Many have argued that Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional hasn’t gone far enough to be a UI-rich mobile OS experience, leading some manufacturers like HTC and Samsung to implement their own custom interfaces to make Windows Mobile seem consumer-friendly. And for those people, HTC’s TouchFLO 3D and HTC Sense UI and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interfaces do the job in sprucing up Windows Mobile’s operating system, bringing Windows phone to eye catching user interface designs. However, those same UI overlays–the ones that seemingly add to the OS to give it a feel of simplicity while delivering more power (Weather tabs and widgets, stocks, locations settings, etc) also seem to detract from the undisputed gorgeousness of the HTC HD2′s industrial design, leaving some users perplexed on the overall user experience of TouchFLO 3D’s end point and Windows Mobile’s starting point.

Read on for more.

We had reported that Gizmodo had reviewed the HTC HD2 and loved the hardware but came with harsh words on Windows Mobile, CNET UK came away with a different take on dismissing the software. Instead of giving the blame to Microsoft on this one, CNET points out that sometimes the duplicative nature of Windows Mobile and TouchFLO 3D can be confusing: In many places, features are duplicated, with an HTC version and a Windows Mobile version. This left us bewildered at times, especially when our task wasn’t straightforward. Granted, we understand that some of the duplication and confusion could be avoided if it was native in the OS as well.

Also, while some UI experiences were duplicated, there also exists times when HTC’s UI doesn’t cover everything in TouchFLO 3D on the HTC HD2. In this event, the user is ejected from the comfortable womb of TouchFLO 3D to the coldness of Windows Mobile: In some cases, problems arise because HTC hasn’t gone far enough — its user-interface tweaks feel cosmetic.

Are you bothered by the confusion, overlap, and non-convergence of TouchFLO 3D and the stock Windows Mobile experience? Or are you a pro enough to navigate through the dichotomy? Vote in our poll!

(via: CNET UK)