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Android 2.1 update for HTC Hero UK-bound at last?

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Posted at 5:20pm by

HTC Hero

After American customers got Android 2.1 on their equivalent of the HTC Hero last month, reports suggest that it could be rolling out across the globe, with the UK finally in line to benefit.

Users in the Far East have reported that Hero smartphones are finally receiving the updated firmware after many months of waiting and fingers will be crossed around the UK for an imminent domestic launch of a similar update, replacing the ageing Android 1.5 platform.

HTC is keeping quiet about a specific UK launch date, although it has not retracted its statement that a June arrival is likely, according to Pocket Lint.

It could only be a few days or a couple of weeks before UK Hero owners get their first taste of Android 2.1, but there is no way of guaranteeing this thanks to HTC's vagueness.

The update will be transmitted directly to the HTC Hero, so there is no need to sync it with a PC, although this will probably be an option.

More news on: HTC, Android mobile phones, HTC Hero, Smart mobile phones

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18 Comments

  • Bubba Boy, 7th June 2010.

    Forgive me if i don't spontaneously combust with joy. I've been waiting now for aeons. Or it feels like it anyway.

    I'll believe it when i see it. Come on HTC. Show me the money!

    Reply

  • Daleos, 7th June 2010.

    @Bubba Boy Downloaded a slightly modded Tawainese version on my T-Mobile G2-Touch and haven't had a single problem yet.

    Calls/SMS/internet/GPS all work and they've finally fixed the wonky G-Sensor as well. I expect the two versions are practically identical give or take a couple of Chinese apps.

    Reply

  • Jp, 7th June 2010.

    Been waiting so long now. It's good that HTC is updating its previous models to keep them fresh with new os, but the delays have put a downer on the whole affair. Can't wait for it to be finally released !

    Reply

  • Sven, 7th June 2010.

    Come on HTC what's the big secret? At least give us a proper clue on a release date. Hope T-mobile G2 Touch, aka the Hero, is also fully supported with this release.

    Reply

  • MAD MOOSE, 7th June 2010.

    Delay after delay: bet it's going to be July or August if at all. I'll have a new phone by the time the update arrives!

    Reply

  • Todd, 8th June 2010.

    American Eris owner here. I couldn't wait to get my much anticipated Eris update to Android 2.1. BUT when it finally came, it was a complete disappointment. Along with sparkling new features, it also came with a lot of bugs, glitches, problems, and a noticeable *decrease* in performance and battery life.

    Most glitches and bugs were resolved with a factory reset. The fact that my once fairly zippy (efficiently performing) Eris was still noticeably slower and laggy remained. Very simple things, such as typing in a text app. (I take a LOT of personal notes throughout the day) became slow and laggy. Now using the landscape virtual keyboard is so slow and laggy with the predictive text turned on, it's almost unusable, at least to me. I used to use it heavily, and now I cannot because it's more frustrating that it's worth. This may not be the case for slow typers, but if you've gotten really fast at typing on the landscape virtual keyboard, you may be in for some rather unpleasant experiences (assuming the Hero update is implemented as poorly as the Eris).

    Some of the many problems (that were not there before) include
    * diminished battery life (per *active* minute using phone)
    * noticeably slower performance, very laggy
    * glitchy landscape virtual keyboard (depending on use)
    * generally slower virtual keyboard responsiveness (laggy keyboard)
    * Internet (formerly called "Browser") is slightly faster at rendering pages (which is good), BUT prone to crashes (never crashed on me before)
    * choppy performance (frame pauses) in very basic games and OS animations where there was little to none before

    If the Hero update is done as poorly as the Eris, the first thing I suggest is to do a factory reset. Yes, all apps, settings and customizations are lost, but it WILL resolve many problems and glitches. You'll still be left with a slower operating phone, but more stable and with fewer glitches.

    Did I mention that the voice-to-text feature that is *native* to Android 2.1 went mysteriously missing from the Eris implantation of it? That's *after* we were promised this feature just prior to the update. Not cool. It's not a hardware performance issue, either, because the actual translation of audio waves to text takes place on Google's servers and NOT on the handset.

    It's not all bad. You'll have access to apps that Android 1.5 could not handle, so that's a plus. Of course, they may not run very smoothly (depending on nature of app), but you do have access to what was not available before. The new Sense UI is very slick and I love the enhancements to it - especially the home screen "jump view".

    Again, I hope they do the Hero some justice. They did little to no quality control on the Eris version. Just let the Hero owner beware. You may be in for a bumpy ride.

    Oh, one more thing. A lot of Eris owners are being very vocal about frustrations over problems with Android 2.1 (do some searches on it) that are actually just DEFAULT SETTINGS changes. PLEASE - if you're going to complain about problems with the update (assuming there are any), do so intelligently. Make sure you're not just having issue with things easily resolved in a setting. Things like syncing contacts and adjusting the default Internet view size are EASILY resolved by taking a little time to sift through the settings and making adjustments accordingly. ;-)

    Good luck Hero owners. I certainly hope your update is truly an enhancement and not just a great big headache like my Eris update has been. I'm still doing research and being vocal with HTC and Verizon (my wireless provider) about the issues. If you end up with issues (that are NOT settings related), I suggest you do the same.

    Reply

  • HTC_GOOGLE_SUCK, 8th June 2010.

    First and last HTC I'll buy. They ripped off everyone that supported them with a buggy product. Where's the bluetooth?

    Reply

  • Td, 8th June 2010.

    Does anybody know how will people who are in countries that don't have HTC get the update? For example, my phone is from Germany (non branded one) and I live in Serbia. Will they at some point issue a worldwide OTA update?

    Reply

  • Luca, 8th June 2010.

    How could a Hero owner buy another HTC phone after all this?!?! The phone is good, but programmers and customer care is severely lacking.

    Reply

  • Skooal, 8th June 2010.

    Read my lips: "it will never come to Europe" that stupid update. How can you still hope after all this time? They do not care about us, they only want you to lose patience and get a new phone,

    Reply

  • Scott, 8th June 2010.

    Sorry but I'm dumping my htc hero when the iphone 4 comes out.
    Cant stand htc any more.

    Reply

  • Glenn, 8th June 2010.

    What I don't understand here, as an Hero owner who actually is quite happy with the phone is this:

    The Hero itself is not broken without this update. It runs and makes calls and sends texts just perfect without being 2.1.

    I have been waiting for an age for this update as well but if it takes another 2 weeks or 4 weeks what is the issue? You're missing a few features of 2.1 - nothing more really.

    This update will not make your phone into a whole new phone all of a sudden, so i think the hype has got us all worked up over what is really nothing more than a new feature set.

    Now if you dont mind i am going to go back and giggle at that ugly iphone 4 and faint at how much they think its worth to the public. lol.

    Have fun all :)

    Reply

  • Mike, 8th June 2010.

    @Glenn. It's simply because they said it'd be out ages ago. I gave up waiting a few weeks back anyway, and have been enjoying 2.1 ever since. :D

    Reply

  • Roy G Biv, 10th June 2010.

    Wow, aren't people commenting on this a little bit moody. So what if the update has been delayed? You're basing all your opinions of HTC and this phone entirely on an update being delayed. You know that is quite immature if you ask me, and immature people shouldn't have mobile phones ;)

    Seriously, if you want to know the difference betweem the two just root your phone and install a 2.1 rom. It really isn't all that great, to be honest.

    Reply

  • Stevo, 11th June 2010.

    I was today told by a T-Mobile UK representative that the 2.1 os will be released some time during the week commencing 14th June 2010.

    @ Roy G Biv; there have been many problems with the Hero handset of T-Mobile (also referred to as G2 handset), which have severely limited the performance and function of the phone.
    T-mobile have said these problems will be fixed through the introduction of 2.1 OS. The handSET has been out a year now with the faults. That is too long to have these issues.

    Reply

  • Bruce, 13th June 2010.

    My main issue is simply the length of time we've been waiting here in Europe for any kind of version update to Android. When I got mine we were told 1.6 was coming then they said we'd get 2.0 and then that changed to 2.1. If they weren't serious they should have said nothing or advised us to buy another phone.

    The US release has been out for a while so why is Europe receiving 2nd class treatment? It's a poor way to treat your customers.

    I'm not Apple's biggest fan but at least they tend to be a bit more reliable when they say they're going to do something.

    Reply

  • Tony, 15th June 2010.

    I don't see why people are getting so grumpy for. Yes it's delayed, but does it matter? Is your phone not working right? no and no, so stop complaining and be patient. Good things come to those who wait. I have the Hero on Orange and I love the damn phone!

    Reply

  • Summer, 14th July 2010.

    I just spoke with Amber who is a tech support supervisor and was completely shut down on this problem (HTC eris 2.1 update). All of the well documented phone problems since the update are now happening to my wife's phone and our business is suffering because of it. How can we be compensated for business and customers already lost by my company due to this problem? When i asked who is responsible for the update coming on to the phone, she blamed HTC. My issue is that we bought our phone from verizon and pay money to verizon so why am i needing to call HTC? They are taking advantage of the convoluted mess of having three companies involved being google, HTC and Verizon.

    Getting the same useless phone as a replacement is not the answer to our problems as we continually lose money with our phone based business. My wife and I were both very happy customers at Verizon until this update and the response.

    We had a fair proposal that would make the situation right which Verizon will not agree to. Amber compared it to buying a tv at walmart and that any problems with the item must be taken up with the manufacturer outside of the warranty. I say that is apples and oranges since a phone is much different than a TV. This kind of dumb analogy is an insult. It’s more like the cable company(verizon) selling you a tv then zapping it with something that breaks it. Please fix this VERIZON or you will hear from a lawyer soon and lose many customers!

    Reply

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