Which seller?

clear-coat/import gsm, there was one last night that was only $510.00 shipped and i almost pulled the trigger. But i wanted some input from you guys and i went to go buy it today but it was sold

http://forum.xda-developers.com/arc...p/t-439437.html

This may be an alternate way to access apps that are missing from the market.

Hmm, I have not seen a Telus one for under 570 USD on ebay. was that one with ATT 3G?

Yes, this is another way of installing apps. However, you have to be able to get your hands on the .apk file of the missing app and that can be difficult.

I use the "Astro" app to manage my files. When I switched from my HTC Magic to my HTC Hero I used Astro to backup all my files to my SD card and then upon setting up my Hero phone, I downloaded Astro from the Market, installed it onto the Hero and then used it to restore all my other apps from my SD card (instead of having to re-download them all from the Market).

However, paid/protected apps cannot be backed up and/or restored by file management apps since it would make it too easy to access and potentially share the apk files with whomever you want, so this doesn't really do you much good with those apk files...unless you're willing to look for them as "pirated" apps on the Net.

There's one specific app that I have been dying to download from the Market but cannot find. I have been looking for NBA Gametime Lite, which isn't a paid app but it must still be protected because it doesn't show up in the Market.

This is frustrating since I don't really want to hack my phone to be able to access apps that should be available to us in the first place but I am not sure if/when Google might get around to changing the policy on this.

It would be nice if you could download the apps on your computer from the Market just like the iPhone and iTunes since that would probably solve all of our problems since if we couldn't find the app on the phone we should be able to find it on the Market on the computer.

Congrats on buying the Hero!

You really don't have anything to worry about using an "unauthorized" phone on AT&T, if that's what you're concerned about. That's part of the whole benefit, IMHO, with using a GSM-based cell phone provider. You can go out and buy whatever unlocked GSM phone you want and stick your SIM card in it and you're good to go.

Yes, you'll need some kind of data plan with your service provider to use data on your phone, but that's true with any phone you get. Personally, I'm using the "personal smartphone" plan with my phone and it's basically the equivalent in terms of cost and functionality of the iPhone data plan.

However, it *might* be possible to use one of the cheaper Media Net data plans if that's what you're interested in. I haven't heard anything about anybody successfully using a Media Net plan with an Android-based phone on AT&T with what I've been reading lately, but it just might be possible.

I'm currently using the Media Net plan with my N97 and its fully functional and everything. I'm hoping it'll be the same with the HTC Hero or else im screwed

I'm doing the same thing you are and it works fine on the hero. All I did was take the SIM out of the iphone I had and put it in this cheap at&t phone I had. Left it in for about 20 mins. Went on their website and changed my plan as their network detected the phone, changed the internet package to the $15 one, then took the sim out and put it into the hero. Now their network says "unknown device" and you still get to keep the data. It's still unlimited as I also did this for months with my rogers HTC magic.

I'm *guessing* it will prolly work, but I don't know for sure.

Let the rest of us know what happens when you get your Hero, please, as I know there are some other peeps interested in this very option.

Good luck! I hope it all works problem-free for you!

After having the white Hero for a few days now, I have to post how much I absolutely love the oleophobic screen coating on this phone! This was one feature I really missed from the iPhone 3GS that I used to use, and one of the primary reasons I was interested in the white Hero (since it's the only version of this phone that has this feature).

EVERY touch screen device should have this coating, man!! It makes it so much easier to get the gross finger oil off the device's screen!

I hear that! So loving it too! Loved it on my 3GS and the Droid has it also which is nice. So usta it now that when I see a phone without it, I can tell right away! The white version of the hero is the only version that has it? The brown and black do not? Also, notice how good the battery is? I put it thru the ringer yesterday and still had 40% left with heavy use all day long! So much better than the CDMA versions!

That's what I read from a few diff sources; white color has both oleophobic screen coating and teflon coating on the back of the phone, while the brown and black colors have neither. Seems like an odd decision to me to not have the oleophobic screen coating across the board on all models...

And yeah, battery life is good for me as well. I charge my phone every night anyway, but I easily make it through the day without coming close to draining the phone. (Although I keep my phone settings somewhat conservative to make the battery last).

I'm also really impressed with the screen on this phone. It looks damn nice. Text and colors look really good and reading stuff on it is a joy. Touch responsiveness is very impressive as well.

HTC really did a nice job with this sucker. Only thing I do not like is the placement of the "back" key on the face of the phone. It's position on the phone makes it basically impossible to hold the phone in your right hand and be able to access all the buttons/control the phone with just one hand. I find myself having to hold the phone in my left hand and use my right hand to press the buttons more often than I care to.

I suppose, however, lefties would love this phone. They should have no trouble accessing the back button while holding the phone in their left hand. haha