With the
Windows Phone 7.5 about
to officially be released, and that's an any time now sort of thing.
Tentative dates like September 15 where thrown around, but there are
some omens that that date may be a little firmer than first thought. HTC
is known for it's skinning of devices with it's own front end, HTC
Sense, which as a combined suite of applications allows user access to
many apps from the
home screen.
Email, Twitter [HTC Peep] Footprints [location sharing] etc, and it's
one of the things that defines HTC devices. HTC while being the most
invested OEM, producing five out of ten first generation
Windows Phones, it was not allowed the same sort of skinning privilege with the OS.
HTC's way around this was to produce complimentary applications for
Windows Phone, 14 in all to date, it was a way to get some of the Sense styling's onto the OS. Connection setup, Calculator,
Compass,
You Tube and the list goes on. HTC have maintained their commitment to the Windows Phone
ecosystem, and in anticipation of Mango have updated their attentive
phone application and introduced two new apps, HTC Locations, which is
the WP footprints equivalent and Connected Media, a DLNA app to let you
stream media to your phone.
Locations is a real basic thing, geo tagging, take a photo
add it
and tell people that's where you are. Connected Media, is what it says,
connect to a server and stream music, video and pictures to your phone.
of course you need a DLNA enabled device and a
wireless network connection. I get thrown out of the app as soon as I start it on the HD7.
Both apps adhere to the Metro design sensibility, and carry on a familiar HTC look for
Windows Phone
applications. Neither app is easily found in the Marketplace as yet,
they are hidden, awaiting the "Mango update". If you are on Mango on an
HTC device and want to give either app a try, you can
download "Locations" Here, and
"Connected Media" Here.
You can see the general look and feel, from HTC is carried over, I did a video of the
HTC HUB early on in my pre Nodo look at Windows Phone.
HTC
have been able to keep continuity with their apps, and considering
their OEM knowledge, has kept the apps light and free. Most exciting is
the ability for HTC in "Mango" to deeply integrate it's apps at a
native, system level. Attentive Phone from HTC, is a really simple app,
that allows some automation of actions via phone gestures,
HTC
now have the ability to include simple apps like Attentive Phone into
the OS, so rather than being in your apps list, it now appears in the
settings menu, under system, not applications. It may seem a small
thing, but it really shows
the trust and strength of partnership of the OS maker and the OEM.
I expect to see more of this crossover happening as second generation Windows Phones hit
the Market, OEM's that are in for the long haul are now starting to find a few Easter eggs.
