BlinkFeed, HTC Service Pack and SenseTV listed on Google Play, complete with screenshots
We're just hours away from the expected arrival of the new HTC One (M8), and we're starting to see signs of the final preparations being made for the phone's launch. HTC has this morning released three new HTC Sense apps onto Google Play — HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Service Pack, and HTC SenseTV.
Update: HTC Gallery and HTC Guide have joined the fray.
HTC looks set to start updating key Sense components through Google Play.
The BlinkFeed app is HTC's home screen launcher, and judging by the package name com.htc.launcher, this Google Play app should contain the rest of the Sense launcher too. HTC Service Pack sounds mostly like backend stuff — "a support service update that combines previously released updates and helps make your HTC experience more reliable." And the changelog for the new SenseTV app — which has gotten a bit of a facelift since Sense 5 — shows a handful of new features. "Explore on-screen secondary content about the shows you watch, including synopsis, cast & crew, and social feeds about the show from Facebook and Twitter." And for sports, the ability to "view scores, stats, and social media buzz in real-time right on your phone."
SenseTV has been updated to work on the GPe HTC One.
The implication here is that HTC looks set to start updating key components of Sense 6 through Google Play, sidestepping the lengthy process of bundling them into firmware updates. We've seen Motorola and Sony move in a similar direction over the past year, making it easier to get new stuff into customers' hands faster.
All three apps are showing as incompatible with all of our devices, including the original HTC One (M7). However the Play Store listing for SenseTV indicates that it's been updated to support the Google Play edition M7, so if you have that device you might want to take it for a spin. We're hearing on Twitter that the app is indeed fully functional on HTC's GPe handset.
Stay tuned to Android Central today for full coverage of HTC's launch from the events in London and New York.
Source: SenseTV, BlinkFeed, HTC Service Pack on Google Play
Thanks to @Sebianoti and @marialuis27 on Twitter, and everyone else who sent this in!
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