There’s an ongoing debate in the Android community as to how much control Google should have when it comes to how their operating system should be presented to consumers. Some people, including everyone at IntoMobile HQ, think that hardware vendors should stick to what they do best, making hardware, and stop throwing their disgusting attempts at originality on top of what’s otherwise a highly usable operating system. Other folks, namely HTC Sense fanbois, and yes, they do exist, think that the uniqueness of Sense is a selling point, and that without the ability to customize Android, Google’s platform would become stale and boring. Looking at this recent video of HTC Sense 3.5 that hit the interwebs, it’s going to throw even more fire on the already heated discussion of differentiation versus “pure” Android. Take a look at it, all 5 minutes and 21 seconds, and try to see if you can make it to the end without vomiting in your mouth.
We’ll likely get more information about Sense 3.5 during HTC’s press event in London, scheduled to take place this Thursday. One question we’d like to see posed to the Taiwanese handset vendor is why don’t they make it easier for folks who want stock Android to flash a new ROM on their device so they wouldn’t have to flood various online forums looking for salvation? Yes, HTC recently allowed bootloader unlocking on their devices, but they don’t honor their warranty once you go through with the procedure, which is just about the biggest slap in the face to ever come out of a hardware maker.
Look, if you like Sense, then fine, leave us some angry comments at the bottom of this article, but there’s a reason why nearly every member of the press who was sportting an Android smartphone at Mobile World Congress earlier this year had a Nexus One. The guys and gals who cover mobile for a living, having had the chance to review nearly every new Android smartphone that’s been released, know what’s best.