Hero's Sense UI available on HTC Magic

Bringing the Sense back to the Magic - there's a sentence we never thought we'd write
Bringing the Sense back to the Magic - there's a sentence we never thought we'd write

HTC's 'uber-Android' Sense UI has been ported from the Hero and Tattoo to earlier versions of the range, with the Magic the first to benefit.

OK, it's only in Taiwan for the time being, but there's a chance that it could also turn up in the UK in the future too, as previously rumoured.

Users of the Magic over in Taiwan will be able to update their phone via a firmware update, giving inbuilt links to Facebook and Twitter from the home screen and contacts menu.

Horses. Hold them.

There is a slight problem though if you're getting giddy about the thought of a Hero-like experience on your UK Magic - Google could be the one blocking the upgrade.

Over in Asia, the Magic uses a much less Google-branded version of the OS - meaning HTC is much more able to do what it wants with it in terms of updates.

But in the UK, it's a 'With Google' phone, meaning that the Big G has a much tighter hold on the Android experience the UK gets.

So it will be interesting to see if Google relents and lets a legacy device get all the Android goodies HTC is offering - if you're a Magic user, here's hoping!

Via Unwired View

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.