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As before, the Android operating system interacts well with all types of messaging, be it SMS, MMS, email (both Gmail and Microsoft Exchange) as well as IM through downloadable clients.
SMS is once again split into the conversation you've had with people in much the same way you see Google Mail displaying your conversations with people on the internet client.
Tapping out a text message is easy as well, with both a portrait and landscape keyboard on offer. The phone has the same XT9 correction for spelling as the Touch range, meaning as long as you've vaguely touched the right keys the HTC Hero will quickly spell the right word for you, like a wildly intelligent butler keeping his master out of trouble on a series of madcap schemes.
Setting up Gmail is as easy as you could want, with the phone simply asking you for your Google sign in details at the start of the process and the HTC Hero taking care of the rest.
Adding in other accounts is a little bit more difficult, as the phone asks you for the Exchange or POP3 settings to use other clients. However, if you don't know these a quick check on the internet will help you out and set you up in no time at all.
We actually used the internet on the phone to find said settings to join up our Microsoft Exchange email, and we managed to sort the whole thing in around 30 seconds. Failing that, you can always throw the phone at the IT guy in your office and let him or her figure it out if you're the lazy sort.
Sending messages from a picture or other media is easy too, with the phone automatically re-sizing the photo for the message. We were worried it might be a little more convoluted as HTC gives around a million options when trying to do the same thing on Windows Mobile 6.1, but thankfully the company has learnt which features to port and which not to.
