Thursday, March 1, 2012
HTC switching to simple philosophy with Sense 4 and new devices
HTC is in the middle of one of its biggest transitions in the mobile industry. The plan is to simplify everything, from the range of devices to HTC Sense itself. We have already started to see this being implemented, specifically with the unified HTC One device line-up. But there is also a substantial improvement in HTC's customized UI overlay.
In an interview with Pocket-Lint, at MWC, HTC's Chief Product Officer Kouji Kodera went on the record about HTC Sense 4.0. Kodera mentions that their custom skin had become too complicated, and needed a renovation. While Sense has proven to be one of the most popular among custom manufacturer skins, the simplicity of stock Android is unbeatable. And HTC is now focusing on bringing the experience closer to stock.
From the original Sense up to Sense 3.5 we added too many things. The original concept was that it had to be simple and it had to be easy to use and we had that philosophy, but over time it got cluttered.Kouji KoderaHTC Chief Product Officer
Kouji goes on to mention that HTC Sense had become very cluttered. "There where too many things in there. Even on the home screen we had four or five icons before consumers got a chance to add things themselves," he said. And this is true, not only did Sense become a bit of an over-worked product, but it also was known to be a battery hog.
HTC claims that things were brought down to Sense 2.0 with the HTC One devices, making for a much cleaner experience. But that is not the only thing that is changing in 2012. Kodera also re-stated that we will be "hearing less from them," as product releases will also start decreasing.
This year, HTC has decided to switch its whole philosophy, in order to become less cluttered and confusing for the consumer. Everything will be much more simple and seamless, with a much smoother flow.
With fewer devices and a UI that is more parallel with stock Android, we can surely expect much better and more timely updates, as well as more thought out, quality smartphones. This is assuming that things are done right, of course, but we assume big HTC has a good strategy in its plans.
Let's sit tight and see how things turn out. But for now, the new Sense will be available via the HTC One X and One S. The lower-end HTC One V has HTC Sense 3.6, so we don't know just how well it will play out among its bigger brothers. But the device is not bad, and the Sense 3.6 UI looks just as clean as Sense 4.0.
Are any of you planning to enjoy HTC Sense 4.0 on one of the new devices?
Final Case Contest: Win 1 of 2 Spigen Crumena Leather Pouches for the Galaxy Nexus (Update: Winners Picked)
With two contests down for the day, we have one more that will empty our stash from Spigen SGP. We already handed out 5 Neo Hybrids and 5 Ultra Capsules for the Galaxy Nexus, so let's change things up a bit and give away the 2 leather Crumena pouches that are left.
These are genuine leather pouches of the highest quality. They will hug your device to keep it safe from dirt, scratches and the elements, but will still allow you to access your phone should a phone call or text come in. It's a different take on a "case," that's for sure. Ready to win one?
Update: We have our two winners. Thanks to everyone that entered!
ddevito – "My favorite is is the tasmanian devil, loved Looney Tunes as a kid!"
SuperChunk – "My favorite would have to be the Kangaroo because I've eaten one before."
Instructions:
1.
VLC Media Player For Android Hits Beta, Still A Work In Progress But Ready For Download
If you have a computer, you should have VLC installed. The popular media player will literally play almost any file format that you drop into it and is a must have for anyone that uses lots of video files. VLC for Android has been in the works for a while but has now reached the beta stage where it can be released to the masses. As of now the release is slated for only a few chipsets;
Battery Jealous DROID RAZR Owners, the RAZR MAXX Battery and Cover Will Fit Your Device – Time to Get Modding
The DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX really are identical devices in almost every way imaginable. Well, aside from the battery and slightly thicker body, the software is the same – something we detailed here – as well as the internals such as the processor, RAM, radio placements, camera, etc. This revelation pissed off a ton of original RAZR early adopters as they forked out $299 to get it early, all while being kept in the dark about a possible battery behemoth coming just 2 months later.
Thankfully this Android community continues to have your back. An XDA member by the name wardo5757
HTC: Our Sense UI Got Too Bloated, Time to Bring Simple Back
HTC's chief product officer Kouji Kodera sat down with Pocket-Lint this week to admit that their Sense UI had gotten far too complicated and cluttered in the last couple of releases. From the time Sense originated, HTC had always wanted to keep things simple and easy to understand, but as their skin grew with features, so did the bloat. Going forward with Sense 4.0 and their new One Series, they will attempt to slim things back down:
"There where too many things in there," Kodera continues. "Even on the home screen we had four or five icons before consumers got a chance to add things themselves. For the HTC One range we have taken it down to Sense 2 again."
And in case you were wondering, they are attempting to keep Ice Cream Sandwich as untouched as possible. While I find that sort of an overstatement after seeing a couple of Sense 4.0 videos and screenshots, we should at least expect to see less in your face 3D transitions, spinning wheels, and other performance decreasing UI tweaks:
"What we've done right now is a good mixture of keeping Sense and Google's Ice Cream Sandwich element in a good balance. We haven't tried to change everything here. We have kept a lot of the ICS element but still added the Sense flavour on top of it."
As someone that was once a fan of Sense, but found it less appealing in the 3.0+ phases, I'm actually pleased to hear this news. HTC needs to go back to their clean and easy-to-understand UI. Looking forward to the One Series or whatever it is they plan to release on Verizon to try to compete with it.
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