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Tuesday, 6 March 2012

The HTC One Series and Its Sense 4.0 Legacy Menu Button… Why?

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2012

The HTC One Series and Its Sense 4.0 Legacy Menu Button… Why? 3by Jack Holt
tagged HTC, Legacy Menu Button, Sense 4.0

I don’t know if you’ve looked at any of the HTC One Series phones but if you have you may have noticed something peculiar. You can even see it in the promo videos we told you about the other day. You may not think that it’s peculiar given that this item has long been with most Android Devices before Android 3.0. I’m talking about the capacitive buttons of course.

While the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich made them a thing of the past it seems as if every phone coming out of MWC this year has them in one form or another but I digress. The peculiar item I am writing about is the three capacitive buttons on the One Series phones without their missing menu button. While yes Google did say it was going away from the menu button entirely, this begged the question, how does one access an application’s in-app menu?

Well the folks over at MoDaCo were able to find out for everyone and the results are rather, well, peculiar once again. A virtual button, much like those found on the Nexus appears on screen right above capacitive buttons (see above). I’m going to just ask what we’re all wanting to; Why not just forgo the capacitive buttons all together in favor for I don’t know, the virtual ones if you already have a virtual button anyway? It’s a question I’d love to know the answer to. Heck I’d even take the four capacitive buttons or at least an option to make the back or recent apps button, when long-pressed, show the menu. The whole idea of having an added virtual button seems like a waste of screen real estate.

Honestly, I’d say that Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich have put to rest the need for capacitive buttons all together here on out and while Sense 4.0 may be becoming streamlined they made a boo boo with this button style. What do you guys think? Hit us up in the comments section below or join us in the forums to discuss it.

source: MoDaCo

» See more articles by Jack Holt

Categorized as Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones, Android Software

Comments Anonymous

I agree with you to a degree, but bear in mind that OEMs view the buttons as a design feature and need something to differentiate their design.

Whereas this isn’t the case with the Galaxy Nexus as it is a generic Google phone, HTC and others want to retain their signature design cues.

Jack Holt

You raise a good point and I fully welcome diversifying of companies. I am all for capacitive buttons if done well. However, what gets me is why have both? A lot of screen space feels wasted to me for this one menu button. I’ve always loved my menu button and used it consistently up until ICS. ICS took some time to get used to because of this but having both seems a bit much to me.

Arwin Burkett

Improper use of phrase “to beg the question.” Begging the question is not an actual question. It assumes something to be true without evidence other than the statement itself. Example: He’s ugly because he is unattractive. The question has now been begged.

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Recent CommentsRe: The HTC One Series and Its Sense 4.0 Legacy Menu Button… Why?Improper use of phrase "to beg the question." Begging the question is not an actual question. It assumes something to be true without evidence other than the statement itself. Example: He's ugly because he is unattractive. The question has now been begged. […] Arwin BurkettRe: Samsung Says Flexible Displays will be Here Within a YearI can't remember the show, Babylon 5 or V or something, they carried a short tube that unrolled into a little video or smartphone screen. I would be happy if they could make one that could fold in half, or even better one that could display 1/4, 1/2 or full-screen depending on how you fold it. 2" x 3", 4" x 3" or 4" x 6". […] JohnRe: Google Files A Patent For Voice Actions Integration On Google TVdamn thats smart^ […] jack changRe: Google Files A Patent For Voice Actions Integration On Google TVthis...is...amzing […] Chang JackRe: The HTC One Series and Its Sense 4.0 Legacy Menu Button… Why?I agree with you to a degree, but bear in mind that OEMs view the buttons as a design feature and need something to differentiate their design. Whereas this isn't the case with the Galaxy Nexus as it is a generic Google phone, HTC and others want to retain their signature design cues. […] raffimaurer

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Saturday, 3 March 2012

HTC switching to simple philosophy with Sense 4 and new devices

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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?

Via: Phandroid

Source: Pocket-Lint

Hello, I am Edgar Cervantes. I am an avid Android fan, and keeping myself updated on the topic is part of my daily life. I will always work hard to give the best of me to our community of Android enthusiasts, and I am very honored to be part of this ship. Hopefully we can all enjoy sharing our knowledge and opinions! Tagged#htc#HTC One#HTC One S#HTC One V#HTC One X#HTC Sense 4#HTC Sense 4.0 .nrelate .nr_sponsored{ left:0px !important; }.nrelate .nr_sponsored{ left:0px !important; } 43 Comments Join the discussion!Sort by DateRating

88oddball 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +10

I am looking forward to seeing what HTC brings to the table going forward. They have a lot of ground to make up after a disappointing year but if they focus on quality they are sure to do well

92Jeff Pan 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +3

Yes. Good to see they are willing to accept what went wrong.

I am pretty sure they will make a good comeback.

71zerosix 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I am looking forward to seeing, what they bring to the tablet market.
What I like about them – is small but lovely features, like hardware buttons of Flyer.

6leganzish 2 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I really am too. It seems like the pendulum might be starting to swing away from Samsung and back towards HTC. With HTC’s new focus and Sammy putting out as many phones as they can with many of them seeming like half-baked ideas (seriously, a 15 lumen projector phone?!?) I can see HTC sitting at the top of Android manufacturers again in the next year or two. It seems like Samsung is making similar mistakes to the ones HTC made when they found themselves on top.

65WlfHart 1 min ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I’m rooting for their comeback!

5Vieper07 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

htc had made a great job with these devices and wont bring them down whit a crappy software

68Chad 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

So if they understand that stock android is unbeatable then why try to beat it? It’s what most consumers want anyway and a lot of the other consumers don’t even know or understand what skins are so they wouldn’t even notice the difference. It’s a simple solution manufacturers… just go stock.

92redraider133 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +6

Because most “non tech” people like what skins bring to the table with the added customizations, etc. I know those on sites like this do not feel the same but we are in the minority.

68Chad 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +7

I guess it’s all in how you look at it because I feel skins limit the user more than add opportunity, but it seems we are at the point where it’s too late anyways, skins are the norm and most like what they bring. I would appreciate more of a choice approach..for example, the phone should come stock but upon installation ask if you would like to install whatever phone specific skin available.

swazedahustlaGuest 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down -1

Thats very true, but if every carrier simply released a phone that was only different in design, what kind of competition would that be? Skins are uniquie and allow for a certain demographic to have something that is different from all the other carriers. How boring would if every carrier had the same phones with the same software and same UI. Kinda hard to market your brand if its the exact same as your competition.

68Chad 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +7

Great points. I know in my own opinion I hate skins lol but I also understand they are needed and that’s what makes Android what it is. It’s nice to come to a tech site and have a simple convo with peers without it turning into a heated convo – much respect!

Xpeira FeverGuest 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +6

Personally I love being able to customise my Android phone. I recently switched from iOS and tbh it really annoyed me that all I was allowed to do was change my wallpaper unless I jailbroke it and installed a dozen tweaks. I think everybody has a different view about skinning and customisng their device but I love that Android puts the choice back in the users hands, everything Apple is so forced and made me feel like it wasn’t my phone, almost like they’d just rented it to me lol. I think a lot who make the switch from Apple phones like the fact you can modify the phone to reflect you and it’s all so easy, no rooting even needed for it unlike on iOS.

It’s also nice to have grown up debates with people instead of the 12 year old insults that are on every iDevice blog !!

0johnroblawson 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

I think Samsung need to learn from this: less is more. Streamline the choice presented to the customer, and they won’t be turned off by the shear volume of models to choose between!

68Chad 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

“Less is more” So true! and being a designer myself, it took me a while to understand and accept this concept but once I finally did my work gained a lot of maturity and became a lot better, this is something that HTC is learning and other manufacturers need to take note of.

84Alexander drzfr3shboialex 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I personally think HTC Sense 4 looks beautiful, I prefer it over ICS just being honest. Stock ICS is awesome though :D

slurms mckenzieGuest 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down -11

what exactly about it is beautiful? it looks the same with just a new dock and roboto font nothing else. for christs sake they even have the same icons. i think u need ur eyes checked

92redraider133 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

This is smart on HTC’s part. It seemed that sense previously really put a burden on even phones with high end specs and hopefully the new sense will be able to run more smoothly on more devices and maybe even help with some of the battery issues htc has had in the past.

97spazby 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Excellent.next step should be to offer their skin did as an option.

96lxgeorge 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +4

THANK YOU HTC! You remain my favourite smartphone manufacturer. When my upgrade comes in October I’m continuing my “G series” streak with the One X if those rumors are true. Vanilla Android and unlocked bootloaders ftw!

13co.ag.2005 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

This is why I will likely be going back to HTC with the One XL. I’m ready to leave Samsung however I have had a great time with my SGSII. I’m a little nervous about the battery, but I love the new design of the XL plus all of its hardware and software features. I’m rooting for ya HTC!

98BetterWithRoot 2 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

“I’m rooting for ya HTC!”

What I read:

I’m for rooting ya HTC!

Reply 71Vance 5 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

There’s a chance HTC will win the Android and Me Super Bowl next year! I think HTC is listening to its customers and to the marketplace, and for that, we thank you. :)

92thekaz 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

after tasting vanilla, I don’t know that I can go back to Sense, but perhaps now I can start recommending HTC phones to people again without feeling a little bad about it..

copaGuest 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

so this made me decide to get the one x as my first ever smartphone/android device. yay for me?

50mustybooks 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Yaaay! Light to no skins everyone with ICS :D… That is unless they can make it better…

9jaydeeIL 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

Glad to see HTC’s new strategy. I’m sure a lot of the early adopters for the EVO 4G are now wondering what’s next in line to get. The One X does look nice

93alxrock 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

I’m still rockin the EVO 4G from launch day, and the One X seems pretty great, but I don’t know if I can stick with HTC another couple years. The Sense 4.0 is looking better than I thought it would, but I’m still kinda worried about that 1800mah non-removable battery (especially after dealing with the EVO’s battery life)

48cb2000a 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

The battery will be fine with T-Mo’s HSPA+.

DerekGuest 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I cant wait to get Sense 4.0 along with ICS for my HTC Rezound!! Bring it on HTC!!!

83Jorge Eslava 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Focusing on making less devices, simplifying Sense by inching towards stock Android? HTC has gained points in my book and these are important towards my decision when buying a smartphone.

84honourbound68 4 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +3

I think the bigger issue with manufacturer skins is that the more complicated they are the harder it is to upgrade to a newer software version. I’m glad that HTC recognized this and will simplify their ui. I think it will lead to more sales as long as they can keep the upgrades coming quickly.

79uknowme 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I’m excited to see what is in store. I’m also patiently waiting for the update on my Evo 3D.

58MJM128 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

I’m still disappointed with the no micro sd card slot.. :(

Reply 6MrDSL 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +1

HTC = The new Apple!!

Everyone knows most HTC phones have sucky battery life..

How is no SDCARD and a wimpy ass non removable battery a step forward??????????

25bellken 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

From an earlier article, it sounds like HTC is working hard to put out ICS with Sense 3.6 for their existing devices. Why not Sense 4.0 for all HTC devices? What is the difference between Sense 3.6 and 4.0?

96Nathan D. 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down +2

I think I feel better buying a HTC phone knowing that the phone I buy isn’t going to get bested in the next couple months.

89Hall Lo 3 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Glad that HTC figured it out that they added too many things on Sense :)
I m looking forward to how HTC is going to change it and simplify it

28nivekkev 2 hours ago Thumb upThumb down 0

Well Looks like I get to stick with HTC just a little bit longer, still wishing they would just make a switch for those “tech savy enough” to turn it completely off if we don’t want it or need it, but the for the main stream it will still be there. That would really be impressive!!!

56yankeesusa 1 hour ago Thumb upThumb down 0

This is great news with the new android 4.0 and being able to use all the cool features that come standard with 4.0. I’m sure they’ll be ready for 5.0 too with the new simplified sense. Can’t wait to see what they do.

20Leo Young 1 hour ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I have not enjoyed the “Sense” experience and found a few frustrating things about it but it was not bad. I think the overall direction is a very good one.

Now if they could only bring out a brighter screen . . .

1Dags - 53 mins ago Thumb upThumb down 0

They already lost most ROM developers around the time of the Incredible S and Sensation. Releasing phones with non-removable batteries will only make the situation worse. These new phones will probably be a hit with consumers but if you like custom ROMs and an active dev community, look elsewhere. A real shame because HTC used to be the number one choice for devs.

91jamal adam 33 mins ago Thumb upThumb down 0

I like the direction HTC is headed in. This is good news for us all.

Mike CGuest 1 min ago Thumb upThumb down 0

This is really good news. Of course dropping Sense altogether would be even better. If I want custom launchers, dialers, etc. I can get them at the Android Market. And if HTC has anything worth using, then I would like to download it from there. But I want the choice.

I will be getting the One X.

Pros: Great design (I really like the polycarbonate plastic), great CPU, great screen, ICS

Cons: No SD card, only 32 Gb, Sense

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