The new Sense overlay has large application squares holding the application icons. The design also allows for easy access to contacts, which has been a long time weakness of the HTC Android phones such as the HTC Hero. And it also allows for easier contact with the icon, which is ideal for consumers with large fingers. 

The Sense interface will be revealed on a new HTC mobile phone called the Espresso, which will be shown for the first time at the Mobile World Congress in February in Barcelona. It will have a QWERTY Keyboard.

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HTC's decision to bet heavily on the Android operating system from Google appears to be paying dividends after sales of Windows Mobile phones slipped in the last quarter.

New research shows that Google's Android operating system is rapidly gaining mindshare among smartphone users.

Analysts are now tipping that the new Google-branded Nexus One manufactured by HTC and due early in the New Year will stake a permanent position as a smartphone powerhouse taking market share away from the Apple iPhone.

New research from ComScore reveals a dramatic shift in user interest in Android phones.

In the August report, when Android phones had yet to gain market share, Comscore reported 7 per cent of users planned to buy an Android-based smartphone during  the next three months, and 21 per cent of users planning to buy an iPhone.

New research conducted in November revealed that 17 per cent of respondents plan to buy an Android device and 20 per cent said they planned to buy an iPhone.

During the next few months, several vendors plan to launch Android-based phones in Australia. including Motorola, which is witnessing big demand in the USA for its Droid Android phone.

The ComScore report found that Android users are more likely to engage mobile media and use all or most of the capabilities of their devices compared to other smartphone users.