accessing your important information, not by following the status quo of today's phones, but by following how you communicate and live your life," Peter Chou, HTC's CEO, said in the statement. "HTC Sense is a distinct experience created to make HTC phones more simple for people to use, leaving them saying 'it just makes sense.'"

HTC Sense, which will be available on all new HTC devices moving forward, is based on three key principals: "Make It Mine," "Stay Close" and "Discover the Unexpected," the company said.

HTC said Make It Mine encourages users to dictate and organize how they access people and content. That means users can add glance-view widgets that push content like Twitter feeds, weather and other information to the surface, or users can have quick access to business information like e-mail, calendar and world times. HTC is also releasing a new profile feature called "Scenes" that lets users create different customized content profiles around specific functions or times.

HTC Sense's Stay Close feature integrates calls, e-mails, texts, photos, status updates and more into a single view to let users keep up to speed with certain contacts. HTC Sense also includes friends' Facebook status updates and photos and Flickr photos alongside text messages, e-mails and call history in a single view.

And the Discover the Unexpected principle enables HTC Hero and HTC Sense users to customize the phone further, by adding features like the ability to turn the phone over to silence a ring or improve the smart dial to make faster calls. HTC Sense also adds "Perspectives," a new way to view content like e-mail, photos, Twitter, music and other types in new ways.

According to HTC, the HTC Hero with HTC Sense will be available across Europe in July and in Asia later in the summer. HTC will also release a distinct North American version of the Hero later in 2009. Pricing information was not available.

The Hero comes as HTC continues to lead the Google Android charge, planning to release as many as 18 Android-based smartphones this year. On the market so far are the HTC-built T-Mobile G1 and the HTC Magic. T-Mobile this week also unveiled plans to release another HTC-built Android smartphone, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G, later this summer.