The HTC Hero effectively turned the Android world on its head when it was unveiled in the UK. Packing a custom-made HTC Sense UI overlaid on the latest Android OS as well as all kinds of high-end hardware, the HTC Hero has been well received. But, it would probably surprise you to know that HTC’s own CEO Peter Chou first balked at the HTC Hero’s design.
In an interview with T3, HTC’s Chief Innovative Officer Horace Luke makes reference to Chou’s initial reaction to the HTC Hero. At first glance, Chou is reported to have asked Luke “What hell are you doing [sic]?” The angled chin and uniquely innovative Teflon coating might have been too much to digest at first. Chou’s likely singing a different tune now.
While the Jay Leno-esque chin is going to strike different chords with different folks, there’s no denying that the Hero’s Teflon coating is a work of genius. The coating gives the Hero a highly tactile surface that prevents slips and even sheds fingerprints like nothing else. In fact, Luke plays up the Hero’s grippy surface by likening the iPhone to a “slippery watermelon seed.” We wouldn’t go that far, but the iPhone does feel a lot less secure in the hand than the HTC Hero.