Android At its Finest: Hands-On With The HTC Hero and HTC Sense

This morning HTC launched its third Android phone, the HTC Hero ($541.60), as well as a new software approach to its devices, HTC Sense.

The HTC Hero is a premium 3.2 inch touch screen device that will be launched first in Europe with a tweaked version expected to come to the United States this year. It features 3G connectivity, GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 5MP camera,  and the tight integration with Google’s services like GMail, Google Maps, and YouTube, that we’ve come to expect. It’s the first HTC Android device with full Exchange support for syncing with your corporate contacts, calendar, and e-mail. What really makes the device desirable is its new HTC Sense software approach.

HTC Sense, from what we gathered, is the idea–and not necessarily the software–behind a new Android overlay that will also be featured on other devices, including Windows Mobile phones. It expands Android’s 3-screen user interface into 7 different screens, which you can load up with widgets. HTC Sense has three roots: Make it Mine, Stay Close, and Discover the Unexpected.

Make it Mine means user customization. HTC will provide tons of widgets that you can add to the home screen, like Facebook, Twitter, a variety of clocks, photo galleries, and more.

Stay Close helps you stay connected with your friends, family, and co-workers. Like the “Inner Circle” on the HTC Snap, you can sort your contacts into lists to view messages and e-mails from a select group of people, view Facebook status updates of friends, or link up their contact photos with Flickr accounts.

Hit the jump for a full hands-on gallery.

Discover the Unexpected was an idea that we’re still trying to grasp, but we think it means there are small innovations that make the phone more enjoyable to the user. The Weather application has a windshield wiper that wipes across the screen when it’s raining for example, or like the HTC Touch Pro and Touch Pro 2, you can place the phone down on its face to silence the ring.

Pricing and availability for the HTC Hero has not yet been announced, but we’re impressed by HTC’s innovations on the software side and can’t wait to see it land on a device in the U.S.