Apple iPhone vs. HTC Hero

VS.

This summer another Google Android phone came out from HTC, the Hero - and now that summer is rolling around to an end, enough time has gone by to give a fair assessment that HTC is sizing up to be one of Apple's hottest competitors this holiday season.

The HTC Hero is more compact than the iPhone 3GS, though it also has a slightly smaller screen. But one thing that makes the HTC Hero a hot competitor for the iPhone 3GS is that it too has a multitouch capacitive touchscreen.

One of the things that's always made the iPhone so popular is its sleek, space-age look. Well, now here comes HTC straying from the pack of would-be iPhone-killers copycatting everything iPhone, and instead putting a whole new spin on what sleek and space-age looks like. If the iPhone looks like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars, the HTC Hero looks like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Besides being all white, it's got an angled lower lip that holds the trackball and buttons.

On the subject of buttons, the HTC Hero has 6 in all - answer, end call, back, menu, search, and home - compared to the iPhone's 1 all-purpose button. This suggests that HTC hasn't integrated the multitouch capacitive touchscreen technology into its devices as well as Apple - or rather, maybe it's the Google Android OS that still falls short of the touchscreen implementation in the iPhone.

Appearance is a matter of preference, yes, but less subjective perhaps are irritating fingerprints all over your smartphone. That's one of the biggest complaints iPhone users have had about the device, thanks to its glossy screen. But the HTC Hero averts that problem by using a Teflon-coated, non-gloss, plastic casing.

Both devices have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Both devices are similar in qualities of clarity, color, and viewing at different angles. And while the Hero doesn't have a dedicated lock screen button, its power button serves the same function. The Hero's digital camera is superior - 5 megapixels versus 3.2 mp - but neither one has a built-in flash.

Where the iPhone 3GS is charged with its proprietary Apple port, the HTC Hero uses a simple USB charging port which makes it appear at least to be a more versatile piece of hardware.

Overall, the Hero is good enough to give the iPhone 3GS a run for its money come wintertime, but the iPhone will still probably retain its title.