heroes

With its new HTC Hero, Sprint is about to join the Google Android community. But how do its new offerings stack up against the handsets and services of T-Mobile? If you're looking to purchase an Android phone, which carrier is better?

Phones Sprint: The HTC Hero will be the first Android phone from Sprint, but rumors suggest that Sprint will also launch a Samsung Android phone later this year. And since Sprint also carries LG phones in its lineup, it could also be a destination for LG's new Android phone.

T-Mobile: Currently, T-Mobile remains the only U.S. … Read more

We're pretty swamped with a lot of news about Apple's iPhone, new Android phones, and the new Palm Pixi, so this is a short show for this week. Stay tuned next week with a bit more in-depth analysis and be sure to check out our live stream over at http://live.cnet.com every Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT.

Update: Sprint announced the Palm Pixi the night after this column posted.

Almost a year ago, I wrote about Sprint's lack of identity in the U.S. carrier world. While other major operators had used trendy devices, service, and even marketing slogans to develop distinct personalities, Sprint was wrestling with incompatible networks, a baffling ad campaign featuring CEO Dan Hesse and a relatively mundane product lineup. At the time, I argued that Sprint needed to really distinguish itself from its rivals if it hoped to reverse declining revenue and customer churn.

Twelve months later, Sprint continues to lose money and valuable postpaid … Read more

On September 9, classic rock fans will have a chance to strap on a plastic guitar and jam along with the biggest act in popular music history.

Artfully orchestrated buzz has been building for The Beatles: Rock Band since the start of 2009, and the team of developer Harmonix and publisher MTV Games (and distribution partner EA) hope to provide a bright spot in an otherwise drab video game market with one of the few video game products for the 2009 holiday season that has a real chance of appealing beyond core gamers.

We've gotten our hands on a final retail version of the game (minus the new Beatles-inspired instruments, but our old Rock Band gear worked fine), and gave it a test drive in CNET's AV Lab. Check out this video to see our extremely shaky music skills, and read our hands-on impressions below.

Dan: Music aside, this is essentially the same Rock Band game you've been playing for two years, but with nicely done overhauls of the menus, graphics, and interface, including some very cool animated Beatles segments. The biggest change to the actual gameplay is the inclusion of three-part vocal harmonies (you'll need three USB mics). We found out the hard way that these songs are actually pretty tough to sing, and nailing the harmonies is even tougher. … Read more

Now that Sprint finally has announced its first Google Android phone, we thought we'd take a closer look at how it stacks up against the competition. Sprint has chosen the HTC Hero, which is the third Android phone HTC has made. The Hero was first released overseas shortly after the HTC Magic, which T-Mobile launched in the United States as the MyTouch 3G. The Hero and MyTouch 3G are similar, but the Hero offers a few key advantages.

Memory The Hero and MyTouch have the same processing power, but the Hero should be faster thanks to its increased memory. The Hero features 288MB of RAM compared with the 192MB RAM on the MyTouch 3G. Many current Android users have complained about speed issues, which normally are caused by background processes that slow the phone down. Having more free memory will let the Hero be more responsive, even when multiple programs are open.

Multimedia Media fans will be pleased to find a 3.5-millimeter headset jack on the Hero. This was a major complaint of the first two Android phones, but now HTC has committed to including a 3.5-millimeter jack on all future devices. The Hero also includes a 5-megapixel camera, which is an improvement over the 3.2-megapixel shooter on the MyTouch.

Battery The first Android phone, T-Mobile G1, suffers from battery issues that HTC addressed in the MyTouch. The Hero takes it to the next level by offering a 1,500mAh capacity battery, which is the highest capacity available on an Android phone. In contrast, the MyTouch has a 1,340mAh battery.

Software The Hero's software is another of its advantages. The Hero will be the first U.S. phone to feature HTC Sense, an HTC enhanced version of Android.… Read more

Ok, but just to be clear, when I say it's time for me to get a pimp, what I MEAN is that it's time to get a PMP -- a portable media player. That is, perhaps, an iPod Touch. Anyway, you'll understand. In other news, the MPAA is trying to clamp down on your analog hole and break your DVR all at the same time and Apple's Snow Leopard is having a rough landing ... apparently because of the picture on the box.

Just a few days after we caught a few glimpses of a Sprint HTC Hero, the carrier surprised absolutely no one by finally announcing that it would carry the smartphone beginning October 11. Sprint's first Google Android phone will cost $179 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year Simply Everything plan.

With a large touch screen, a few physical controls, and a trackball, the Hero more resembles the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G than the GSM Hero available in the United Kingdom. It also has a few unique characteristics, of course, but the design isn't a rapid departure from … Read more

In a move sure to resonate with recession-minded gamers, Activision's just-released Guitar Hero 5 game includes an offer to get the highly anticipated Van Halen version of the music game franchise for free.

As a value-based pushback against the Beatles: Rock Band juggernaut, it's an excellent idea. Guitar Hero 5 includes 85 tracks (versus just 45 in the Beatles game), plus 44 more in the Van Halen spin-off.

Guitar Hero 5 includes acts from Johnny Cash to Stevie Wonder to Tom Petty, while Guitar Hero: Van Halen has 25 classic VH songs, plus 19 more from "guest … Read more

It's been a long summer for Sprint customers waiting to purchase a Google Android phone. Sprint has confirmed that it would launch at least one Android device, but have given no specifics since then. Mounting evidence now points to an October release and new photos reveal what their first Android phone might look like.

We've long expected that the HTC Hero would appear on Sprint first. The phone first launched in the U.K. and was made popular by the new HTC Sense user interface.

First it was reported by an inside source that the HTC Hero would … Read more