HTC Hero: Can the Superphone compete?

HTC unveiled its latest smartphone, and it's a doozy. The HTC Hero packs in everything a smartphone lover could dream of, except the handset won't land on American shores till the fall. Now that we've got a more mature market for smartphones, can HTC compete? We talk to Joel Johnson of Boing Boing Gadgets, and Seth Porges of Popular Mechanics about the situation. Joel thinks the Hero doesn't have to be the best phone in America, it really just needs to be the best phone for its American carrier, whoever that may end up being. With the wacky smartphone situation, many people aren't willing to switch to the iPhone simply because they'll have to go to AT&T, so when the Hero ends up hitting America, it'll just need to be the best in breed for its anticipated carrier. Seth, who had some chance to play with the phone a few days ago, thinks it's a winner at first glance. Seth also thinks, like many of our previous guests, that smartphone's biggest asset is applications, and seeing how the Android marketplace, and for that matter the Palm App Catalog, hasn't fully developed just yet, it's hard to see how these platforms will play out. What's your take? Are you excited about the device, or is it just another phone for you? What would make you stop obsessing about the iPhone for a few minutes, and take a liking to the Hero? Sound off in the comments. Distributed by Tubemogul.