The cute looking new HTC Hero gets a rather big thumbs down from new reviews as the hardware is just all-too weak for running this version of Android.
I just needed 5 minutes with the HTC Hero last week to figure this out. On the outside the HTC Hero looks sexy and the UI looks neat at first glance, but if you start using it starts to suck.

BoyGeniusReport says about the HTC Hero: "Though what I’ve found, sadly, is I get more enjoyment out of using my HTC Magic or the T-Mobile myTouch 3G than I do with the Hero. Like I said, HTC’s achievements and innovations aren’t anything to dismiss, they are what to me makes Android usable, but with the current hardware powering the HTC Hero, things become murky and frustrating."

Engadget says in their Hero Review: "The Hero represents a valiant effort from HTC -- though unfortunately, the company appears to have bitten off more than its last-generation hardware can chew. If this build of Android were to be loaded atop the guts of a 3GS or Pre, the performance would likely be astounding, but fused with the two-year old architecture of previous devices, it's mostly disappointing."

Gizmodo says about the HTC Hero: "The biggest drag on the phone is that it, well, drags way too often, smooshing the other solid user experience into a goopy ooze of the awesome sauce that you hoped the Hero would be. It's like finding out that Arnold is actually a 110-pound French guy in an inflatable suit."

At this point I do not even understand HTC having launched the Hero in this condition. It is one thing to have an OS that is in my opinion too playful and not that task oriented as the iPhone or the BlackBerry, but to deliver too weak hardware that can not run it without users getting frustrated is a no go.