New HTC Sense apps hit Google Play ahead of HTC One 2014 launch; Google Play Edition hinted

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New HTC Sense apps hit Google Play ahead of HTC One 2014 launch; Google Play Edition hinted

It looks like HTC will be looking to decouple some of their apps from HTC Sense starting with the all new HTC One. Brand new HTC Sense applications have started to swirl into the Google Play Store ahead of its unveiling later on today, which we’ll be covering right here on Phandroid.com. It would be the first time HTC as looked to decouple applications from their firmware, something we hope will become a trend for all manufacturers going forward.

So what’s up for grabs? The first one is something no one can download — HTC’s BlinkFeed launcher. It seems like only the all new HTC One will be able to download this one, as it has received no ratings or reviews in the Google Play Store. Availability of the latest BlinkFeed update might chance once the all new HTC One launches and more old HTC phones are updated to official firmware, but for now it seems to be showing up as unavailable for all HTC devices.

The next two seem to be available on HTC’s latest devices. One is the HTC Service Pack, which stands to “make your HTC experience more reliable.”

The other is the HTC SenseTV app which allows you to browse local listings and even control televisions on HTC devices with an infrared blaster. The app also provides a decent “second screen” experience that delivers up a synopsis, information about casts and characters and more while watching movies or TV shows.

The SenseTV app can also show live scores and stats during sporting events. Of noteworthy mention is the fact that those with the HTC One 2013 Google Play Edition can finally download it, so be sure to take care of that if you’ve been jonesing for it.

Speaking of Google Play Edition, we might have gotten our first hint that the all new HTC One will, in fact, come in GPe flavoring. The final app in this round of launches is called HTC Gallery, and its Google Play description notes the following disclaimer:

Support for HTC One(M8) Google Play Edition is limited to HTC Photo Edit.

We can’t take that as official gospel just yet, but it’s as close as we’re going to get with the event just hours away. The new Gallery app itself also appears to be available for nothing but the all new HTC One. It’ll give you a simple interface for viewing and editing photos, but that’s about it.

Whether some or all of this will be coming to older HTC phones in future software upgrades remains to be seen, but we should have a better idea of HTC’s plans once all of today’s festivities are over and done with. Stay tuned to Phandroid for continued coverage!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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