TouchFLO 3D is a graphical user interface designed by HTC. It is used in the HTC Touch Family of Pocket PCs and was preceded by TouchFLO. TouchFLO 3D has been ported to Windows Mobile and Android, and is used in the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch HD, HTC MAX 4G, HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2. The HTC Touch Viva, HTC Touch 3G and HTC Touch2 have a simpler version entitled TouchFLO 2D, where they have the same scrolling tab on the bottom of the screen, however they do not have any 3D visual effects. From the HTC Hero and HTC HD2 onwards, TouchFLO 3D has been heavily extended and is now being referred to, along with other usability improvements, as HTC Sense. The HTC Touch2 runs a version of TouchFLO 2D that is similar in style to HTC Sense.
Main Elements
Today Screen Plugin
The Today screen plugin is the main aspect of TouchFLO 3D, and consists of several tabs, which can be viewed by sliding a finger along the bottom bar or touching one of the visible icons. The tabs to the immediate right and left of the current tab can be accessed by swiping in the relevant direction. The tabs are:
Home - Displays the date and time, the time the alarm is set for, any missed calls, and upcoming calendar appointments. Flicking the clock upwards reveals more appointments. People - Shows pictures of contacts in a Rolodex style which can be flipped through. An alternate slider bar of contacts is also included on the right side of the tab for faster browsing. On the Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2, when you select a contact, TouchFLO 3D tabs related to that contact appear: Details - Contact details Messages - All SMS/MMS messages sent between you and the contact Email - All email received from the contact Updates and Events - Facebook updates and new events related to the contact Call History (All) - All calls between you and the contact Messages - Displays received text messages that fly on and off screen. Mail - Displays received email messages, from up to 4 different email accounts, in an envelope. Individual emails may be flipped through. Internet - Displays a link to open the Opera web browser, bookmarks to favorite websites, and a built-in YouTube application. Calendar - Displays a month view calendar, tapping any box will open the relevant day, displaying a list of appointments for that day. On the Touch Diamond2, the current weather and the forecast weather will appear on the corresponding day in this view. Stock - Displays graphs and quotes for user-selected companies. If the right softkey is touched, it will bring up a small 2 tab "TouchFLO" menu to view markets and individual companies. Not available on the HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch Pro. Photos and Videos - Shows photos and videos that can be flipped through, and buttons to launch the camera to take pictures and record video. Music - Displays cover art of music that flips through in a linear format. Music can be played directly from the tab, and can be forwarded/rewound by touching the progress slider. The library, which can be accessed pressing the Left Softkey, also uses the TouchFLO 3D interface to allow users to sort music by: Now Playing Artists Albums Playlists All Songs Genres Composers Purchased Weather - Displays weather for up to 10 cities selected from a predefined list, including a 5-day forecast. Additional cities can be added by disabling TouchFLO and editing the weather database. Settings - Provides access to the following system settings: Sync Data - to start ActiveSync Sound - to change the ringtone and profile settings Wallpaper - to set the background image of the Home tab Communications - to turn Airplane Mode, Phone, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi on or off Customize Tabs - to hide tabs or change the order in which they are displayed. Only available on the HTC Touch HD, HTC Touch Pro 2 and HTC Tilt 2. Data - to change weather download settings About - displays TouchFLO 3D version information Programs - Displays a grid of 18 programs that the user can choose to allow them to launch programs quickly. A list of every program installed on the device is also available.
Each tab has two soft keys which provide access to functions associated with a tab or tab customisation.
System Status Screen
Instead of requiring users to touch the small status icons at the top of the screen (battery, volume, signal, etc.), the System Status Screen appears when the system status area is pressed, providing larger, finger-friendly buttons.
Revisions
TouchFLO 3D debuted in 2008 on the HTC Touch Diamond. Early updates removed many of the animations to increase the perception of speed. Since then, it has been altered several times:
