By Oo Gin Lee

IF YOU are a huge Google user and are always on the move, getting a Google Android-based phone like the HTC Hero is a must.

Not only is it easy to tweak the tools in the phone, synchronising contacts is also a cinch.

With the HTC Hero, I can access Gmail, Google Talk and Google Calendar on the fly, all of which can be configured to be a quick touch away from the phone's main screen.

Most importantly, I can now synchronise my Google Contacts (in Gmail) with my phone contacts. All I have to do is key in my Gmail address and password to set up the account on the phone and the device downloads my contact list from Google.

I can also link Facebook profiles to the phone contacts, complete with the icons or pictures that my contacts use on the social networking site. (Imagine saving yourself the hassle of having to snap pictures of everyone you meet to add them to the contact information.)

The wonder of the synchronisation is that it is done over the air - no need to plug in a USB cable from the PC to the phone to zip the contacts over.

So it does not matter whether I edit my contact information in Gmail or on the phone - the changes are synchronised over the 3G network in almost real-time.

In the three weeks that I tested the phone, the synching worked amazingly every time - except once.

That was when all my Google Contacts disappeared.

Luckily, I had backed up the data on my PC, so all I had to do was import the contacts again. (Note: Backing up is also what you should do just in case Google's server fails.)

There are three more great features:

The first is a third-party MSN Messenger (now Windows Live) program which lets me send instant messages to my 200-plus contacts.

Then there is SMS Backup, also free.

When installed, it stores all your SMS conversations like threaded e-mail within the contacts.

So when I open up the information panel of an individual contact, I will see his phone numbers, e-mail addresses as well as all the SMS conversations I have had with him since I installed the app.

The Hero is a key product for HTC as it is the first Google phone that has a customised interface instead of the standardised Android look and feel.

Its multi-touch sensitivity is among the best I have tried. You get an extended "wallpaper", which comprises seven panels that you can navigate by simply flicking a finger to the left and right on them.

You can also configure each panel with app shortcuts and widgets.

In my case, I needed only one screen. This, I filled with my Calendar, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Gmail, People (or Contacts) and five speed dial numbers. You can, of course, add more.

During my three-week test, the phone crashed just once and needed a reboot. Several downloaded apps caused the device to hang but I could "force" them to close and the phone still worked fine - a thumbs-up for the phone's stability.

The tweaks also allow you to install many apps.

I stuffed over 50 in it and loved many of them. My kids, for instance, went crazy over Doodle Kids, which lets them draw Magna Doodle-style but in colour.

My only beef is that the Hero blocks root access so I could not install a tethering app that would have turned my phone into a 3G modem with Wi-Fi.

Final say

It may not be perfect but it is definitely the best Google Android phone I have seen. With the Hero, I might just ditc my camera phones for a smartphone again.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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