During the launch of the Sensation XL smart phone in Taiwan, HTC Corp. announced that the Sensation XL and HTC Rhyme phones currently support synchronization with iTunes files. The news came as a welcome surprise to HTC customers.

HTC and Apple have been entangled in lawsuits regarding patent infringements since April of 2010, and have been hesitant in allowing their software to synchronize with each other's tablets and smart phones. The real victims in these situations are the customers, who can't play movies and music they purchased on their mobile device.

Jack Tong, HTC's North Asia President, expressed that the company hopes their customers will be able to store and enjoy all their music on HTC phones, from any platform. The HTC Sync application allows HTC Rhyme and HTC Sensation XL customers to copy media files, such as audio, photo or video from iTunes or Windows Media Player onto their smart phones. Third-party developers have already released similar applications, but this is the first HTC-approved method of enjoying iTunes or other rival media files on your HTC phone.

The HTC Sync app was announced with the launch of the HTC Sensation XL smart phone. The ability to sync iTunes and Windows Media Player files to the Sensation XL is only one of the many impressive features on the latest HTC smart phone. As HTC customers have come to expect, the phones are beautifully designed, with a slim but sturdy 9.9mm body and a 4.7-inch WVGA LCD display screen. The smart phone is very fast, running on a 1.5GHz, single-core Snapdragon MSM8255 processor chip. There is an occasional lag when opening apps, but that's about the only con to the HTC Sensation XL.

The other HTC smart phone compatible with the HTC Sync app, is the HTC Rhyme. It is a sensible alternative to offer the sync app, as its mid-range features and price tag allow for a larger market to appeal to. The phone includes 4GB of built-in storage, and comes with an 8GB micro SD card, maxing out at 12GB, which is 4 less than the HTC Sensation XL.

The design is quite attractive and practical, with a 3.7-inch display screen. The HTC Rhyme runs on a 1GHz single-core processor, great for standard use. Its burgundy metallic casing is a welcome feminine appeal in a masculine-driven market. Although the phone is more colorful than what we've come to expect from smart phones, it is fairly gender-neutral.

The HTC sync app could be a signal towards new attitudes about file sharing within the two corporations. A day before HTC's announcement, Eric Schmidt, a Google Chairman, expressed that Google has a competitive and cooperative relationship with its three major competitors: Apple, Amazon and Facebook. In light of all the recent patent lawsuits, and for the sake of customer satisfaction, let's hope that they emphasize the cooperation in their relationships.

Apple has not yet responded to the HTC Sync app, and HTC doesn't seem to be emphasizing the feature. In any case, the app is bound to draw some hesitant Android customers.