HTC working on porting sense to WP7

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Since I'm a new user I can't post a link but if you go to Forbes' website and click on the velocity blog you'll see an article near the bottom about HTC porting over sense for WP7.

I know that they can't put their own UI on top but they are looking into using the live tiles to be able to accomplish the same goal.

I'm thinking most likely in the form of additional live tiles and colors.

Edit: Here's some of the article so you don't have to go searching around the web.

Microsoft's February announcement that it would exert more control over the phones that use its upcoming mobile software, Windows Phone 7, would seem to be a challenge for HTC. After all, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker has made a name out of layering inventive software on top of other companies' mobile platforms.

But HTC says its custom software, which it calls "Sense", will live on, even on Windows phones. Drew Bamford, who heads HTC's user experience design team, tells Forbes the manufacturer is applying Sense to its first Windows Phone 7 devices, which are expected to launch in October.

"Microsoft has taken firmer control of the core experience [in Windows Phone 7], but we can still innovate," says Bamford. The future version of Sense, he adds, won't look the way it does on current Windows Mobile (6.5) phones, where it basically replaces all the core applications and is fully integrated into the phone.

Nevertheless, HTC is optimistic about the Windows Phone 7 launch, according to Bamford. "We won't be able to replace as much of the core Windows Phone experience, but we will augment it," he says..

My thoughts too. OEMs are limited to six pre-installed applications. So we'll most likely see something like the mock up done in another thread here. We might see 2 single tile apps and 2 double tile apps that you could go into and change settings to make it look and feel like you want.

It's definately something I had anticipated that they might try to do but it's always nice to get some comfirmation on the subject.

I may have to think twice about possibly getting an htc phone in october. I dont want added doo-dads and bloated doo-hickies. If they do try to port their own sense experience, I hope they can be uninstalled or at least deactivated completely!

Originally Posted by daniel-t

I may have to think twice about possibly getting an htc phone in october. I dont want added doo-dads and bloated doo-hickies. If they do try to port their own sense experience, I hope they can be uninstalled or at least deactivated completely!

Anything and everything installed by the OEM/carrier can be uninstalled.

Originally Posted by RustyGrom

Anything and everything installed by the OEM/carrier can be uninstalled.

OEMs are limited to 6 apps of limited size. The apps that the OEMs create for the phones are also limited to the same restrictions independent developers are. This includes performance. They aren't allowed to bog down the OS with bloatware.

Originally Posted by Bengal34

OEMs are limited to 6 apps of limited size. The apps that the OEMs create for the phones are also limited to the same restrictions independent developers are. This includes performance. They aren't allowed to bog down the OS with bloatware.

Just for the sake of full disclosure, they do get access to some other APIs and integration opportunities that the rest of us don't.

Originally Posted by RustyGrom

Just for the sake of full disclosure, they do get access to some other APIs and integration opportunities that the rest of us don't.

That, I do not know. My guess is that they will considering that they are assigned Microsoft employees to help them make applications. But I don't think we'll know for sure until after they launch.

It may look something like this



I'm eager to see what HTC has up there sleeves.

All they can add are additional apps, so I wouldn't be worried about fragmentation at all. The main OS will not have Sense UI.