HTC debuts widgets for Sense-equipped Android phones

HTC was already in the Android software game by virtue of the fact that it drops a fully-customized UI and widget suite on some of its models, but this is new: they've migrated over to the Market. Now, what'd be insanely awesome here is if you could, say, buy Sense for $9.99 and install it on any Android device, but yeah, not so much -- what we've actually got here is a four-pack of free widgets that are compatible with the Hero and Droid Eris. Dice, Today in History, Tip Calculator, and Battery are each downloadable individually; none are particularly exciting or different than what's already available in the Market, but they've all got that famous HTC high style and the exclusivity of knowing that Motorola, Acer, Samsung, and Huawei riffraff can't use them. All four are available now.

[zole2112 Posted Dec 17th 2009 4:57PM]

Duh, disregard my comment, not running sense...

[kjellwkrona Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:11PM]

From what I have heard, it is not allowed to offer an application on Android Market unless it runs on all Android phones (at least with a particular release). Of course there is the definition of "run" to contend with; the Battery widget is possible to download and install on an Android phone (sorry, can't say which since it is unreleased), but it does not show up either in the widget list nor in the app tray (but it does show up in the Application Manager, to little use but to uninstall it). That is does not crash the phone is of course a very wide interpretation of "running", so let's see whether Google will take this widgets down, if the restrictions has been eased, or whether it just HTC having preferred treatmet....
Anyway, it is hard to understand why these widgets should be unable to run as standard Android widgets - there does not seem to be anything in the UI that cannot be created in a standard widget. Possibly HTC has removed some of the support for standard widgets from their Sense Home Screen (can anyone confirm that), otherwise it seems to be a wrongly conceived decision to give their customers preferred treatment. I do not think this is acceptable - such behaviour is poision for the promise of a broad Android ecosystem.

[maythetechbewithyou Posted Dec 17th 2009 7:44PM]

Loving it, HTC Sense FTW. Trumps all those DROID specialties, (plus the fact ERIS will be getting 2.0 anyhow so 2.0 + Sense + Multitouch = best Android Phone available). I am just enjoying this so much more than the iPhone.

[Djblue Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:08PM]

Woot check out sprint and htc latest twitter update the Hero and Moment isn't getting 2.0 its getting 2.1 in Q1

[MinimalistChris Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:20PM]

Anybody notice that when you plug in the phone, the battery animates like a chemistry beaker bubbling?

COOL!!!

[ebloomca Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:09PM]

I have a Sprint (non-rooted) HTC Hero and I can't launch any of these 4 apps. Anyone else having this problem?

[ComboBreaker Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:15PM]

Every Other Comment in the Market says "MY HERO FROM SPRINT CANT LAUNCH" . . . and I have the same damn problem

[whwillisiv Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:01PM]

@(Unverified) maybe because they are widgets and not apps. they seem to work just fine on my sprint hero, but you are right they don't launch. after installing, press the + key in the lower right of your home screen, select htc widgets, and select the widget you desire. put it on your home screen, and touch it when you want to use it.
note: battery is 1x1 as are the dice, but history is 4x4, and the tip calculator is 2x4 ... be sure you have the space before you try to load them onto your home screen

[HERO Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:20PM]

Yet again why HTC is slowly conquering the world one update at a time.
Grins.

[artshark Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:31PM]

minus the sense integration and the gui, i have the same app on my droid

[INsano Posted Dec 18th 2009 4:54AM]

Engadget: Please post 3d barcodes linking to apps when you talk about them, makes them easy to get to and install!