HTC’s acclaimed touch user interface, Sense, will officially find its way to Windows Phone 7 handsets as well, like it already does on Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets. As Microsoft has some rather stringent guidelines for WP7 device manufacturers, HTC’s Sense UI will not be completely integrated into the core interface and applications, but simply provide a coating to the OS, or as it may turn out, the icing on the cake.
Speaking to Forbes, Drew Bamford, head of HTC’s UX design team, said: “Microsoft has taken firmer control of the core experience [in Windows Phone 7], but we can still innovate…We won’t be able to replace as much of the core Windows Phone experience, but we will augment it.”
When asked about Android 3.0, and HTC bringing Sense UI to that platform, Bamford said that HTC is planning on a similar approach when bringing Sense to Gingerbread, Google’s much improved and version number jumping mobile OS. “Google may focus more on improving the user interface on the stock Android [software], but I don’t think they’ll preclude manufacturer customization.”