HTC on Wednesday released a new version of its Sense user interface for Android phones, including a Web-based portal that will let you back up, access, wipe, or locate your Android-based phone from your PC.

The new HTCSense.com joins Apple's Mobile Me, , and as a consumer security and backup service for phones. According to an HTC press release, the new app will flag a missing phone's location on a map, trigger it to ring loudly, enable you to forward calls or texts to another phone, or lock or wipe the phone. It will also let users set up their new phone and access their contacts, text messages, and call history from a PC. (See the slideshow below for some existing phones that use HTC's Sense software.)

HTCSense.com won't be available on any U.S. phones for now, and HTC couldn't promise which phones it will be available on in the future. Typically, U.S. carriers have taken a lukewarm view of these kinds of services, so there's always the chance that U.S. carriers will choose to block or forbid HTCSense.com.

HTCSense.com also comes with a new version of the HTC Sense software, which integrates the , a new camera app, and a new maps app.

Third-party Android overlays like HTC Sense have been controversial in the Android enthusiast community, though they've been popular with manufacturers and consumers. Critics say that the overlays slow down phones and make it hard to deliver updates to the core Android OS, while supporters say they make Android easier to use and more functional.

Google, for one, seems to be enthusiastic about the new overlay.

"As a key Android partner and smartphone brand, HTC continues to bring new innovation to the platform," Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android efforts, said in HTC's press release. "Android is about choice, and the new HTC smartphones continue to provide customers with powerful choices and flexibility."

HTC also launched two phones for the European market. The Desire HD and Desire Z are European versions of Sprint's and T-Mobile's upcoming , respectively.