Android and Me » htc hero

Cellular South unveils HTC Hero 6250 in black

Nick Gray — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:38:37 +0000

The HTC Hero may sound like old news, but Cellular South is looking to spice things up a little by adding a black version into their lineup. As far as we can tell, the new black HTC Hero 6250 is identical to the original HTC Hero that’s been in Cellular South’s handset lineup for quite some time, featuring a 3.2 inch display, Android 2.1, and a 528 MHz processor.

A black HTC Hero may not be as exciting as the upcoming HTC Desire or Motorola Milestone which are both expected to to launch on Cellular South within a month, but at $79.99 with a buy one get one free option, we might see quite a few new Android users on Cellular South’s network over the coming weeks.

The updated Cellular South Hero.

NPD Report: Android crowned smartphone OS of choice in Q2

Nick Gray — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:36:52 +0000

Does anyone still need proof that the Android OS is becoming the most popular smartphone platform of choice? NPD’s latest report shows Android secured the number one spot in the U.S. for Q2 as the most popular smartphone OS purchased by consumers.

The Android OS accounted for 33% of the overall smartphone purchases in Q2 while Blackberry fell to 28% and Apple moved up a little to 22%. The fact that Android captured the number one stop is not surprising since the monthly numbers from AdMob have show that Android adoption has been outperforming the competition for over six months.

While Apple may be a little frustrated with NPD’s numbers, we’re pretty sure that RIM is simply dumbfounded. RIM and their Blackberry handsets have held the number one position in the smartphone category since late 2007. We’re pretty confident that Android will be staying at the top of NPD’s charts for quite some time.

Top selling Android phones in Q2

Motorola Droid
HTC Droid Incredible
HTC EVO 4G
HTC Hero
HTC Droid Eris

Show Press Release

The NPD Group: Motorola, HTC drive Android to Smartphone OS lead in the U.S.

Android now installed in one of every three smartphones sold at retail. BlackBerry OS share drops 9 points to 28 percent.

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, August 4, 2010 – Riding the wave of new handset introductions and wide carrier distribution in the second quarter (Q2), the Android smartphone operating system (OS) continued its upward climb in the U.S. consumer mobile phone market, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. For the first time since the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2007, RIM fell to second position, as Android took the lead among operating systems in handsets sold to U.S. consumers. NPD’s latest wireless market research reveals that Android accounted for 33 percent of all smartphones purchased in Q2, ahead of RIM (28 percent) and Apple (22 percent).

“For the second consecutive quarter, Android handsets have shown strong but slowing sell-through market share gains among U.S. consumers,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. “While the Google-developed OS took market share from RIM, Apple’s iOS saw a small gain this quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4 launch.”

Based on U.S. consumer purchases of mobile phones in Q2, the top 5 Android smartphones were as follows:

Motorola Droid
HTC Droid Incredible
HTC EVO 4G
HTC Hero
HTC Droid Eris

“Blackberry 6 will soon offer features that have been popular in recently launched Android handsets, such as support for capacitive touchscreens and a WebKit-based browser. However, the Blackberry Torch lacks the large screen allure that has characterized the best selling Android devices at its price point, including the Droid Incredible and EVO 4G,” Rubin said.

Model selection and promotions continue to play a role in the race for carrier dominance. According to NPD’s Mobile Phone Track, Verizon Wireless has maintained its lead among top carriers for the last three quarters comprising a third (33 percent) of the units sold in the U.S. mobile phone market in Q2, followed by AT&T (25 percent), Sprint (12 percent), and T-Mobile (11 percent). In Q2 Verizon Wireless continued their buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers on all smartphones, including both RIM and Android models.

In spite of an overall decline in the number of mobile phones purchased year over year, the ongoing popularity of both messaging phones and smartphones, which are generally more costly than standard feature phones, resulted in slightly higher prices for all mobile phones in Q2. The average selling price for all mobile phones reached $90, which is a 3 percent increase since Q2 last year. Smartphone unit prices, by comparison, averaged $143 in Q2 2010, which is a 9 percent decrease over the previous year.

Data Note: The information in this press release is from Mobile Phone Track – NPD’s consumer tracking of U.S. consumers, aged 18 and older, who reported purchasing a mobile phone. NPD does not track corporate/enterprise mobile phone purchases.

HTC rolling out Android 2.1 update to Hero owners in Europe

Nick Gray — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:24:35 +0000

It looks like HTC is going to make good on their promise to roll out Android 2.1 to all HTC Hero owners by the end of June. Last week, we reported that the Android 2.1 OTA update was hitting handsets in Taiwan and it appears as though European owners of the HTC Hero started seeing an update being pushed to their handsets late last night.

An official statement from HTC indicates that European Hero owners will actually see two updates before the end of the month. The first update should roll out to HTC hero owners the next time their handset pings HTC’s servers to check for the latest update (quick tip: restarting your handset or changing the date typically forces the phone to search for new updates). HTC is being vague, not releasing any details on what the first update actually changes on the phone. HTC will be pushing out a second OTA update to the HTC Hero before the end of the month which will include the actual Android 2.1 update.

We have heard a handful of reports from Hero owners who have already received the first update. We don’t have any indication on when the second update will be hitting your phones, but be sure to leave us a comment once it hits your HTC Hero.

Android Éclair update for HTC Hero will be released by the end of June. The upgrade will come in two parts, the first of which will roll out from this week and will be detected when the Hero next automatically checks for software updates. The second part of the update will follow towards the end of the month. As the second part of the upgrade will wipe all data on the handset, Hero users should ensure any important data has been backed up before proceeding with the installation. Due to the size of the update, wherever possible, we would advise using a WiFi connection for this download to avoid additional data charges.HTC Support

Android 2.1 update for GSM HTC Hero has arrived

Nick Gray — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:28:21 +0000

While Android fans in the U.S. are lining up outside Sprint stores to get the shiny new HTC EVO 4G, GSM HTC Hero owners are finally getting a taste of Android 2.1. Late last night, we broke the news that HTC announced an Android 2.1 OTA upgrade for the GSM HTC Hero that would be launching today. We know that many of you were taking the “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude since HTC has been promising the Hero update for months now, but we’re happy to tell you it has finally arrived!

For now, it looks like the HTC Hero Android 2.1 upgrade is making its initial roll-out to handsets in Taiwan. Early this morning, HTC posted up details about the OTA on their Taiwan support page. The software upgrade to Android 2.1 will make its initial debut on GSM HTC Hero phone with the 2.73.751.13 software build. Once the update is complete, handset owners will be updated to 3.31.751.1 which is HTC’s Android 2.1 build with HTC Sense.

We have yet to hear of any confirmed reports that the OTA is actually being rolled out, but MoDaCo and XDA-Developers seem to have gotten their greasy fingers on the official build already. The ROM hackers have been at work all night and have already been able to cook up rooted versions of the official Android 2.1 build.

I have spent the last hour browsing through the HTC Hero’s support pages for a few dozen other countries. Currently there is no sign that the Android 2.1 update will be rolling today in any other markets besides Taiwan. But the fact that HTC has started the rollout can finally give HTC Hero some piece of mind. Sit back, relax, and keep checking your phone for software updates (menu > settings > about phone > system updates). Your Android 2.1 update should hopefully be coming any day now.

HTC announces Android 2.1 rollout for GSM Hero on June 4th

Nick Gray — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:09:15 +0000

The wait is finally over! According to HTC’s Plurk account, the Android 2.1 upgrade for the GSM HTC Hero will start hitting handsets some time tomorrow, June 4^th. Over the past month, HTC has been busy rolling out Android 2.1 to the CDMA variants of their handsets in the U.S. market (Droid Eris and Sprint Hero).

While the announcement from HTC may bring a huge sigh of relief to Hero owners, we would like to stress that there is no guarantee that the Android 2.1 upgrade will be making its way to Hero owners in Europe. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story for the next day or so and keep you updated if we start getting official update reports from around the globe.

On June 4, 2010 to open up the wireless software update, the main update function as follows: Android 2.1 operating system upgrade!

System will continue to send updates prompt, when you receive a system prompt as long as you can by clicking Download or wireless network connection 3G/GPRS way to complete your phone system updates. Note: We recommend you to choose to have free Wi-Fi environment, download the update. If you are currently using 3G network, the download may have to pay the additional cost carriers, please make sure to have unlimited Internet access rates apply for rentals before use.HTC Taiwanvia Rough Translation

Sprint Hero gets Android 2.1 uniting Sprint devices under Eclair

Sean Riley — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:52:43 +0000

Hero owners I know you have waited long enough so you can feel free to skip down to the full upgrade instructions from Sprint at the bottom of the post. For the rest of us lets take a moment to celebrate the end of OS fragmentation for this CDMA segment of the Android world.

Well not the end, but a brief cessation of hostilities. It may have taken a little over 4 months to do it, but right now all Android owners on Sprint can be running Android 2.1 if they so choose. It may actually remain the lone version of Android on Sprint for the immediate future as they are only scheduled to release new devices with 2.1 as opposed to some on the GSM side that are still serving up Android 1.5 and 1.6 devices.

Verizon can nearly claim this same feat, but as Jay pointed out below the Motorola Devour is still holding them back.

Now you will probably be quick to point out that the next 24 hours will likely end Eclair’s reign as the most advanced Android OS version available, but to that I say shut up and let me enjoy this.

Alright the moment is over; who thinks they are getting Froyo and when?

Upgrade Instructions:

Before you start the download, make sure:

You back up your data
- To save important text messages, forward them to an email address:
  - Tap the Applications tab and then tap Messaging
  - Select the text message you want to save and hard press it; you will see a menu to Forward the message
- Any installed applications downloaded from the Android market must be re-installed. To re-download applications:
  - Tap the Applications tab and then tap Market
  - If prompted, sign in with your Google account credentials
  - Tap My Downloads
  - You will see paid applications in the list shown
  - Take note of the free applications on your phone, as they will have to be searched for again and downloaded manually after the update
Your Hero has a fully-charged battery
You have the USB data cable that came with your Hero
You have closed all running applications on your computer and disabled standby and hibernation modes
You have installed HTC Sync on your computer
- Go to HTC’s support site
- Click on the Download link for HTC Sync
- Select Run in the dialog box and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation

To download the update software, go to our HTC Hero download site
Download the RUU ROM Update Utility and save it to your computer desktop
Double click the .exe file and click Run in Windows XP or Yes in Windows 7
On the Welcome Screen, be sure to read the caution message and Read Me file; check the box next to I understand and click Next
On the next screen, follow the steps listed and click Next
You will see the message Verifying information on your Android phone. Please wait…
Once the verification is finished, you will see current information about your Hero such as model ID, image version and language; click Updateto proceed
The screen will show information about the update; to continue, click Next
You will receive a confirmation message that you are ready to update your Hero and the approximate time it will take; click Next to begin the update installation. Note: It is very important that you do not remove the USB cable or launch any programs during the update installation.
The update is complete when you see the message Congratulations! Your ROM update has been completed. Your Android phone is now ready for use.; click Finish to exit
Your Hero will reboot and be ready for set up

Best Buy pegs May 21st for Sprint Hero 2.1 upgrade

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:23:50 +0000

Ok so most the time these Android 2.1 upgrade dates are worthless, but sometimes they actually turn out to be true. Our friends from Android Central have posted an internal Best Buy document which states the Sprint Hero Android 2.1 upgrade has been delayed again until May 21st. Sprint had hoped to have their Android 2.1 upgrades completed by now, but they are still in testing.

Best Buy employees seem skeptical of the news because they voted down the article 53 times in their employee news system.

A leaked Android 2.1 ROM has been available on XDA for awhile, so it appears the main issue could be distribution right now. All signs point to an over the wire upgrade instead of the over the air (OTA) updates we see on other carriers. This could be a problem for Sprint since the majority of customers are not likely to perform a PC-based upgrade. The Samsung Moment recently received a wired update (which enabled OTA updates) and 90% of users have yet to install it.

Sprint wanted to release the upgrade over the air, but the file size is too large for their internal servers. There is the option to allow Google to host the upgrade files, but Sprint has not fully tested that system in order to meet their “required launch timeframe”.

If there is a required timeframe for launch, we are not sure if that was imposed by Google or Sprint. May 21st is the day after Google I/O so maybe Google will announce something related to the fragmentation of their Android platform versions. It is not unbelievable that we could see several handsets upgraded to Android 2.1 by the end of next week.

The Sprint Hero could see Android 2.1 on May 21st.

Sprint still testing Android 2.1 upgrades

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:55:25 +0000

Sprint had hoped their Android customers would be upgraded to Android 2.1 by now, but they are still working with HTC and Samsung to deliver you a “positive experience”. We reported Sprint was internally testing their Android 2.1 upgrades last month and hoped to have them ready by early Q2, but it appears they have run into problems.

The two main issues could be Sprint’s inability to deliver over the air updates and the fact that Android 2.1 upgrades require a wipe. Customers will be able to download the updates from their PC, but there is a concern many will not. We recently learned that 90% of Samsung Moments were running a non-current software version (because the last update was also PC-based).

Rolling out a massive upgrade to all your customers is a huge challenge (just ask Verizon). No other United States carrier has released Android 2.1 for a first-gen phone, so it appears everyone is experiencing the same Android-growing-pains together. Either that or Google is secretly conspiring with the carriers on a simultaneous release (I doubt it).

It sounds like Sprint customers have a few more weeks of waiting at least. Sprint only uses “Q2″ when referring to the release schedule, so it could happen at the end of June for all we know.

The following is a quick update that was posted on the official Sprint forums.

We wanted to let you know that Sprint continues to work closely with Samsung and HTC to deliver the highly anticipated Android 2.1 upgrade for Samsung Moment and HTC Hero. We are on track for the upgrade to be available in Q2. Sprint had hoped to have this resolved by now – we thank our customers for their patience as we work to bring them a positive experience with this upgrade.Official Sprint StatementRe: Android 2.1

Android 2.1 upgrades for Sprint coming over the wire

Taylor Wimberly — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:28:32 +0000

A new leaked document from Sprint confirms the pending release of Android 2.1 for the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment. As we reported earlier this year, both upgrades will be PC-based (vs over the air) and will likely require a wipe.

Sprint will not initially offer over the air upgrades because the Android 2.1 packages are too large (80 MB for Moment, 117 MB for Hero) for their OTA servers. We pointed this out last year and it looks like Sprint was unable to come up with a working solution on time. Sprint has the option to use Google’s servers to roll out their upgrades, but they have not fully tested it and would be unable to meet the “required launch timeframe”.

The document claims the Moment will receive Android 2.1 on April 30 (today) and the Hero will follow in the first week of May. We know these dates change a lot, but both upgrades have been tested internally and should be ready to go.

Keep an eye on the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero support pages for updates. The files and instructions to perform a manual update will be posted on Sprint’s site when they are available.

It is also interesting to note that Sprint claims 90% of their Samsung Moment customers have a phone with a non-current software version. This could be because previous updates required the user to take their phone to a Sprint repair center or manually download the file. If the Hero and Moment follow a similar upgrade path, then we can assume a large portion of users will not update their phone without some extra help from Sprint.

The wait is almost over.

Android 2.1 updates are coming to Sprint phones in early May

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:37:47 +0000

New details are begging to emerge about the upcoming Android 2.1 updates for the Sprint HTC Hero and Samsung Moment. The carrier previously told us to expect Android 2.1 in early Q2 and now it looks like the wait is almost over. Both AndroidGuys and Phandroid are reporting today that Sprint is now telling customers to expect Android 2.1 in early May (maybe the first week).

Screens are included below and I believe this information is accurate. Official Android 2.1 ROMs have already leaked for the Hero and Moment and we know that Sprint has been internally testing the new firmwares.

Right now it appears the Samsung Moment update will be a wired update and the Hero update could be done over the air. Both updates are expected to wipe the phone, but that has not been officially confirmed.

The wait is almost over.

Android 2.1 is coming in early May.