htc sense

HTC Sense explained in detail

October 15, 2009 | By Surur

HTC has made much of their Sense paradigm, and with the HTC HD2 they claim to have brought the philosophy to Windows Mobile.

In this video they demonstrate HTC Sense on the HTC Hero android phone, and this is actually useful, as one can compare the features on the Hero with equivalent ones on the HTC HD2. One can see that the HTC HD2 does in fact have most of the same features, if not in the same widgetized interface as the Android device, and with this in mind I think HTC’s claim is fair.

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.

Via WMExperts.com

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What does HTC Sense on the HTC HD2 means

October 6, 2009 | By Surur

HTC’s press release mentions bringing HTC Sense to Windows Mobile. The user interface however looks much like TouchFlo3D has ever looked, which seems to make their statement nonsense.

Stuff must have asked the same question, and this is the explanation they received.

There are three strands to the HTC Sense UI ethos. Firstly, it’s all about ‘making it mine’. So the home page features a fully customisable 3×3 grid, giving you the freedom to decide what apps and widgets go onto each of the 13 home screens – yes, 13 home screens. You don’t need to have them all, so if 13 is a bit too much, take it down to whatever suits you.

Secondly, it’s all about ‘staying close’ and the HD2 reinforces the idea that communication is not just about applications, emails, messages et al – it’s about people. With that in mind, the HD2 has a ‘favourites’ option, allowing you to aggregate your contact’s details in one place, not to mention being a great tool for conference calls.

Lastly, it’s all about ‘expecting the unexpected’ and the HD2 has a few cool tricks up its sleeves. For example, when your phone rings it will detect when you pick up your handset and automatically lower the ringtone volume. Its backlight will automatically adjust to suit its surroundings as will go to sleep when you’re nattering away to prevent unknowingly hanging up while you’re on the phone to your mum and of course saving some juice in the process.

There you have it. Of course its the tricks up the sleeve we find fascinating. They include features such as automatically showing the weather for your location, being able to mute the phone by turning it over, or the implementation of the new car kit.

Read Stuff’s full impressions here.

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HTC Sense coming to Windows Mobile – confirmed again

June 26, 2009 | By Surur

We have recently had a concerned reader questioning our story earlier than HTC’s new user interface will be coming to our Windows Mobile devices.

This is what Christian had to write:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I’ve recently written to the editor of mobileburn.com asking him about the new “HTC Sense” and whether it might also become available for older Windows Mobile devices. However, Mr. Oryl’s reply frankly has taken me aback: He stated that “Sense” is Android-exclusive and would in fact never become available for other platforms.

I would be glad if you could comment on Oryl’s understanding of “HTC Sense”. You can see his full reply below.

Sincerely yours,

Christian

Reply from Michael F Oryl (editor @ mobileburn.com):

“HTC never indicated that the new UI would be available on WinMo – it won’t be, in fact. The confusion comes from some sites not getting their facts straight. HTC said that TouchFLO 3D was part of Sense. Sense is *already* on WinMo.

The fact that HTC has not given the new UI on the Hero a proper name has led people to assuming that Sense refers only to the UI on the Hero, which is not the case. In any case, HTC caused the confusion by not giving the new UI a real name it could refer to. Sense is merely a philosophy, not an actual user interface.

Make no mistake, TouchFLO 3D is staying on WinMo devices, and the new, unnamed UI is what HTC will be using for Android devices that lack the "with Google" branding.

This of course went against our earlier understanding and also any reasonable interpretation of HTC’s statements in press releases and to reporters. We therefore approach HTC’s PR for an official response, which is here below:

I just have a quick enquiry about your new product, the HTC Hero and its interface, Sense.

Will the Sense Widget-based interface be coming to HTC’s new Windows Mobile products, or will they remain with the same TouchFlo3D paradigm?

My readers are very interested in this question.

Thanks

To which HTC responded:

In answer to your question:

The Hero UI has been created specifically for HTC’s Android-based phones but also represents that three core pillars of HTC Sense. HTC’s future Windows Mobile phones will also be based on HTC Sense, but will enhance Windows Mobile in a way that is as appropriate and valuable to people.

Now that answer seems pretty clear cut to me – some version of HTC Sense is coming to Windows Mobile. It will not be exactly the same, but will be a departure from the TouchFlo3D. This of course makes perfect sense – HTC is all about motivating people to upgrade to new devices, and their main angle these days is software, and Sense is in the end just a more advanced version of TouchFlo3D.

Lets hope that this is the end of speculation regarding the issue.

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HTC Hero UI looks amazing, will be coming to Windows Mobile

June 24, 2009 | By Surur

HTC has just announced its latest Android device, the HTC Hero. We don’t normally cover Android, but the news by NetworkWorld that the new UI will be coming to Windows Mobile devices also made us more attentive.

"We’ve been developing this for three years," said John Wang, chief marketing officer of HTC, in a phone interview. "The point is to enrich the user experience, to make it personal, convenient and give users moments of delight."

The company calls the new software HTC Sense, and it will be introduced in HTC’s entire portfolio of mobile phones starting with the HTC Hero. The company is the world’s largest maker of Microsoft Windows Mobile smartphones, and handsets running that software will also run HTC Sense in the future.

The new UI, called HTC Sense, features many elements of HTC’s new People-centric communication paradigm. As can be seen from the video, many elements of TouchFlo3D and other software, first pioneered on Windows Mobile, has crossed over, and new elements such as twitter widgets seemed to have been added.

Here is what HTC has to say about it.

HTC Sense

Built on a culture of innovation and a passion to enhance people’s lives, HTC shapes the mobile experience around the individual. Debuting on the HTC Hero and available on all new HTC devices moving forward, Sense delivers on three basic principles: Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.

Make It Mine

Make It Mine is about feeling your HTC phone was created for and by you. To do this, HTC encourages you to dictate and organize how you want to access the people and content in your life in a way that fits best for you. For some, this means adding glance-view widgets that push content like twitter feeds, weather and other content to the surface while others may want quick access to business-focused information like email, calendar and world-times. HTC is also introducing a new profile feature called ‘Scenes’ that enables you to create different customized content profiles around specific functions or times in your life.

Stay Close

Today, staying in touch with the people in your life means managing a variety of communication channels and applications ranging from phone calls, emails, texts, photos, status updates and more. HTC Sense takes a different approach by integrating these communication channels and applications into one single view, enabling you to stay closer to your important people. With HTC Sense, friends’ Facebook status updates and photos, along with their Flickr photos are included alongside their text messages, emails and call history in a single view.

Discover the Unexpected

Many of the most memorable moments in your life are experienced, not explained. HTC Sense is focused on providing a variety of these simple yet innovative experiences on your HTC phone that will sometimes bring you moments of joy and delight. It can be something as basic as turning the phone over to silence a ring or as simple as improving the smart dialler for making calls quicker. HTC Sense also includes ‘Perspectives’, a new way for viewing your content such as email, photos, Twitter, music and more in different ways.