Why don't they call it Hero S?

[david83]

The 's' could stand for speed...

Seriously though, HTC should keep the name Hero and develop it so it becomes recognized as THE android phone instead of naming every phone differently. It's called brand awareness. When people ask me what phone I've got I say 'I've got a Hero' and they say 'pardon?'. It's frustrating.

Hero is a great name, Passion is a stupid name.

 

[Android_LIFE]

I really think "Passion" is a horrid name.
"Passion" Perfume for Women by Elizabeth Taylor
http://images.fragrancex.com/images/products/parent/1039W.jpg

"Dragon" to me is a much all around better name. More market strong.
I'd rather it be named the hTc PB&J!!! LOL!!!

Oh well, if the hardware & software architect together like PB&J go together, then hTc can name it whatever the H-E- Double Hockey Sticks they want.

 

[david83]

Dragon is slightly better, but isnt that just being bandied about because of the processor it's rumoured to have? i've heard other names as well. Most are stupid. HTC need a single strong brand, not hundreds of different versions of the same handset all with different names. You wouldn't see Apple doing that. HTC have laid the foundations with the Hero, now they should build on it. Otherwise it's a wasted opportunity to create an iconic brand, which is what android needs.

 

[Aerimus]

HTC has been doing a nice job pushing their brand in advertising lately. It may come to the point where you think HTC is the go to source for an android phone.

 

[Android_LIFE]

HTC has been doing a nice job pushing their brand in advertising lately. It may come to the point where you think HTC is the go to source for an android phone.

+1

 

[sooper_droid12]

HTC is like the Android version of Apple. Happy, floral, white-washed commercials. It's the Android iPhone is what it is and it's clearly targeted towards women, like the iPhone.

 

[kennyidaho]

Dragon is slightly better, but isnt that just being bandied about because of the processor it's rumoured to have? i've heard other names as well. Most are stupid. HTC need a single strong brand, not hundreds of different versions of the same handset all with different names. You wouldn't see Apple doing that. HTC have laid the foundations with the Hero, now they should build on it. Otherwise it's a wasted opportunity to create an iconic brand, which is what android needs.

You mean that HTC laid the foundations for Android with the HTC Dream right?

HTC has a brand, many people have been following HTC before it was even a brand....when they just manufactured phones and pda's for other companies which then put their names on it. HTC started to brand their own phones a while back ago mostly in the Euro market, but slowly started get there name in the US.

It's been pretty common knowledge for a while that if you wanted to get a Windows Mobile device, HTC was really the only way to go, sure there was others but HTC had the reputation for good devices - a brand - as it's being called in this thread. Android is new and for the most part until the Droid came out you only had one option HTC.

Lets take for example Fords or Chevy. People like Ford or Chevy first, then they pick their model. If Chevy sold the silverado brand name to Ford the majority of people who buy Silverado's would stop because they don't view it as buying a "silverado" they view it as buying a Chevy. Same deal with HTC, I follow and buy HTC devices.

Also remember the names don't always stick...Sprint sold the HTC Touch, not the HTC Vogue....these are just code names the company uses.

 

[onion]

Errr they dont call it "Hero" because its NOT going to be on Sprint network.

Hero - Sprint
Eris- Verizon
Passion - Verizon

This model phone will not be on Sprint network. It has nothing to do with the Hero model.

 

[kennyidaho]

Errr they dont call it "Hero" because its NOT going to be on Sprint network.

Hero - Sprint
Eris- Verizon
Passion - Verizon

This model phone will not be on Sprint network. It has nothing to do with the Hero model.

Errrr the Hero name has no exclusivity to Sprint.

 

[onion]

Errrr the Hero name has no exclusivity to Sprint.

Does not matter. The Hero is a completely different phone. Has nothing in common with the Passion...

 

[kennyidaho]

Does not matter. The Hero is a completely different phone. Has nothing in common with the Passion...

It has a touch screen? Lack of keyboard? Track ball? Android? Designed and Manufactured by the same company? What more does it need in common? I wasn't saying they are related I was just stating that the Hero name has nothing to do with sprint, you essentially changed the subject. That's fine though we can address that too.

If you read my post above and knew anything about HTC you would know that code names such as Passion/Dragon don't always make it to market (in fact this is true most of the time) You would also know that HTC releases all their phones in the Euro market before the US market. The Hero was released in Europe in July, but did not hit the US until October.

Frankly it's pretty amazing that Sprint even kept the name Hero considering they completely redid the phone. Probably kept the name only to ride off the publicity of the Euro Hero.
Anyways HTC just announced that they would be releasing a successor to the Hero in February.

HTC exec promises Hero successor in 2010, debut at Mobile World Congress -- Engadget

We know that the HTC Desire (Droid Eris) is basically the same thing as the HTC Hero 200 (Sprint Hero). So it's entirely possible that the HTC Dragon/Passion are the same device with the HTC Passion being the model designed for Verizion while the Dragon continues on the Hero line (I doubt this though).

Yet we also know that the Android 2.01 rom has reference to the Hero, HeroC, HeroCT, DesireC, PassionC, Passion and Dragon.

So who knows.

 

[david83]

Frankly it's pretty amazing that Sprint even kept the name Hero considering they completely redid the phone. Probably kept the name only to ride off the publicity of the Euro Hero.

This is the point I'm trying to make - why wouldn't they want to keep a name that people associate with success? Look at all those new phones they've got lined up in 2010, noone apart from Android geeks will know which is the flagship model. The average consumer will need educating all over again. They should ditch the Legend and rename the Bravo as Hero2 or HeroS or HeroCt or HeroGT...

Android needs an icon.

 

[Mykpfsu]

This is the point I'm trying to make - why wouldn't they want to keep a name that people associate with success? Look at all those new phones they've got lined up in 2010, noone apart from Android geeks will know which is the flagship model. The average consumer will need educating all over again. They should ditch the Legend and rename the Bravo as Hero2 or HeroS or HeroCt or HeroGT...

Android needs an icon.

Problem is old name get associated with old technology. People will know the flagship model due to the cost.

 

[david83]

Problem is old name get associated with old technology.

i disagree. if its a good product then people would want an updated version. eg the new blackberry bold. People like familiarity, it's reassuring. works for iphone too.

 

[TheNorthernForest]

I agree with david83.

The more a phone carriers over the name to newer and better technological devices, the higher the attention it will get from consumers as time goes by. Phones like Sidekicks, BlackBerries and iPhone are successful because of this and it will start becoming iconic, turning into a franchise.

I'm all go for that, because all these code names are really getting annoying and hard to keep up with. HTC shouldn't be the only one doing this, either. Motorola is coming out with a keyboard-less DROID and I hope they don't call it something completely out of line of what consumers already know of.

Only the future can tell...

 

[Mykpfsu]

i disagree. if its a good product then people would want an updated version. eg the new blackberry bold. People like familiarity, it's reassuring. works for iphone too.

But outside of Sprint who used the Hero in the US (and sprint hero users and still under contract most likely)? Verizon called their Hero the Droid Eris. Odds are if you're ion the US and knew about the European Hero, you know the Passion is the top of the line HTC phone.

@northernforst, HTC is interested in making a brand name. Just not for the hardware. Their brand seems to be the Sense UI. Look at their commercials. Barely showing the phone but instead how you interact with it and making it all about "you".

Also remember Passion is just a codename for HTC. Many of their phones have been renamed from their codename (magic=Mytouch 3g, Desire=Droid Eris, etc).