Hero vs 3GS vs TG01: it could all get quite ugly!

All being well, next week I should be in possession of an HTC Hero, iPhone 3GS, and Toshiba TG01 (well actually, I’ve gotten hold of the first two already!). These are three of the most talked-about devices of the moment, and it’s going to be quite interesting indeed to compare them together – I’m forming some thoughts already on the Hero and the 3GS, but we should let the TG01 join the party too!

Each device has it’s own strengths and weaknesses for example:

iPhone 3GS

+ awesome iTunes integration

- expensive

HTC Hero

+ great feature-set

- design might alienate some

Toshiba TG01

+ HUGE screen

- enough done to hide WinMo?

Everyone has their own opinions of course – so I wanted to ask IntoMobile readers if there is anything specific they wanted to see in any one of the devices, or compared throughout - if so ping me some comments and I’ll try and fit it in!

Ben

About The Author

Ben Robinson

Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.

Chris P

Video/Camera comparison. I heard the Hero has dire videp recording (HTC’s have awful cameras in general)

GUI – efficiency and prettiness! Id love to see a review of the TG01′s? From a video I saw it looks terrible, it looks like you need to use your fingernail a lot.
inshard

Build quality and the efficiency of the user interface, especially between android and osx. For example how quickly can you send an sms on both devices from standby, tap count, etc.
ben

Ooh I like these suggestions already!

Ben
HoldenC

In addition to the overall head-to-head comparisons please include a separate UI vs. UI comparison (sans hardware); and a separate hardware vs. hardware comparison (screen size and quality, overall size and pocketability, etc….).

It seems like the HTC Sense is a harbinger for future Android and WinMo UI’s and I’d like to see a comparison vs. the iPhone from the user experience perspective.

Similarly the TG01 is a harbinger for future Android and WinMo hardware features (1Ghz Snapdragon/Tegra processors, huge screens, etc…), again, how does this compare vs. iphone hardware.

Ultimately, I’m looking for a true alternative to the iPhone architecture and would like to know how close the market is to delivering one. For instance, would a “what if” scenario of TG01 hardware with something like HTC Sense UI/Software be the “iPhone killer”?
Ant

confirm wich one has the best onscreen keyboard
bing

maybe try pointui or mobile shell on the tg01, i found toshibas ui to be useless on mine.
gmane

Overall UI speed comparison between iPhone OS and Android

How many widgets can be loaded on the the Hero before it affects the useabilty of the phone (speed, smoothness)
D-Boy

I would like to see the review cater for those Iphone 3G owners that are looking for something a bit more customisable from an interface perspective. I love my iphone: build quality, wow factor (diminishing), gaming, video and the intuitive functionality.

I am very keen on the HTC Hero if i can get it in the UK on a 12 month contract.

In the review any chance of mentioning the quality of the apps and web browsing on each, plus the copy paste fuctionality (web content to email, app to text, etc).

Also, real life fuctionality; something like listening to music while using google maps, then answer a call and report what the phone then does? (music resume? Map location lost?)

D
blue

I’d like to hear how well SPB Mobile Shell functions on the TG01 too, if some of the lagginess with the device is a Tosh software issue that SPB Mobile Shell would fix.

Also, with the bigger screen, I wonder how Remote Desktop would function? if it would be more useable to use as a remote device for network admins?