It's a big deal buying your first smartphone. Aside from the amount of choice on offer nowadays, there is the added complication of taking that big step from your regular phone to this new breed.

The hero is now a few years old compared to the wildfire, and the Desire S, and Desire HDs of this world. But do not think that this makes the Hero a bad choice of handset today. I have owned mine for 2 years now, and have recommended it to friends and family alike, since it has never let me down. No Battery issues with it going flat, No dead pixels, software issues, or freezing. As a first smartphone, I would really recommend it. Whilst it doesn't have a lot of the new up to date technology, (any HD Capability, 3D Capability, Dolby SRS Sound, DLNA) It does give you every standard smartphone feature, without compromise, and it delivers these exceptionally.

SIZE AND SHAPE:
The hero is in no doubt an acquired taste. Whilst some people enjoy the slightly raised "chin" of the mouthpiece and rollerball, other find it's appearance quirky. I will be honest, having used other handsets since, there is no question that it's chin is in fact beneficial for the user. It feels slightly more ergonomic, and comfortable in the hand when holding it. Not to mention the microphone being more direct to your mouth when talking! It has a 3.2 inch TFT screen, which even today after years of hard abuse still looks terrific. Colours are well represented and the touch screen hasn't degraded or felt " lossy" in quality.

EXTERNAL FEATURES:
Firstly the casing is made of teflon. It will barely ever scratch. And looks EXTREMELY funky. The front is mostly screen, with the 4 navigation buttons across the bottom, plus a back button and search button. It has, like many handsets now, got a 3.5 mm jack on the top, for your headphones instantly transforming it into a mp3 player. A 5 Megapixel camera with auto focus, is also included. Whilst the camera isn't bad, it does lack the joy of having a flash, so low level light photos are almost pointless, and even in good light the camera isn't that great.

SOFTWARE:
Of course, this is an android phone. Whilst this phone is older, you can still update the software to run on 2.1. Which is very stable, and a joy to use. The beauty of having a smartphone is tailor making the layout to suit your needs. if your into the stock market, you can have a programme or "widget" that shows you a constant update of the stocks and shares around the world. If you're into the social networking sites, you can have real time streaming updates from twitter, Facebook you name it. There are 7 customisable screens, allowing maximum flexibility. The usual bits and bobs are included - GPS, WIFI, MOBILE INTERNET, BLUETOOTH, And all the applications that work with these are included also. Google Maps, Google Navigation, Email, Facebook, Twitter.
Apps I can recommend are:
Shazam (hold your phone to a speaker and it tells you what song is playing!)
Google Voice Search (Instead of laboriously typing, you can speak into the microphone and say what you want)
IMDB (Internet Movie database, every movie, every review, and all the cast and crew plus fun trivia!)
To be honest there are tonnes, but just check out the market on the phone itself and see what takes your fancy!

PROS:
A portable, easy to use, comfortable, robust, clever smartphone that delivers on every level despite its age.
CONS:
THe more up-to-date user, may find the features a little standard and not new enough to keep them entertained.

CONCLUSION:
2 and a bit years on, i haven't regretted, or questioned my decision in investing in this handset. And the best is that they are getting cheaper and cheaper. So if you are too-ing and fro-ing about whether to take the leap into smart phones, go for this one - it won't disappoint and it will be a dam sight cheaper than a lot of newer standard smart phones as well.