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You’ve read all about the HTC Hero yesterday, but how about some hands on impressions complete with photos and video? 

The form factor

The HTC Hero is pretty thin, about the thickness of an iPhone.  There has been all kinds of discussions about that 15 degree bend in the phone.  Why did HTC go with this form factor?  It’s about ergonomics.  When holding the device, the bend actually makes the phone easier to hold.  What kind of problem will this create in your pocket?  The bend is not large enough to cause any major problems unless you wear incredibly tight jeans.

Using the HTC Hero

The display on the HTC Hero is very nice and incredibly bright.  The “Sense” interface was very responsive.  Unlike the T-Mobile G1, there is no physical keyboard.  However, there is haptic feedback when you press the virtual keys.  Additionally, if you go into the settings you can turn off the haptic feedback if you hate that feature. 

The HTC Hero does all the latest accelerometer tricks.  Turn it on its side and you get a landscape view.  However, that feature can be turned off in the settings in case you prefer portrait mode.  There is a nice degree of customization on the HTC Hero. 

The device was very responsive and it looks like HTC has a winner with this one. 

Read: [Product Page]

Check out the gallery: HTC Hero: Hands on