According to official HTC sources all new HTC smartphones today running with Android 2.2 aka Froyo will also be available without HTC’s own launcher called HTC Sense. The preinstalled OS will be Google stock Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The HTC Sense launcher will be available over the Android Market as soon as its components have been adapted. This is true for HTC smarphones only. Non-HTC devices won’t be able to install HTC’s Sense GUI. A few days after Google’s official Android 2.3 announcement also all already existing HTC Smartphones will be able to install Google’s stock Android 2.3 via FOTA (Firmware Over The Air). A HTC spokesman awswered the question why HTC fullfills such an abrupt paradigm shift with a rising customer demand for an up-to-date Operating System with its accassibility to new features and applications in the Adroid Market. Beside this, “an alternative User Interface upon Android’s OS isn’t really an unique feature, in fact it’s a good one, but one among others. It’s rather a lack of a propriate launcher makes the exclusiveness, which only Google offers to their customers with the Nexus One, what has more or less a private function.”

Unfortunately the above lines are pure fiction. As also are the pictures I’ve modified with Gimp. It isn’t also quite fair, because HTC was the first with its HTC Desire, who made Froyo available to the masses – well – months later.
Nevertheless I doubt, if this special adaptions of the Android OS by the different smartphone manufacturers really leads to a lasting customer relationship. Would also interesting to see if this busines modell really pays off. Is with HTC Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz really the striking argument for or agains a brand? Me – definitely – would prefer a w/o HTC Sense. And one’s for sure, I would never buy a Samsung Android smartphone again. The delay of Froyo, KIES and the lack of FOTA can only be a bad joke.