Sprint: HTC Hero officially receives Android 2.1 update

Robert Hallock 19 May, 2010 at 10:24am ET Article published in Tech

Sprint has announced today that the long-awaited Android 2.1 update for the HTC Hero is now available to customers.

The new update, version 2.27.651.5 in Sprint parlance, delivers a raft of changes, which have been summarized below in the list of differences between the Hero’s Android 1.5 (Cupcake) and Android 2.0/2.1 (Eclair). Hero owners will also be delighted to learn that the update comes packaged with the newest version of the HTC Sense UI, which offers many unique features in its own right.

Beginning today, customers can start updating their Heroes with the downloadable update, but the carrier cautions that doing so will wipe the phone clean:

You will lose contacts that have not been synced to an email account, text messages that have not been forwarded, saved voicemail messages older than 5 days, voicemails older than 20 days that have not been listened to, and call history. The calendar and email settings will also revert back to factory defaults. Pictures, music, videos and files are stored on your microSD memory card, which should be removed before updating your phone.

To begin the update process, Sprint has provided an official support page with complete instructions.

Differences between Android 1.5 and Android 2.0/2.1

Improved OS stability.

Improved battery life.

Free turn-by-turn GPS based on Google maps.

Three-way calling enhancements.

Incoming call quality is improved.

Speakerphone remains on when call waiting kicks in.

Better Bluetooth, background echo eliminated, improved phone book transfer of contacts to in-vehicle systems.

GPS icon will disappear after a GPS app is closed.

SMS and MMS messages can be received after an EMS message is received.

SMS and MMS can now go to seven-digit addresses.

Google contact merging supports seven-digit numbers.

Visual Voice Mail notices arrive instantly.

Universal search from the home screen.

Camera, camcorder and gallery features integrated into a single UI.

Corporate calendar widget is updated.

802.1x VPN support.

A comprehensive battery usage indicator in the setting menu identifies all sources of battery drain, and what percentage they’re consuming of the whole.

Sync support for contacts from multiple data sources including Exchange. Handset manufacturers can choose whether or not to include Exchange support in their devices.

Developers can create sync adapters that provide synchronization with additional data sources.

Quick Contact for Android provides instant access to a contact’s information and communication modes. For example, a user can tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person. Other applications such as Email, Messaging, and Calendar can also reveal the Quick Contact widget when you touch a contact photo or status icon.

Combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page.

Search functionality for all saved SMS and MMS messages.

Auto delete the oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.

Camera: Dramatically improved auto-focus

Camera: Built-in flash support

Camera: Digital zoom

Camera: Scene mode

Camera: White balance

Camera: Color effect

Camera: Macro focus

An improved keyboard layout to makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improve typing speed.

Revamped Android Marketplace with a new UI and new options to sort apps by paid/free.

The framework’s multi-touch support ensures that key presses aren’t missed while typing rapidly with two fingers.

A smarter dictionary learns from word usage and automatically includes contact names as suggestions.

Refreshed UI with actionable browser URL bar enables users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation.

Bookmarks with web page thumbnails.

Support for double-tap zoom.

Support for HTML5.

Calendar: Agenda view provides infinite scrolling.

Calendar: Events indicate the attending status for each invitee.

Calendar: Invite new guests to events.

Revamped graphics architecture for improved performance that enables better hardware acceleration.

Bluetooth 2.1

New BT profiles: Object Push Profile (OPP) and Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)

Comments

19 May 2010 ~ 11:06am Nschwamberger No live wallpapers? WTF HTC/SPRINT iv seen hackers root there phones and have it why can't a major company do the same? Plus HTC users have been waiting FOREVER..
19 May 2010 ~ 11:32am Tyme516 yea no live wallpapers i just spoke to a sprint rep. he said if developers make a lower resolution wallpaper the hero could handle it. but as of now it can not. Now i think that is some BS cuz we have all been waiting for the update with the live wallpaper.
twitter: tyme516
19 May 2010 ~ 11:42am Kwitko Meh. LWP is no big deal. I'm just happy to have a 2.1 that's officially supported. Not that I don't like FreshROM, but if anything gets borked, I have no support channel.
19 May 2010 ~ 11:43am Thrax The Live Wallpapers in Android 2.1 aren't designed for the Hero's small screen. They're also a battery drain.

Good riddance, I say.
19 May 2010 ~ 7:05pm Snarkasm Live wallpapers do nothing but suck your battery dry. Not at all worth it.

Meanwhile, original Hero owners are still out in the cold. ^5.
19 May 2010 ~ 7:25pm Spence Is there a combined inbox on the officially released one. I am on the leaked on now and I dont have it, along with auto delete of text messages. Two features I really want.
19 May 2010 ~ 8:34pm mertesn

spence wrote:

Is there a combined inbox on the officially released one. I am on the leaked on now and I dont have it, along with auto delete of text messages. Two features I really want.

Nope. No combined inbox. Not sure about the auto-delete on text messages since the built-in app sucks. For SMS I highly recommend Handcent SMS.
20 May 2010 ~ 7:53am Snarkasm HTC doesn't use the unified inbox in its Sense ROMs.
30 May 2010 ~ 8:19pm spambot dudes the updates is a battery hog. the old 1.56 update was way better for battery life
7 Jun 2010 ~ 9:18pm Gone postal I love the update, but HATE the battery life!! I can literally feel the phone heating up in my pocket and it NEVER lasts more than half a day now. Every time I start taskkiller, there are always random apps running (navigation, amazon mp3, etc)
7 Jun 2010 ~ 11:47pm Kwitko Root it and install a custom ROM of your choosing.
8 Jun 2010 ~ 5:55am Snarkasm And quit using goddamn task killers. THEY ARE NOT EFFECTIVE ON ANDROID, and they're usually the leading cause of battery life issues.

Seriously, people. Android manages tasks correctly. If you kill things at all, you're hurting your phone.
8 Jun 2010 ~ 8:48am Kwitko True that on the task killers. They do more harm than good. There is an internal task killer that is user-customizable if you have root, but you need to be *VERY* careful with the settings.

With Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi running, and with playing games, I can get a full day's use out of my phone without any problems.
1 Jul 2010 ~ 11:07am YankoPanko I have just uninstalled all the killers and task managers and my battery rocks!!! It's better than 1.5... Snarkasm, Kwitko, thank you guys ))
1 Jul 2010 ~ 12:52pm Snarkasm
1 Jul 2010 ~ 1:32pm Kwitko We aim to please.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 5:00am Jan Jenner I've just downloaded the update on my t mobile hero but where is the Built in flash support for Camera?
2 Sep 2010 ~ 10:02pm Vinc Does the HTC Hero update have the auto-delete option for messages when a certain limit is reached?
3 Oct 2010 ~ 12:36pm Stephen Oesterreicher I downloaded Android 2.1 from HTC site before Sprint had it released. It was great and I thought that I had done good. But then several things started to happen. The first was bluetooth; it sort of worked in my car and I couldn't get it to even connect in my house. Do you know if Sprint release has the bluetooth solved or am I just out of luck.