Anyone looking forward to the new HTC Desire HD or Desire Z will be happy to hear that htcsense.com is now online.  The site’s been password protected for the past few weeks, but it looks like HTC is gearing up for business since their two new Android phones should be hitting the streets any day now.  Htcsense.com is simply a new tool to help you manage your phone from your computer rather than having to do everything from your handset.  Users will be able to do sort through and edit their contacts, manage and send sms and picture messages, and even customize their handset’s look in feel directly through the website. 

Dashboard

The main dashboard on htcsense.com is really all about security and peace of mind.  If you happen to leave your handset at home or at a friend’s house, you’ll be able to forward your calls or messages to another phone number with a few simple clicks. There are also features to remotely lock and erase your handset.

Footprints

I have never been real big fans of HTC’s Footprints app.  The Android Market has quite a few apps that offer similar features, but now that Footprints is integrated into htcsense.com things might get a bit more interesting.  I could definitely see Footprints as a great vacation planner.  Simple use the website to mark all the spots you plan on visiting and you’re set to go.  You can add pictures and note to your location so that all the information you’ll need is all in one spot. 

People

The People tab on htcsense.com should allow users to manage their contacts.  Since my EVO with the custom Desire HD Rom doesn’t want to sync up with the website yet, things are a bit scarce.  Until I can get my contact list to sync up, it’s hard to tell if this contact manager will be more useful than editing contact information through Gmail. 

Messaging

Have you ever deleted a text message that you shouldn’t have or struggled to find a text that had some important information you needed?  The messaging center allows you to quickly sort through all the text messages you have ever received on your phone (even if you deleted them).  To make things even easier, HTC has added search functionality.  You can even send individual or group messages to everyone in your contacts list directly through the website

HTC Hub

While HTC Sense has always given user the ability to customize their handsets, htcsense.com is taking things to a whole new level.  Think of HTC Hub as the ultimate customization took for your HTC Sense phone.  From here, you will be able to browse through and download apps, scenes, wallpapers, skins, and sounds for your handset. 

One of the new highlights of the newest version of HTC Sense is the ability to download customized skins for the UI.  If any of you have seen the myTouch Slide, you know what I’m talking about.  The new skins allow you to completely change the look of the widgets, notification bar, and app launcher.  The new HTC Sense comes with a handful of scenes already installed, but through the HTC Hub you will be able to browse through and download additional skins. 

For now, the selection of content in the HTC Hub is pretty limited, but we’d expect HTC to beef up their catalog once the HTC Desire HD and Desire Z finally go on sale. With the new htcsense.com website, HTC is continuing to deliver on their promise to allow users to “make it mine.”  The site isn’t anything revolutionary, but it does add to a more complete experience with HTC Sense. 

Source: htcsense.com

I’ve gotten used to getting new phones in the mail on a regular basis, but it’s a little more exciting when you know that they phone you’re unboxing is the one that will be replacing your outdated G1.  As most of you know, T-Mobile is launching the HTC made G2 (HTC Desire Z) on October 6th.  I am among the lucky few who have actually received the phone a bit early.  Over the next few days I’ll be rigorously testing the G2 for all its worth, but for now I hope you guys will enjoy my unboxing pictures.  The box itself it reminiscent of T-Mobile’s HTC HD2, though the white does take away a bit of the sexyness.  The phone comes with the typical microUSB cable/charging adapter and a pair of 3.5mm headphones (something only T-Mobile seems to be including lately).  It would have been nice ot have a little pouch included for the G2, but I guess you’ll be on your own for that.

The T-Mobile G2 has a pretty solid feel to it and it surprisingly pretty similar in size to the original T-Mobile G1 (though it is significantly less thick).  The brushed aluminum exterior finished give the handset a unique look which seems to pull its designs cues from Google’s Nexus One.

If you have any questions about the T-Mobile G2, feel free to leave us a comment.

The one thing we love most about HTC is the fact that they create video demonstrations of what their new handsets can do.  HTC launched their video of the HTC Desire Z, showing off the handset’s exterior design and many of the new features included in HTC Sense.  While it’s nice to see what the Sense version of the handset will offer, we’re hoping HTC (or T-Mobile) plan on giving us an overview of the G2 will feel like.  The two phones are identical in terms of hardware, but with one featuring stock Android and the other HTC Sense; the user experience will be worlds apart. 

We were finally able to download HTC’s full press kit from today’s event in London and were pleasantly surprised to find a few video files along with the typical images and press releases. Probably the most interesting video clip is the introduction of the Desire HD, Desire Z, and the new HTC Sense. The 6 minute clip gives us a quick highlight of the hardware of the two new handsets and overview of the new features included in HTC Sense.  Though many of you are fans of stock Android, HTC has really stepped thing up with the latest version of HTC Sense.  Stock Android may be the build of choice for the modder/hacker, but we have a feeling that the general public will find that HTC Sense really brings a more complete experience to Android right out of the box. 

This second video is a quick recap of today’s pres event. HTC typically posts up a video with the entire press conference. Until then, this highlight reel should keep most of you satisfied.

The last video features HTC’s Peter Chou (CEO), John Wang (Chief Marketing Officer), and Horace Luke (Chief innovation Office) talking about the new HTC Sense and the innovation behind the software running on the HTC Desire HD and Desire Z.

It’s no surprise that HTC unveiled the HTC Desire Z at today’s press event in London.  Like the T-Mobile bound G2, the HTC Desire Z will be the first handset to feature the new Qualcomm MSM7230 clocked at 800MHz which should make it this phone the most powerful device in HTC’s Android lineup.  The new HTC Sense will allow users to edit video and image files on the fly that are captured with the Desire Z’s 5MP camera with LED flash.  HTC’s new htcsense.com feature now allows users to manage their content on their devices remotely.  If you happen to lose your phone, the service will allow users to remotely locate, lock wipe, or even forward phone calls or text messages.  And for those who seem to misplace their handset in the house, you’ll now be able to make the phone ring loudly even if the handset is set to silent of vibrate. 

The HTC Desire Z will be launching in European and Asian markets in October and should make its way to North America (presumably Canada) later in the year.  As always, pricing for the HTC Desire Z will be determined by your carrier of choice.  We’ll be updating the post with a few more pictures once HTC finally makes them public.

UPDATE: we’re still working on getting the official press shots of the HTC Desire Z, but we were able to dig up a few hidden images on HTC’s website.  Enjoy!
UPDATE 2: We thought you guys would enjoy the Desire Z’s official spec sheet and press images.

HTC Desire Z Specs

• 800 MHZ Qualcomm 8230 Snapdragon processor
• Android 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense
• 1.5 GB of internal storage
• 512 MB of RAM
• Size: 119 x 60.4 x 14.16 mm.
• Weight: 180 grams (6.34 ounces) with battery
• 3.7″ Super LCD, capacitive, WVGA resolution display
• HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz) and GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Bluetooth® 2.1, A2DP, FTP, OPP, and PBAP
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
• 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
• Standard micro-USB for charging and sync
• 5 megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash with 720p HD video recording
• 1300 mAh rechargeable lithium battery
• Motion, proximity, and ambient light sensor

HTC’s September 15 press event is still about four weeks out, but that does not mean we’ll have to wait until then to get more details on HTC’s upcoming lineup.  The British online phone store mobiles.co.uk has just put up a page on their site for the HTC Desire Z.  While the Desire Z is a new name for us, the handset’s details page notes that the Desire Z is also known as the HTC Vision.  Other details on the HTC Desire Z include a 3.7 inch 480 x 800 TFT capacitive touchscreen, Bluetooth 2.1, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi, AGPS, accelerometer, QWERTY keyboard, digital camera, HTC Sense, and Android 2.1. 

From the sounds of it, the HTC Desire Z will be pretty much identical to the T-Mobile G2 that should be launching in about a month in the U.S.  While the hardware specs are pretty much exactly what we have been expecting, we’re hoping that the reference to Android 2.1 is a mistake.  HTC has already rolled out Android 2.2 to the HTC EVO 4G and the HTC Desire in Europe.  I’m sure most Android fans would be a little hesitant to buy a new HTC phone that does not feature the latest version of Android.

Source: mobiles.co.uk