User Interface Archive

  • Palm loses webOS notifications architect to Apple

    Palm loses webOS notifications architect to Apple

    Posted on June 9, 2010 | No Comments
    Rich Dellinger might not be a name you instantly recognize, but he is the dude credited with bringing about the unintrusive banner notification system that forms part of webOS' widespread appeal. And, as of today, he's also in the employ of one Steve Jobs. The new Senior UI Designer at Apple, Inc looks to have made his way through Palm's exit doors in the immediate aftermath of the HP takeover announcement, and joins Matias Duarte on the list of significant talent departures from the webOS design team. We expect Rich will be getting his teeth stuck into the iPhone's admittedly tired and obtrusive notifications, and hopefully sprinkling some of that webOS fairy dust into the next iteration of Apple's iOS. Let's be honest, who here hasn't dreamt of an iPre?

    [Thanks, Tal]

    Palm loses webOS notifications architect to Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction

    Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    Marko Ahtisaari will be a familiar name to Dopplr users, being both the CEO and one of the major investors in the startup's social networking software. Having been acquired by Nokia in late September 2009, his team now works to help Symbian regain its world-conquering ways while Marko himself has returned to Nokia to helm its Design group -- an outfit that, judging by the world's disappointment with the N97 and other devices, is frankly in need of some fresh ideas. So, when we were invited to meet him this morning for a journalist get-together where Marko hoped to "begin the conversation" about Nokia's future direction, we grabbed our pen, paper and DSLR and rushed off to go have a listen. The camera came in use when we got to handle a Nokia N8 prototype for the first time, but do join us after the break to see what else we learned.

    Continue reading Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction

    Nokia Head of Design Marko Ahtisaari talks about priorities, competition, and future direction originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia promises to take “Symbian user interface to a new level” in 2010, Maemo 6 in 2H

    Nokia promises to take “Symbian user interface to a new level” in 2010, Maemo 6 in 2H

    Posted on December 2, 2009 | No Comments
    It's Nokia Capital Market Day again which means that the boys from Espoo are fawning over investors and giving them a reason to stick around in 2010. And you know what? It sure sounds promising for gadget nerds. Why the optimism? Easy: Nokia is hell-bent on redefining the user experience of its Symbian devices. To quote CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, "In 2010, we will drive user experience improvements, and the progress we make will take the Symbian user interface to a new level." To bolster this proclamation, the very first bullet point listed under Nokia's Devices and Services operational priorities is "improve our user experience" -- something that would thrill us to no end if it happens.

    The revamped Symbian UI is set to deliver on two "major product milestones" in the first and second halves of the year. Nokia will also deliver its first Maemo 6 "mobile computer" in the second half of 2010 flanked by a significantly increased proportion of "touch and/or QWERTY devices" in its smartphone portfolio. It's worth noting that all the discussion is around Symbian, just a single mention of Maemo and its "iconic user experience" in the forward looking press release. Developers will be happy to hear that Nokia will also continue to scale services geographically while continuing to enhance its developer tools like QT4.6 announced yesterday. Financially speaking, Nokia expects to see the erosion of its average selling price slowed compared to recent years. That's good as Nokia attempts to grow its margins. However, while Nokia expects mobile device volumes to be up approximately 10% in 2010 across the industry, it sees its own mobile device volume market share as flat in 2010, compared to 2009.

    Be clear on this though: our incredibly frustrating S60 5th user experience was by far the biggest complaint we had when reviewing Nokia's flagship N97 -- having the most bullet points on a list of features is not what it takes to lure consumers anymore (if ever). If Nokia can better the best in class experiences carved out by Apple, Palm, and HTC with its Sense UI then consumer mindshare, and our hearts, will follow.

    [Original image via Vladstudio]

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    Nokia promises to take "Symbian user interface to a new level" in 2010, Maemo 6 in 2H originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia patent app reveals dreams of pressure-sensitive multitouch interface

    Nokia patent app reveals dreams of pressure-sensitive multitouch interface

    Posted on October 24, 2009 | No Comments

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    Nokia's no stranger to the patent application process here in the United States, and while we've certainly seen some strange ones emanating from its R&D labs, this one looks like something that should be implemented on the double. Explained as a "user interface for controlling an electronic device," the multitouch solution would essentially allow you to pinch, zoom and rotate objects as usual, but it would also employ an array of pressure sensors in order to give your motions a sense of severity. If executed properly, one could theoretically envision the use of a strong push to simulate a double tap (for example), or as a means to activate a secondary function that generally requires another button press or the use of a 'Function' key. Hit the read link for all the mumbo jumbo, but be sure to keep your expectations within check. Or not.

    [Via UnwiredView]

    Nokia patent app reveals dreams of pressure-sensitive multitouch interface originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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