An improved Sense UI, new features, including FriendStream, apparently an app that shows updates from Facebook, Twitter and Flickr all in one place. Another one is what they call Leap, you pinch the homescreen and it kinda zooms back and shows you all your homescreens so that you can jump to whichever you want:

They've also improved the browser and mail client, they have added Flash 10.1 and also a newsreader app and widget.
They have also introduced three new phones. HTC Legend (an improved Hero), HTC Desire (what they call superphone, equal to Nexus One I think, maybe better) and the HD Mini, an smaller version of the HD2:

Press release here: http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=124748&lang=1033
and here for HD Mini: http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=124750&lang=1033
BTW, Gerard, they said that the new Sense features will be made available for the Hero as a free update

I hope you can resolve the issues. Locked sucks and Branded even more. 