14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Sprint put on sale not too long ago its first mobile phone powered by Google's Android operating system, the HTC Hero, becoming this way the second US carrier that has such a device available for its users. The Hero that came to Sprint is a different model than the one that went to the market around the world, as it does not feature the HTC Android chin we've already seen on other handsets, and has already proved to be a very attractive device. However, it seems that the phone also comes with an issue that makes it drain the life out of its battery very fast.
The Hero that went to Sprint comes with a 1500 mAh battery, 150 mAh more than the GSM Hero, which should offer some extra operation time, since the connectivity to the CDMA network needs more power, yet it seems that the usage time with the Hero is still reduced. The issue is caused by a glitch in the HTC SMS app, which makes the device stay awake at all times, although the screen turns off. According to a recent post on HTCSource, the handset maker is already aware of the situation, and there are also a series of solutions to prevent the battery life from being drained faster.
“Sprint’s support forum for the Hero has a thread detailing the underlying cause of the problem and offers a quick solution, use an alternate SMS app. The Android Market has quite a few SMS app alternatives, but the one I would suggest is Handcent. Handcent will allow you to send text messages just like the default Hero messaging app, but it does have a few extra features as well. The app has a few different skins and you can customize the message look and feel. Just be sure to turn off the notifications from the Hero messaging app or else both apps will notify you every time you get a new text message,” the news site notes.
The problem with the SMS app seems to be very serious, as the phone only delivers around 8 hours of battery life, which one should agree is not something users would like. While HTC is working on solving the problem, you can always try out a third-party solution, at least until the issue is solved. Watch this space to learn when an official firmware that fixes it will be released.