Switched On: Halting Total Customization
By Ross Rubin 
posted March 16th 2010 5:30PM
posted March 16th 2010 5:30PM
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Throughout the histories of Windows Mobile and Android, many handset developers have talked the talk of supporting these mobile operating systems, dribbling out a couple of handsets per year as they focused on other priorities. But not HTC. The company has created more Windows Mobile and Android handsets than companies many times its size, and in fact developed the very first Android handset. Microsoft cited HTC at Mobile World Congress 2009 for being an exceptional partner, while Google's Nexus One is an HTC-built handset sold exclusively by the search giant.
HTC has done more than simply create a lot of phones for these operating systems. It has attracted attention for its designs that include some of the largest displays and best QWERTY keyboards, as well as clever touches like the Touch Pro2's speakerphone, which activates simply by placing the handset face down on a table during a call. But most distinctively, HTC has invested heavily in developing engaging user interfaces on top of both mobile OS foundations, with development teams focused on delivering skins like TouchFLO and Sense to both Windows Mobile and Android. But now that Microsoft is radically changing Windows Phone 7 Series, HTC will have to change course, and in the process lose the distinction of having its custom user experiences live across both Windows Mobile and Android.
HTC's parallel user experience strategy of making over its phones' user interface always drew its share of puzzlement. For example, if the company was working so hard to create so similar an experience across Windows Mobile and Android, did it really need to support both? But that's a moot question now. With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft has swung the pendulum away from open customization and instituted iPhone-associated conventions like limited multitasking, an app store where submissions are hand-screened, and a ban on putting other top-level user interfaces above its own, often known as "skinning." That last prohibition casts aside user interface layers such as Sony Ericsson's Panels, LG's S-Class and Samsung's TouchWiz on Windows Phone 7 Series devices.
For the sake of consistency of the depth and breadth of the platform, this is the right decision for Microsoft. It never said much for previous versions of Windows Mobile that vendors had to take key elements of the user interface -- or nearly all elements of the user interface as HTC did -- into their own hands to create something closer to a competitive experience. However, while Microsoft's skinning prohibition raises general questions of how licensees will differentiate themselves, it has a particular impact on HTC. HTC could probably continue to license Windows Mobile 6.5 (or Windows Phone Starter Edition, or whatever it's called in the future) although that isn't a viable long-term strategy, and one that runs counter to HTC's focus on innovation.
HTC can certainly decide to ship Windows Phone 7 Series devices, relying on its enthusiast-friendly hardware designs to set it apart in a market where competitors like LG and Samsung have better economies of scale and better-known brands. Or it could drop Microsoft's mobile operating system altogether and focus on a single OS, as Palm and Motorola have done, leveraging the knowledge built up in evolving Sense on Windows Mobile. Of course, that would place HTC in direct competition with Motorola as the premier Android shop, but Motorola is not the global force that Samsung and LG are today, and Sense can more than hold its own against MOTOBLUR. Perhaps the upgrade for that "orphaned" HD2 is to Android.
In the broader context, a better Microsoft operating system for handsets helps all of its licensees. Differentiation doesn't count for much if nobody wants any of the products. Regardless of whether it stays with Windows Phone 7 Series, though, HTC is left in a weaker competitive position than it was in before skinning went away on Windows Phone 7 Series. It looks like Microsoft's Windows Mobile "reboot" booted at least one of its key partners in the behind.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
HTC has done more than simply create a lot of phones for these operating systems. It has attracted attention for its designs that include some of the largest displays and best QWERTY keyboards, as well as clever touches like the Touch Pro2's speakerphone, which activates simply by placing the handset face down on a table during a call. But most distinctively, HTC has invested heavily in developing engaging user interfaces on top of both mobile OS foundations, with development teams focused on delivering skins like TouchFLO and Sense to both Windows Mobile and Android. But now that Microsoft is radically changing Windows Phone 7 Series, HTC will have to change course, and in the process lose the distinction of having its custom user experiences live across both Windows Mobile and Android.
HTC's parallel user experience strategy of making over its phones' user interface always drew its share of puzzlement. For example, if the company was working so hard to create so similar an experience across Windows Mobile and Android, did it really need to support both? But that's a moot question now. With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft has swung the pendulum away from open customization and instituted iPhone-associated conventions like limited multitasking, an app store where submissions are hand-screened, and a ban on putting other top-level user interfaces above its own, often known as "skinning." That last prohibition casts aside user interface layers such as Sony Ericsson's Panels, LG's S-Class and Samsung's TouchWiz on Windows Phone 7 Series devices.
Perhaps the upgrade for that "orphaned" HD2 is to Android. |
For the sake of consistency of the depth and breadth of the platform, this is the right decision for Microsoft. It never said much for previous versions of Windows Mobile that vendors had to take key elements of the user interface -- or nearly all elements of the user interface as HTC did -- into their own hands to create something closer to a competitive experience. However, while Microsoft's skinning prohibition raises general questions of how licensees will differentiate themselves, it has a particular impact on HTC. HTC could probably continue to license Windows Mobile 6.5 (or Windows Phone Starter Edition, or whatever it's called in the future) although that isn't a viable long-term strategy, and one that runs counter to HTC's focus on innovation.
HTC can certainly decide to ship Windows Phone 7 Series devices, relying on its enthusiast-friendly hardware designs to set it apart in a market where competitors like LG and Samsung have better economies of scale and better-known brands. Or it could drop Microsoft's mobile operating system altogether and focus on a single OS, as Palm and Motorola have done, leveraging the knowledge built up in evolving Sense on Windows Mobile. Of course, that would place HTC in direct competition with Motorola as the premier Android shop, but Motorola is not the global force that Samsung and LG are today, and Sense can more than hold its own against MOTOBLUR. Perhaps the upgrade for that "orphaned" HD2 is to Android.
In the broader context, a better Microsoft operating system for handsets helps all of its licensees. Differentiation doesn't count for much if nobody wants any of the products. Regardless of whether it stays with Windows Phone 7 Series, though, HTC is left in a weaker competitive position than it was in before skinning went away on Windows Phone 7 Series. It looks like Microsoft's Windows Mobile "reboot" booted at least one of its key partners in the behind.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
Sense UI only exists because the standard WinMo and Android UIs are awful.
It'll no longer be required for WinMo 7 but Android's got a way to go yet before it's pleasing enough.
@MarkAnderson android 2.1 is the only possible better UI then Sense
@Alexpeegs Android 2.1 is still pretty sad. Sense is better than any other Android distribution out at the moment... I've tried a bunch of different roms on my Motorola Droid, so I know what I'm talking about.
The issue is vanilla Android lacks a good user experience. It isn't intuitive, has annoying bugs, and generally can be a pain to use if you aren't a tech-savvy person. Sense smooths over a lot of these wrinkles, and offers useful things like social networking widgets and deeper GUI customization for user friendliness that vanilla Android does not and *will not* have.
I want to express my sincere condolences for future WP7S users.
GO ANDROID!
HD2 XDAed/dual booted with ANDROID FTW!
I understand why and what HTC was going for with Sense UI, but I would prefer they abandon it now that it can only be used on Android. I think it is better to promote Android's GUI as it is, and for HTC to do two things:
1. Work closely with Google to improve Android GUI with ideas they feel are good ones coming from Sense.
2. Make their awesome widgets ship on all their Android phones, and also add them to the market place for a charge on non HTC phones.
win/win for everyone.
@Evster88 I agree that sense ui for android is great it slows down operation android 2.1 allows a smoother operation. However I don't use widgets so much because of performance.The live wallpapers are great and love the 3d effect of the app menu and can't wait to see what's next up for HTC to cook up with there sense
@Evster88
Agreed. Android doesn't look like it was designed with the general consumer in mind. HTC managed to make up for Android's flaws and did an impressive job with WM6.5. Nevertheless, even without Sense HTC should be able to differentiate themselves - I'm sure the hardware they cook up with will look sleeker than the 3 WP7S phones we've already seen.
@MarkAnderson
Android is certainly not awful. Shouldn't even be in the same category as winmo!
@Taylor Yes Taylor
Yes it is. Believe me, as a S60v5 user, I know a ropy UI when I see one.
@MarkAnderson
I gotta disagree. Android is no where near the steaming pile of ugly that was WinMo of old. Especially now that 2.1 is released. One can argue that it is not user friendly to those who are not very tech savvy but it's far from ugly. Google definitely has a ways to go as far as making Android as beautiful and smooth as the iPhone or WebOS or even WinPho7, but that's where I think HTC should step in.
If Google partnered with HTC and allowed them to work on improving the look and feel of stock Android, we'd definitely have some serious beauty on our hands.
@sfox8
It may not be as mad as old WinMo but it's still not good. That's the point - a UI like the iPhone's is expected these days especially on premium handsets.
@treats
Speak for yourself, one of the reasons I bought a Hero was for Sense.
I don't think anyone should be stopping HTC or anyone else from customizing the UI, If I wanted a closed system with a standard UI I would buy an iPhone, but like most Android users I DON'T.
@HerbieDerb
Are you posting this everywhere? Its kind of annoying
@Spaldinggreat
Why are you so easily annoyed?
@MarkAnderson
I have to cast my vote for SenseUI on Android. All 2.1 did is spruce up the icons and app drawer. So 2.1's icons achieved parity with sense, but it still fals way behind with it's notification area, music player, clock app, widgets, and more. It falls way, way behind with the calendar. It has managed to surpass sense with the dialer/contacts/phone app.
@MarkAnderson Windows Titanium is light years ahead of anything else.. Stock wm6.5 and stock android are ten times better than ANYTHING iPhone and BlackBerry have EVER had.. Period.. HTC skins not because the phones need it.. HTC skins because they can do a better job than ANYONE at it..
@fourthletter
That's fine. You don't appear to be the majority though.
@MarkAnderson
Sense UI only exists because the standard WinMo is awful, android is a nice UI, HTC just add some more widgets.
This will still be required for WinMo 7 as this UI is still awful, but since you cannot skin it, GOOD BY WINDOWS, Hello Android & Symbian^3 & ^4. The 2 last open handsets.
@MarkAnderson
What is so nice about the iPhone's interface?
I would call it, LACK OF INTERFACE.
Its just a plain black screen with 20 icons on it, a few dots on the bottom, and tiny clock on the top.
WM5, 6+, & Android interfaces are much nicer than iphone because they are customizable.
@treats the thing is Sense is probably the most beautiful UI on a handheld device outside of Apple (and that is debatable) the problem is it's only "skin" deep. If HTC wanted they could make "with HTC SENSE" a reality and treat that as the mobile operating environment, not Android or Windows Mobile, build on either CE (without MAPI and Mobile Outlook) or Linux. They could let you write apps in Lua and expose a rich API that works across their devices, then build a new GL-based game environment with Qualcomm. The problem with building your OE around apps is apps are imminently transplantable, Android is just one vehicle. Sadly, this would spell more of a lockdown of HTC devices, with the 'special' bootloader Windows CE and the somewhat open android bootloaders being replaced with a locked down version of Qualcomm sboot. I would argue it's the customizability of the experience that drives the hype around HTC devices, though there has never been a really legal way to do those things on CE devices and Android isn't much better outside of of AOSP code (most of the Google apps and Sense are not AOSP or open). Lua could really be the next great environment, it's not much harder to work with than HTML and javascript even without the availability of non-binary source at this point.
They are Apple-izing WinMo : (.
3/24 HD2.... SOLD!
WP7S... probable fail.. at least the 1st gen
I gotta say android has endless customization
@Alexpeegs
U must have never seen what can be done on WM.. Its actually very limited
@Celz
That's true for average user, but the sky/know-how is the limit for advance or seasoned user.The things that people can do with their WM6.5 simply makes Iphone user weeps and Android user nod.
@Celz
Your forgetting WinMo is a much more mature platform, developers know how to do things with it, android is very much still a baby and its customization has only just started.
@Alexpeegs how is that exactly? Unless you are using open source components from AOSP and building a custom UI on top of it, you really are limited to what you are given by your vendor. That is unless you consider "customization" to be installing applications.
I don't think it would be to much skin off HTC's nose to drop Windows Mobile now in favour of the more open Android, especially given WM7's new direction.
@Wolfticket
The majority of the smartphone market is already in-house hardware/software. RIM is the only company that makes Blackberries. Palm is the only company that makes WebOS devices. Apple is the only company that makes iPhones. The number of available OS's to licencees is already down to two. Putting all your faith into one or the other is a huge risk. Remember, Android is only 8% of the subscriber base at this point, and that's in the US where Symbian/MeeGo is a virtual non-entity.
As a handset manufacturer at this point, it's a very dangerous long term proposition to only back one of the two horses running the race.
HTC can focus more on the feature/industrial design side now. Plus, it will cost them a lot less to make these phones since they will not have to keep such an extensive development team in place to maintain a Sense/TouchFLO distribution for WP7S.
There are lots of other places for customization. I'm guessing HTC will get more into the app game... possibly releasing their special widgets and features as full fledged Silverlight apps on the new Windows Phone Marketplace.
Dear HTC,
Release an Android rom for the HD2. That is all.
Kindest Regards,
People who want to buy an HD2 on March 24th, but don't want to buy in to a dead OS.
@Capsule Gang Why do people so often continue after "That is all."? That is all.
@Capsule Gang the guys at XDA have released I think android 2.0 or 2.1 for the Touch Pro2. It doesn't support a few things (chiefly GPS, wifi and bluetooth) but I'm sure they'll fix that. And if they can do the Touch Pro2, chances are they'll do the HD2.
Also, if the rumored HTC Supersonic is what the rumors say, it's basically an HD2 with Android and WiMAX.
@chaos215bar2
Heh, I acknowledge your point, but I think a signature is acceptable to follow a "that is all."
@HurricaneDC
True, but since ports rarely have 100% due to missing drivers, an official update would be awesome. It took a long time for a halfway working rom for the touchpro2 to come out.
@Capsule Gang
Just recieved an E-mail today asking if they will be or could help other bring out a port of android for HD2 and they replied that the HD2 will not be receiving Android. And boy do they not like XDA developers :p
@Matrixis
Do you mean you SENT an email to HTC asking them if they would add Android to the HD2 and HTC responded 'no'.
@Matrixis
Haha, I also emailed HTC about an android update today. Here is their response:
I understand wanting to have the best device available. I would like to first state that there has not been any sort of official announcement made stating that the HD2 will not be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7. I know there have been questions regarding this, but nothing official has been decided one way or the other, as the operating system itself is not even coming out until the Holiday season. Windows Mobile 6.5 can hardly be considered a dying operating system. However, regarding your inquiry about an Android update for the HD2, this is not going to happen. The HD2 was built as a Windows Mobile device, and as such there is certain partnership with Windows. This is the main reason it would not happen. Also, the device itself is designed for use with the Windows Mobile operating system, and would be ill-suited for an Android OS. I certainly understand your point, but it is just not something that is going to happen.
Philip
HTC Technical Support
www.htc.com
www.twitter.com/htc
@Capsule Gang that's what they're making the supersonic for
"In the broader context, a better Microsoft operating system for handsets helps all of its licensees. Differentiation doesn't count for much if nobody wants any of the products. Regardless of whether it stays with Windows Phone 7 Series, though, HTC is left in a weaker competitive position than it was in before skinning went away on Windows Phone 7 Series. It looks like Microsoft's Windows Mobile "reboot" booted at least one of its key partners in the behind."
and if they stayed the same, the line would have been about how MS cant come up with a decent UI and has to let these other guys "cover up the ugly".
People demanded a "reboot" and that's what they got. Microsoft was either to do a total makeover from stem to stern or simply rearrange deck chairs. And you cant advertise the new arrangement of deck chairs, so guess where they went?
And Besides, HTC was not blindsided by WP7. They were kept in the know from the start. And on top of that, if one chooses to, they can still get touch Flo and Sense on the Android platform.
@LAY
All of the confusing and misinformed statements from various HTC and MS reps in regards to the Windows Phone 7 upgrade for the HD2 tell us that HTC perhaps wasn't kept "in the know" about everything WP7. Also, the fact that the HD2 had stickers on some boxes when it first shipped that said, "free upgrade to windows mobile 7" speaks of the confusion.
Since when is Moto the premiere android shop?
@Kero Since the Droid outsold the 1st gen iPhone after 75 days?...
I do wonder where customization friendly HTC stand with WPS7. What they have created on both Windows Mobile and Android is a thing of beauty.
Stick with Android HTC.
Great post. I would like to see HTC continue to support both platforms even though I am currently an android owner I am a fan of HTC and would like to see them succeed in any endeavor. I know MS is taking a drastic step away from what made them fail but copying Apples approach isn't really the best approach IMO. I hope to God that MS isn't as picky and fickle as Apple when it comes to approving apps. I also hope that the user experience is so great that skinning wont be needed, but honestly I like options and I guess Android will offer more of that for me than anyone else in the near future.
@newjaruz +1 for liking options, seriously, I'm addicted to them. I also want HTC to succeed, however, I now kinda want MSFT to fail err maybe I'd prefer a stutter out of the gates. I want all of these companies to learn that Apple got away with this for 2 reasons, 1 they redefined a market that was under-served, 2 they are Apple. So, I hope many people who were holding out for WP7S to consider an Android device, I hope that they go out and get an Android device. Android can easily become the 4th largest smartphone OS by mid-year, if not end of Q1 based on continuing 4Q2009 growth alone. Hopefully, all of that would tell the OSes that the market wont continue to be told how to use their phones, if not at least I'd still have an OS that is on the meteoric rise and therefore more developers jump on board.
Silverlight + XNA is SO much more beautiful and powerful than what Android's libraries are capable of in my humble opinion. Plus, the lack of customization will help prevent the platform fragmentation that has plagued Android users with app issues and annoying incompatibilities.
@Evster88 Aye. God damned "non standard resolutions" fragmentin mah android!
(Ahem)
@Evster88
actually its been most of a non issue and is more of an issue when it comes to the cynics out their such as yourself. Most people dont even have real issues with that. Not to mention apps are censored depending on the phone accessing the marketplace... so its not even androids fault but the lazy devs who don't control who can access the app even though they themselves know the app is in no working condition for other phones. Its funny Windows (globally speaking) has 97 percent of the market share. No one mention fragmentation then, do they? I don't think so... I have yet to run into one app (g1 or n1) where it could not be used and believe me.. I have downloaded some apps in my day.
Most android users do not have issues this is just a point hater like to highlight. Its cynical rhetoric is all it is and you the one on the megaphone ensuring you spread the word... sad really.
@Evster88
Fragmentation is a buzz word used by Apple investors to scare people away from Android.
I own an HTC Hero running 1.5 and have yet to run into any non-compatible apps and I download loads !
@fourthletter
I read an interview with an Android app developer (I can't remember the article. I think the game they made had something to do with cows...) And he said that one of the biggest problems with the current trend with Android is that it's taking the WinMo approach. Every time a new device comes out with a different sized screen, the app developers have to tinker with it a bit to make it work right. The reason *you* don't see problems is because app devs are busting their ass to make it work. That's what they're paid to do.