Gadget of the year
HTC Hero
No smartphone floored us in the way the Hero did this year. It transformed Google’s Android OS from also-ran into genuine contender, and proved its mettle by squaring up to the iPhone 3GS without the slightest whimper. Sure, the iPhone may have sold by the tankerload and wowed us with its apps, but it was an evolution of an already excellent gadget. Conversely, our Hero came from nowhere with its social networking integration, its multi-touch interface and superior multimedia skills. It’s the only mobile we’d consider getting over an iPhone – and that’s really saying something.
Highly commended
