No it doesn't have HTC Sense. In stead it has Launcher Pro, which is IMO a better launcher than Sense. But in return you have to give up all the extras HTC has besides the launcher: the HTC widgets and any HTC programs, such as the dialer, the people app, HTC Peep and so on (althoguh the paid version of LP has some Sense style widgets). It's really customisable so really you need to have a play with it your self. But you can just download it from the market on V12 to do that
(Although you wont be experiencing true vanillia android that way, since Sense is still installed).
Here's a video
The best bit is probably the strip at the bottom.
Take mine for example: click each of the icons and they will open:
SMS - Facebook - App list - Gtalk - Browser
Swipe up or down over the same icons and they open:
Gmail - Twitter - Settings - Trillian - Opera mini browser
Which I thought was pretty handy.
To get 1.5 up and running:
- Backup everything from V12, such as texts and apps.
- Download 1.5, a theme if you want one (vanilla android is a big ugly IMO) and a kernel. Pick the kernel that with the speed you want to run at. So like I picked 690 because that's the max mine can do. Unless you're really attached to it, get the one without a bootscreen thingy.
- Nand + ext backup, full wipe (factory reset, dalvik wipe and ext wipe).
- Flash the rom.zip, then the kernel and then the theme.
- Reboot
- Open CPU Speed and set it to:
Screen on: Interactive governor, 129-max
Screen off: Conservative governor.
- If you have trouble bringing the phone out of sleep or it looks weird then you may need to raise the minimum (my screen goes purple sometimes unless I have my minimum at 350+).
- Restore all your apps and everything.
- Enjoy the speed of 2.2