HTC Sense coming to Windows Phone 7, after all
By Sean Hollister 
posted July 24th 2010 10:03PM
posted July 24th 2010 10:03PM
posted July 24th 2010 10:03PM
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5
Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5
Microsoft Windows Phone 7
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Great HTC...you have lost a customer...
@bluefisch200 LOL...WOW
wp7 bashers are hilarious. people cry that carriers shouldn't put custom UIs on android phones because it slows down updates. that's fine. ms thinks, good idea, so no custom UIs. then people cry. hypocrites lol.
Engadget please put a poll to see who wants htc sense on win phone 7 os
Fuck.
Anyone else feel that the concept of home skinnong should just be a developer made app that you can download via app store and thus updates don't slow thebappbwill just need to update for the OS I mean Htc shit or moto blow both are fairly usless, I wouldn't even use them
Whats the since of windows 7
HTC PLEASE STOP THE TORTURE IT'S GOOD ENOUGH DON'T RUIN IT IF YOU WANT YOUR OWN UI MAKE YOUR OWN OS, ANDROID AND WINMO DO NOT NEED A SKIN!!!!!!!
PS. YOU ARE AMAZING KEEP IT UP!
@ohnoitsaspider This is NOT a UI change for WP7... they are NOT allowed to do that.
It seems pretty pointless. If the photo is any clue, I certainly don't need HTC cluttering up my screen to tell me I have a "digital" camera. Do they think users will be looking for a place to load film?
@appsman That would be a photo of the current HD2, which runs windows 6.5, not WP7. It was a bit stupid for engadget to put this photo up, people are going to get way too confused.
So wait, at first they said WP7 wasn't coming to the HD2, is this still true or the title also applies for that beauty?
HTC stop skinning these oses. WP7 and android dont need skinning. You are a hardware company and your software doesnt make sense on these oses. You should have bought webos and skinned that instead....
But then again I dont mind you didnt. Just make good hardware for us.
@drakie
HTC isn't the only one that does this ... funny thing is, I might agree with the idea that skins shouldn't be as heavy as they are, or maybe even there at all. But Sense is the best skin, as of now, that are used.
Might complain if it was Samsung or Motorola.
@beesneazy
Yes exactly if you don't like Sense don't buy HTC, personally I bought a Hero for Sense even though that was it's downfall when it came to timely updates.
HTC's other great strength is still ROOT + XDA
@fourthletter
Yesssir. That is obviously the biggest flaw with these "skins" in terms of timely updates. But, thankfully we can stay up to date, if we so choose. ;)
Can't say I mind sense, but I see where people come from when they look down on the idea as a whole.
i used to have to htc hd2 and sense is the only thing that made it usably . and i dont like the new wp7 i tried a skin out on hd2 that was excactlly the same as wp7 and i hated it used it for 2 days till the fun wore and deleted it foor good .ill stick to my nice new dell streak
@supermanjason you can't put a Ferrari emblem on a Pinto and expect it to perform like a Enzo. It's just not going to happen, No WP7 theme or skin is going to function like the WP7 OS, just NOT going to happen.
I think that picture of the hd2 running sense looks a thousand times better than WP7 new UI.. Seriously I don't understand the hype that is trying to be generated over the wp7 interface ... Maybe htc can make it looks at least a bit better ?
@McDuckScrooged HTC is not allowed to try to make it look a little better. And, the Metro UI is one of these best interfaces in recent years... even for those who never bought the Zune HD... what was common in every review was how great the UI looked and worked... WP7 takes it to a higher level.
if there following apple updates will be sparse you will get copy paste after almost 3 years and still no proper multitasking so ill stick my android thanks
Was pretty much expected.
Interesting that they still want to "sense" the android 3.0, when Google tries to give it a look that make skins like Sense obsolete.
Another re- kin pos windoze from m$ who will buy this shit ..single threaded , no flash support device
I was considering buying a capacative winmo (HD Mini og HD2), so that I could keep a great looking OS...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=562952
@theEnlightened i used to have that on my hd2 its brill best rom i every used
@supermanjason
I got it now on my Blackstone (Touch HD) and it's like getting a new phone... I want to try the G10 as it looks awesome, but for now I'll update my Diamond with Energy Maxsense:)
Why do they want to put this horrible skin over everything? WP7 is unique and clean as it is, so I wish HTC would just piss off with this skinning crap.
WP7 actually looks promising, but stupid ideas like this will probably ruin the experience.
@JonCha sense is great wimo always sucked and will continue to suck.
@dhamp2g WP7 is NOT winmo. It is a complete rebuild from the ground up. Comparing WP7 and winmo is like comparing coal and diamonds, both are OS's but that is where the similarity ends.
you should read this website about wp7 then see what you think
http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/windows-phone-7-dont-bother-disaster-211?page=0,1
@supermanjason
I read that a little over a week ago. There's nothing in there that we don't already know except that this random person doesn't like WinPho7 and thinks that it's going to fail.
The question is, will the general consumer who doesn't really know much about smart phones really know or care that it doesn't have copy/paste or multitasking? Or will they just play around with the OS and say, "Hey, this looks pretty cool"?
Getting a little carried away with sense, no?
I just don't see why. I mean, HTC makes solid hardware. No one can contest this. And--keep in mind that this is opinion-- I've always thought that OS's should only be skinned if they aren't cohesive enough to be used on their own. Android 1.x needed this. However, --opinion again-- WP7 (and Android 2.x, for that matter) no longer need SENSE, motoBLUR, TouchWiz, or any other skin or extras. Microsoft doesn't allow it and for good reason. They are trying to model the iPhone as best they can without being a hardware manufacturer and the no skinning rule is the best way to do that. I think that HTC should stay out of the software game- for good. They served their purpose for Android 1.x, it's time to move on. Just my 2 cents.
This makes me somewhat hopeful. I've been saying that Microsoft would be wise to give the manufacturers a simple markup language or tool that they could use to pretty up the home screen(s). Something that would just sit on top and wouldn't effect updates at all. Fingers crossed.
I think that is VERY good news. I actually like WM (while it isn't perfect, it is better for my needs than say Android 2.1 although Android 2.2 shows a lot of potential).
However part of the reason I like WM is that I use SPB Pocket Plus and SPB Phone suite which put EVERYTHING I need on the home screen in a very efficient manner. I almost NEVER need to go to a second screen to get to an app or setting I use frequently. HTC Sense is kind of like a flashy version of those two but without the degree of control that I like for putting exactly what I want on the home screen - you still have to flip a few screens to get to what I want.
Hopefully them having HTC Sense availabability means we'll have the option of SPB Pocket Plus and SPB PHone suite. Everyone I know who didn't like WM ended up liking the efficiency and instant access to information you need when they tried those two apps.
i sold my iphone 3gs to get the iphone 4 but couldnt get it so i got a htc sense but hated it iphone was just so much better for me but im glad i tried android but now im getting an iphone 4 on contract yaaay to me.
But windows phone seven isn't designed to have any skins its just tiles which can be removed
@FritzJ92 You seem to be one of the few in this thread with common sense ;-)
They better just be editing tiles. If they touch anything else they really screwed up.
so WP7 is going to be just as fragmented as android, except it's not redeemed by it's openness and wild-western set of features and apps.
dammit, just show me webOS 2.0.
@torchie No. WP7 isnt skinable and all updates for WP7 devices go directly through MS, unlike Google and Android. HTC is going to make WP7's Live Tiles in the image of "Sense" widgets, so the very iconic clock on all Sense phones could be made out of a double wide Live Tile, and once clicked could give you options to change time settings... these are the types of things that MS allows... in the case of WP7, it wouldnt be a skin but rather an app that LOOKS LIKE sense. Its good to note that like any other app on WP7, it can be removed from the start screen, much like a contact or game.
@timotim I guess that's okay then. As long as the OS vendor has control over the OS.
@timotim
This is how I understood OEM customization as well. They just get to add some apps to the home screen. I guess a link bait story isn't as good with acutally facts.
To repeat: HTC WILL NOT BE SKINNING WP7!
Without Sense, it's non-sense.
@SeanHollister -- Nonono. WinPho7 is not getting SenseUI like we see it today. It can't. How can editors at Engadget still not get the WinPho7 concept? How many times need you be told how this thing is gonna work?
HTC is going to differentiate itself through hardware and software, which is awesome, but in the way WinPho7 lets them do it -- via extensions to hubs, and most likely, a full-on "Sense Hub" (hopefully not named that) that lets them design their own Sense-y experience using the sliding panoramic model.
Imagine a Sense-y home screen widget that launches you into something similar to SenseUI via panorama in a hub. That's good value-add, but nothing like what SenseUI does to WinMo6.x today.
C'mon Engadget, why don't you "get" WinPho7? To that end, why was your preview of the mobile OS so slanted towards what it doesn't have vs. what new things it's bringing to the table... like extensible hubs?
I'm confused. If Sense is such a big deal for HTC handset owners then why not just get the Android version?
I don't understand why yall complain so much about having sense on win mobile 7. It the best thing that happen. Window mobile won't have survived till now if it wasn't for sense. Also, sense is an option, you can turn it off at anytime, and having options is always good.
I loved WinMO 6.1 and 6.5. Am I the only one? It has TRUE user customization. You can find any application for anything you need. Most are free. It might be "ugly" but I don't use it for pretty, I use it for functionality. I do have a Samsung Moment for work, but I still use my WinMO Touch Diamond for everything else.
I frankly can't wait for Windows Phone 7. If it allows the same customization and practicality as WinMo 6, then I'll gladly ditch my Android.
I love the look of Windows Phone 7 and really don't want any manufacturer messing with it or at least have the option to turn it off if we don't want it. I feel it is the consistency of the IPhone and Blackberry they makes those phone successful and Windows Phone 7 needs to be just that, consistent. Maybe give the manufacturer's certain colors, ring tones anything else other than the look and feel. I want to buy the phone I see in the demos today not a manufacturer's re-image running on top of Windows Phone 7.
Hell. No!