The Sense started as an experiment by HTC to provide users with a better experience while using phones based on a relatively new and raw Android. Initially riding over the Microsoft platform, the UI has matured along with the Android OS to augment its power with fantastic features and customisable options. The new Sense 3.0 can be seen in HTC’s Sensation and the recently launched EVO.

The 3.0 isn’t much different from its predecessor the 2.0 which featured on the Desire S and the Incredible S. However the UI does come with some fantastic features worth a mention.

Lockscreen:

A new feature from HTC which lets the user unlock the phone simply by dragging a ring at the bottom of the screen to the centre to lock the screen. Just in case you need to launch an application on unlocking, there’s a quick lunch menu at the bottom which can be used to do just that. Drag the ring on the application and the phone will unlock with the application launched.

Widgets:

The 3.0 comes with a brand new bunch of widgets which let you have all your desired features right at the touch of a fingertip. One of the widgets worth a mention is the Friend stream Widget which aggregates all the updates from Twitter, Facebook and Flickr all at once. There are some other well known widgets for calendar, news, settings, weather and many more.

Skins:

Conjuring up a customizable screen is no longer a job for the experts. The new Sense lets you set up a home screen, add widgets and themes and even customise sounds which is a very interesting feature. The Sound Sets feature especially. It lets you create your own sounds, create sets and change the notification sounds or the ringtone in one go. Very handy.

At first look, the Sense UI seems very much like its previous version, however, the 3.0 is much cleaner, slicker and leaner. Moreover, the UI is also available for the Windows Mobile operating system. The Windows version presents information via the traditional “tabs” while the Android version presents the same via widgets.

The Sense 3.0 features a complete refurbished look in terms of mail, messaging and contacts. Easier to operate, stylish and fast, the HTC browser makes the web surfing experience better than any of the previous versions. The News widget gets you the latest on your favourites and Lookup lets you search different services all from one app. And finally the Reader lets you store and read all your e books all in the comfort of your phone.

The Sense does add a flair of taste to the plain vanilla of the Android tools. Slick and worth every lick, the Sense 3.0 has met every expectation of the users and fans of this fantastic UI that is capable of making the OS on which it runs just a mere back ground feature. Fantastic work HTC!