HTC just released its highly-anticipated Google Android-based Hero phone to the public early this week. It features a tweaked version of the Android operating system, with a user experience dubbed “Sense UI” by HTC. After looking through a few videos, I find that the Hero comes in no comparison to the Apple iPhone and the Palm Pre. The Sense UI menus are hard to navigate, there is a combination of different gestures that have various functions that are not very intuitive and are hard to remember, and I personally highly dislike the hardware “chin” of the Hero.
What’s interesting, though, is the software keyboard on Sense UI. See anything familiar there?
I am not accusing HTC of trying to clone the iPhone. It is without doubt that the iPhone is one of the most sought after smartphone in its category, and to defeat it is the dream of all its competitors. This is akin to the near-monopolizing power Apple has had on the MP3 player market since the rise to success of the iPod. All I’m saying is that it seems that Apple now has a brainwashing effect on software developers of platforms other than the iPhone. The software engineers of the Sense UI at HTC must have designed the keyboard subconsciously thinking: “You know the iPhone keyboard? That’s what looks good now“.
Apple has this way of setting examples for the market, and being the true leader. The iPhone was first introduced back in Macworld 2007 where Apple touted “The first 30 years was just the beginning. Welcome to 2007“. Throughout the keynote, Steve stood on stage and baffled the audience and the wider world as he unveiled feature after feature of the iPhone. Amongst them, the most innovative technologies at the time were the accelerometer and multi-touch. Ever since, the smartphones of Apple’s competitors have been coming up with their versions of these technologies. It’s not that they’re copying, but they secretly recognize Apple as the leader in the “what’s hot in this decade” department.
At that keynote Steve mentioned the 4 Apple products that changed the world: the original Macintosh 128K, the original iMac, the original iPod and now the iPhone. So what’s next, Apple?
June 27th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Are you mental? It’s a keyboard. How can they not look the same, given that they are both keyboards appearing on a touch screen?
What would they have to change for you not to be able to make your post?
June 27th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
No, I am not mental. Do you not think that they look very alike? Sure, it’s a standard QWERTY keyboard on a touch screen, but the design can differ as well. Here a a few examples of keyboard UIs that differ.
Samsung Omnia (Windows Mobile)
http://thequantumbyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/keyb1.png
http://thequantumbyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/keyb2.png
The Android G1
http://thequantumbyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/keyb3.png
Sure they’re still keyboards on touch screens, but the designs are just different from that of the iPhone to be completely original. I hope I have justified my case.
June 28th, 2009 at 6:27 am
I think they look similar, sure, but the G1 keyboard is to all intents and purposes exactly the same as the iPhone one. If anything with the Hero they’ve moved away from Apple’s design, not towards it.
I don’t really get what you’re trying to do with your post, say that Apple inoovate and that others copy? Because of a keyboard? There’s got to be better examples than that if you want to make your point.
Whatever it’s supposed to be.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:56 am
Yet Apple was quick to spew out it’s iPhone upgrade with features the Android platform already had. Surely if a standard keyboard layout is intense copying then a compass integration for the iPhone is a major one?
Either way, I prefer that the Android Platform is open source, wheras the iPhone is full of red tape. Hence Hero’s integration of the Flash platform, yet Apple has been pushing against Adobe.
Indeed the iPod’s market saturation is very high as at the time it was head and shoulders above others in storage and style, but the iPhone has by no means the largest share of the phone market.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:05 am
For reference:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/167491/htc_hero_finds_a_killer_app_in_flash.html
June 30th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Well you know what, when the iPhone was first released without flash support, I was quite disappointed with Apple’s exclusion of it. However, after 2+ years now, I’ve had the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G, and I’ve never actually once had to use it. I dunno, that’s probably just me personally.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
That’s because you just buy from the app store. But Flash would open up another level of readily made applications and games for free, but of course apple wouldn’t like that.
Like said, apple’s claim to having the full internet is sounding a bit hollow, perhaps it’ll be moreso down to who can say they truly have fuller internet functionality.
No doubt apple will hash out another update with Flash player
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:45 am
I own both the Hero and the iPhone and I think there’s nothing worse than reading the public ramblings of an Apple fanboy. What do you suggest HTC do, put the keyboard on the back and use a colour lifted from a spectrum not exclusive to Apple? For God’s sake, was the iPhone a clone of LG’s Prada? I realise Apple would like sole ownership of every technology they use whether they were first or not but, and I talk from experience, the Hero with its many niggles outguns the iPhone in almost every department. Android will see the demise of the iPhone, I firmly believe that.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I have to agree with the majority of people here. It’s a keyboard, and a digital one at that. The Hero has many features that the Iphone doesn’t, and vice-versa, and there are MANY other things to compare them on if you’re going to rant.
December 15th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Disclosure: I love android. I use a heavily modified htc mt3g.
The iphone is an incredible phone. Most (literally) of my friends have one. The keyboard on the htc hero is very similar. Saying it looks nothing like the iphone keyboard is simply denial.
I personally am tired of:
“G1 rocks way more than that iphone sh*t”
“iphone’s got nothing on my android phone”
“android wasnt inspired by iphone at all”
These are dumb phrases, and thoughts. And they are not true. Android is great. I love it. But it wouldn’t exist if the iphone hadn’t come out – at least not in the form it is in now. People ask me which one I think is better. Well, personally I still think the iphone We is “better” = more polished, simple for those that may not know what they are doing, and solid. That being said, I like android more. It has a lot of potential.
So, we don’t need to be insecure about being “inspired” by other designs. We also need to not let our ego get hurt so much when some one suggests that their phone is better than ours. Who cares. They are both great. People use them differently. And quite frankly, until the Droid came out (and 2nd gen phones after) the iphone had more impressive hardware. Now the scale is even, soon hardware will tip in android’s favor. At least till next summer.
To be sure, it never happens like this –
1. Droid is released
2. Shows that the iphone is nothing and that people who buy it are chumps.
That is stupid. AND arrogant.
Reiteration of disclosure. I like android better. I use an android phone.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
hero is soo easy to work with
guess u are mental issac n if the keyboards look a like it doesnt make the phone good or bad they made so people would enjoy using it ive had many smartphones including the iphone but hero is my number one
Hero