The HTC Hero in the UK will cost the same as the HTC Magic in NZ. Hmm, wonder which is the better deal.

Maybe im spoilt by iPhone, but I found the Android interface really crappy to try an find my way around. I think eventually It will be made a lot better, but possibly to new at the moment to warrent the price IMHO.

Many years ago my second mobile phone was a Nokia. It had a simple but brilliant UI that was incredibly easy to use - everything was in the first place you looked for it.
I've never had another phone that easy to use. Nokia lost their design philosophy when they added new features - they just seem stuck on the side.
Working on software for devices myself, I see the daft and stupid decisions that are made every day in regards to UIs (some of Ben's favourites). I think the science of UI design is still in it's infancy, especially on devices. If HTC can create a UI that's as intuitive as the early Nokias and standard across all platforms then maybe we're seeing a step forward, but I can't help thinking it's just a marketing ploy and the UI is more about establishing a marketable look-and-feel for HTC phones.
Time will tell...

So HTC have announce their new phone, the HTC Hero, with a completely new interface by HTC called "Sense".

My initial impression is "Why god why!?". Look at Linux: one of the key reasons Linux hasn't broken into the desktop market is the multiple, fractured desktop interfaces, with no consistency in API, design, or usability. Seems to me like HTC is doing the same thing to Android.

Apparently the Sense UI is designed by HTC to run on both Windows Mobile and Android, so there may be a ray of hope. If Sense turns out to be decent, then HTC can pick and choose the best OS per handset.

I remain sceptical. None of these layered mobile UIs do a decent job of shielding the user from the underlying OS.