HTC is not only trying to push the envelope with new hardware and fast software, they are also trying to make smartphones easier for the average person to set up and use. If you're reading AC, there's a good chance you're inside a tech bubble where smartphones, and Internet "things" in general are part of every day life, and you truly understand how to use the computer in your hands. But that's not the case for everyone. Every time we talk about things like a ROM or an OTA update, someone new to smartphones is asking questions about setting up a Google account or what a Dropbox is. Nobody was born knowing this stuff, and HTC is making it as easy as possible to get started. Right now, this will only be available for Sense 4+ devices like the One X+. HTC tells us that they have plans to back-port it to all One series phones, as well as the most popular Sense 3.5 phones. It's also geared for devices that are sold internationally, but we expect to see some sort of carrier partnership in the U.S. to use the new tools, much like AT&T is already doing on newer Android devices. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines Read through to have a look at what HTC has in store. More: HTC Get Started

Step one: visit HTCSense.com and sign in

Head to the Get Started URL on any modern computer web browser, and sign in with your HTC Sense account. If you don't have an HTC Sense account, you can create one right from the page. I've signed in above, and now it's time to select my country and language. As mentioned, U.S. English is not an option yet. We'll pick the UK to make things easy, but you can also use the tool localized for other places like Germany, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey. It's important to pick the correct locale, because once we're all finished and on the phone apps will be downloaded from Google Play. That won't end well if you give the tool the wrong location. Step two: pick your device

The next step is to pick the HTC device you'll be using. We're going to pick the One X+, because it's the only device available, and because I want to pretend I have a One X+ for a few minutes. After you've selected your phone model, click the "Next Step" button to go forward. Step three: adding accounts

Here's where confusing steps are made easy. You have a choice of accounts to set up on your phone, ranging from the default Google account of the phone to Dropbox, to other third party mail providers. Setting all this up at your computer versus using the tiny keyboard of a brand new smartphone you're not yet used to could be a pretty big thing, especially for resellers and carriers. Imagine a kiosk inside your local Best Buy or Target where you could stand and set up the new phone the sales clerk is ringing up and activating. Pretty nifty. Clicking one of the buttons will open a new pop-up where you can fill in the account details. For Dropbox, it uses Dropbox's OAuth to add an application to an existing account if you have one. Click the images below for a full-sized view. Step four: personalize it