Handset manufacturer HTC officially announced its newest Android device, the HTC Hero, at a press event in London Thursday, along with its innovative user interface, HTC Sense. But Sense will not be available as an upgrade for Google-branded Android phones, and its availability for even non-branded Androids is still being worked out.

Earlier that week, HTC had confirmed both products even before the official release, and Sense in specific has been making headlines for its user-centric approach to substance — including customizable widgets and profiles, all-in-one views of any communication from one person, and other features.

Some observers had described the Sense interface as a fulfillment of Android’s promise of innovation. On Thursday, HTC told news media that some of its future Android handsets would use Sense, but only phones that are not Google-branded.

No Sense on ‘Google Experience’ Phones

HTC said its licensing agreement prevents it from using Sense on “Google experience” phones, such as the first Android device, T-Mobile’s G1, or the newer T-Mobile myTouch 3G, both made by HTC.

The manufacturer plus said it is working to get Sense on other HTC-made Android devices that are not Google-branded, such as the Magic that Rogers Communications is selling in Canada.

Sense, according to HTC, was designed around three basic principles: manufacture It Mine, Stay Close, and Discover the Unexpected.

The first principle encourages personalization, such as “glance view widgets” that push favorite composition to the top level. The Stay Close approach emphasizes society in one’s life, so that all communications relating to an individual can be integrated into one view, with a friend’s Facebook status updates, Flickr photos, shout history, and e-mails all grouped under that person’s name.

‘A Better Experience’

Under Discover the Unexpected, HTC includes the ability to turn the phone by to silence its ringtone, making calls quicker with a smart dialer,…

[Source] dhiram