HTC Hero firmware rescue mission arrives, plucks device from murky depths
By Paul O'Brien 
posted Sep 8th 2009 8:30AM
posted Sep 8th 2009 8:30AM
Regardless of your story, chances are that despite the huge excitement surrounding the device (particularly the Sense UI), you're somewhat disappointed. It's shiny, it's clever and it's very nicely done, but it's rather slow and laggy. As we said in our review, the company appears to have bitten off more than its last-generation hardware can chew. If this build of Android were to be loaded atop the guts of a 3GS or Pre, the performance would likely be astounding, but fused with the two-year old architecture of previous devices, it's mostly disappointing. Ouch!
Thankfully, it turns out HTC has been listening all along and the oft-rumored "major update" for the Hero has finally surfaced. Already available as an unofficial but due to hit the HTC support site any day now, the update (which is in a familiar RUU format for Windows machines and does wipe the device) wears the tag "2.73.405.5 WWE" -- and we've had a chance to play with it. So does it rescue the device? Follow the break to find out!
Aside from the main ROM changes the update also ships with updated radio firmware which is reported to slightly improve receiption together with a new bootloader which seems to prevent (or at least make more difficult) the process of rooting the device. All is not lost on that front, however -- the update has already being dissected into its component parts and can be installed without said bootloader, and you can find it pre-rooted in the usual places. Of course, if you want to be 100 percent sure of what exactly you are installing on your pride and joy, you should wait for the official release. Interestingly, although the update is expected to be made available by the HTC support, the company has also been testing OTA ROM deployments to the Hero, so we may see that happen too. Wouldn't that be great?
Surely the fact that it was fixed with a software update puts to rest the notion that it was a hardware deficiency? That and they're putting the exact same OS on the Tattoo, which ain't exactly a powerhouse.
I've installed this update from xda-developers, and I have to say, this does make the Hero the "Hero device" it was meant to be from the start. Not only the homescreen flies along but scroll-menus such as the contactlist load and scroll as fast as anyone could want. For those eager to install the version on xda-developers, small warning: Backup your SMS-messages through HTC Sync, wipe the device and then install. Your old messages will appear to have been preserved if you don't, but you won't be able to open them, and new messages that appear after the flash will be lost.
Very glad to hear this - this was my biggest problem with the initial review. There was no mention that the OS obviously could be tweaked to possibly get more performance. The focus seemed to be - not as good as the iPhone we love - without keeping the mind open for improvements.
The real question is: When will Android 1.6 be shipped for the Hero, and will it have the same improvements this update has?
Yes, it is faster and smother ! You can see it in action on this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqU7D_sMwGM
This news is making my trigger finger very jumpy... So this device becomes available October 11th.. Am i going to hate life if i pick this thing up.. then a week later the first Snapdragon android device is going to be announced..? Does anyone think there will be some hardware coming out before the end of the year that will make the hero instantly dated?
I agree with you I am worried about that same thing. Although I have already placed my pre-sale $50.00 down on a Hero at Best Buy... (some stores are taking $$ early) so if I still choose to make the purchase Oct 11th then I am golden. But my luck is that I will get it and on Oct 12th they will announce the Hero + or whatever and will have some smoking 1 Ghz processor.
Hopefully this will not be outdated to fast, and we can stay on the top of the heap for at least a few months. But with the wave of Android phones on the way its pretty plausible new hardware will continue to be bigger and badder than its predecessor.
What if it's a 2GHz processor? As long as the Hero itself is snappy, processor speed remains just a number.
Just do what I'm going to do. If something new comes out sell the Hero and get the New phone. I in need of a new phone My phone is 3yrs old and I can have full battery and if I call out it says low battery and turns off. So when the Hero comes out I getting it.
Just installed on my Orange branded hero and damn, it's an improvement!
Time to play.
How can it be installed on an Orange branded. Can someone help. Thank you
What I wouldn't give to have this device with 850/1900 3G radio...
What I wouldn't give to have the Hero (original one, not the icky Sprint one) with a 850/1900 MHz 3G radio...
When the horrible UI lagginess was uncovered, I felt slightly less bitter and covetous, but now those feelings have returned.
C'mon HTC, hook us up!!
That is some great news!
this is great news! hopefully they will release it officially soon. my unlocked hero should be in on thursday! i'll wait for the official update because i've been hacking my g1 to be more like this phone.. i'll wait and just make it easier for myself. Good work HTC!
Any chance this will improve the video playback? I'm still on the fence with the Hero. I may head to Best Buy when it comes in to pick one up, but I'm really needing good quality video playback (full length movies off the microSD) and quality sound (through a pair of good earbuds).
Does the update fix the stupid fact that all applications are stored and run off of the phones piddly internal memory? To me this has to be one of the most horrific faults of the phone - I daren't install that many apps because of it.
This is the number one reason I'm not switching to Android...yet. Now that the hardware seems to finally be getting there.
I can't imagine how painful it would be to come from a Pre/iPhone and to worry about which apps you can keep installed because of a tiny amount of onboard memory. Those saying external memory cards are a good thing have clearly missed this absolutely critical distinction. What good is the memory if you can't use it how you want?
Want this phone badly but don't think it will synk to my MDX bluetooth . . . at least no one is committing to it. Any suggestions?
Check Acura's site. I believe it will be compatible with the Hero. Use the HTC G1 as the phone model (same manufacturer as the Hero)
http://www.handsfreelink.com/findaphone.taf
If you're worried about the applications being stored on internal memory, get the custom ROM for the Hero. The phone's based on Android after all, so there are always going to be hacked builds out there (the Modaco hack is based on the new, leaked ROM). Check the xda-developers forum for more details. The speed tweaks are amazing, and the Apps2SD add on makes it all worthwhile. The processor is fast enough and it trades off processor speed for battery life - you really didn't see too much lag in the original ROM but the new ROM really flies.
So the lag wasn't because of the hardware after all? ;D
I have the Hero and the camera does not work, the BT does not work and the orientation does not work.
I have reset it many times and no change. Maybe the new firmware will fix it but I doubt it.
Where can I get the firmware to try b4 I send it back ??
Spike
If they simply don't work, then it's unlikely that the update will fix them. Looks like you got unlucky and got a flawed device. Send it back, and check if the guarantee covers an exchange.
why wasn't this posted on the main engadget page? this is big news
They only cover iPhone news there.
You want to know why? Because americans don't have that phone in their market yet. However, after all these lukewarm reviews, it would only be fair to talk about this major update!
Hopefully they will also offer an update tool for Mac and Linux users!
I'm not willing to pay another 130 EUR for a Windows license, just to be able to deploy the new ROM on my phone. Especially since my Linux box, on which I regularly work on, does offer native filesystem support of the Hero.
The HTC Hero ROM update is available for the UK from their support website. Although it appears that Orange related Serial Numbers won't work. Very frustrating!