The new HTC One is easily one of those smartphones that HTC could have done more with had the company released it just a year ago. However, the device has been in state of rumors for quite a while, and has now been officially revealed.

Apart from some of the interesting features the smartphone has to offer, the HTC One comes with an improved user interface called Sense 5.0. The new 5.0 brings a brand new Flipboard (similar to a RSS feeder) called BlinkFeed, which improves and simplifies the device’s overall UI.

Although HTC doesn’t necessarily force the user to use the BlinkFeed as the Home screen, it seems like the feature forms one of the most important parts of the device. The other option users have in this context is the regular HTC Sense experience that also comes along.

“HTC says that BlinkFeed, a live Home screen, was created to overcome the user’s boredom – you know, those times that you unlock and relock your phone without doing anything with it. With BlinkFeed, you may immerse yourself in some quick content while trying to kill time,” Android Authority states. “Obviously, you’ll also help kill your data allowance faster, although it’s not quite clear how much data BlinkFeed will require.”

BlinkFeed is basically a RSS feeder option that accumulates news from all over the internet (over 1500 sources) next to updates for the user’s social networks. Moreover, while the user has the freedom to disable the BlinkFeed feature, it also allows the user to choose what kind of content to view if he actually opts for the service.

This, however, has its own drawbacks. To begin with, the service “needs an Internet connection to work.” This means that “if you have a limited data plan or roaming, you either won’t appreciate the added traffic, or won’t be able to enjoy BlinkFeed while traveling.”

The other problem, apart from that, is that HTC actually oversees the content intended to be sent to the BlinkFeed (excluding social networks), and this means that the user won’t be able to add the extra news sources he wants. Maybe that will change in time.

“Overall, while we’re looking at a more simple UI, one that packs elements from Google’s stock Android, this still isn’t stock Android but another Sense version that will probably see on more HTC devices in the future,” the report adds. “And who can blame HTC, or any other Android OEM for that matter, for trying to stand out of the crowd with its own custom UI?”