Android 2.1 on Orange HTC Hero

If, like me, you are tied up with a long-term contract from Orange you will be relieved to know that you can now, finally, get the over-the-air update to Android 2.1.  And I must say, it is a vast improvement.  Here are the steps I took to get the ball rolling.

I couldn't find any information on the Orange website about the update, so, after some internet searching, I decided to try moving the date forward in my settings: bingo, things started happening.

Firstly, make sure you are connected to the internet, preferably via a wireless hotspot as the download, which is in two stages, is quite large.  Navigate to your Hero's settings menu and then to the date and time section.  Untick the box that says 'Automatic, use network-provided values', then move the date forward by one year.

Shortly after doing this you should receive a pop-up on screen from HTC asking if you want to download and install an update which you accept.  After this first part has installed, which takes a few minutes and updates the you tube app, go back to the settings menu and re-tick the box to get 'network-provided values' for the date and time.

What you will notice is that you now have a new option in the settings menu to check for software updates.  After a couple of minutes click on this option and you should get another pop-up asking if you want to install a further update which, again, you should accept.  This second part took between 10 and 15 minutes to download and install.

And that's it.  Android 2.1 should be up and running.  What's great about this update is that it doesn't delete any of your saved data, such as contacts and text messages.  What you might want to do (which I didn't!) is make sure your current scene, if customized, is saved as you will be put back to one of the default scenes.

You are now ready to enjoy Android 2.1 which is faster, slicker (check out the zoom function on the home screen), and has more apps available, including the official IMDB and Amazon Kindle ones.

This method worked for me but I have no idea if it will work for others but I'm sure it will.  Good luck.