HTC Sense interface upgrade first look

HTC unveiled the Desire HD and Z devices last week, but the real star of the launch in London was the latest version of the critically acclaimed HTC Sense user interface.

The company has taken the basic Android platform and given it an interface that provides an unparalleled user experience. HTC has now added extra services that it hopes will appeal to business users.

The most prominent feature is HTCSense.com, which allows users to remotely manage, control, back up and customise their HTC HD or Z from a PC. The features bear more than a passing resemblance to those offered by the BlackBerry Protect security app launched by RIM in early July but this is no bad thing.

HTC will be hoping that the features will help to attract more business users to its brand.

Impressively, if a Desire HD or Z owner leaves their device at home, for example, they can send and receive text messages via the site at no charge. Users can also set the phone to divert calls to any other number until it is retrieved.

This is an excellent feature that will save consumers and businesses a lot of aggravation, and ensure that important calls or messages are not missed.

If a Desire HD or Z is lost, its location can be shown on the internet via GPS. Users can also trigger the device to ring loudly, if for example it is lost somewhere inside their house, even if the device has been set to silent.

The handset can be locked and all content can be erased remotely, while all data can be synchronised from the cloud to a new handset.

A message can be displayed on the device if it is lost so that anyone who finds it can ring a number pre-determined by the owner.

Users with multiple email accounts can have all messages sent to one inbox, which is another useful business feature.

All the familiar features (such as the seven customisable home screens) remain, but little additions make all the difference. A small but important addition is the 'leap view', which allows users to quickly rearrange the order of their home screens by pinching the display and moving the panels around.