HTC patents a book-like smartphone user interface
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Lock screen |
Start page |
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Index page |
Page animation |
Favourites |
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Application as a page |
Application store |
Application store catalogue |
Click for larger versions
While the desktop metaphor on mobile devices has been making a come back recently (look at Android for example) HTC has been looking at the next step already, and seems to be working on a more naturalistic user interface which they say will make devices easier to use for novice users and more comfortable to even experienced users.
They are patenting a user interface based on a book, including a home page which is an index of the applications, page flip animations and the ability to download applications as pages.
The abstract as below:
An electronic device and a user interface display method thereof are provided. The electronic device organizes a plurality of computer programs executable on the electronic device into a virtual book. Each page of the virtual book includes a user interface of one of the computer programs. The electronic device displays one of the pages as a current page so that the user interface of the current page is accessible to a user of the electronic device. The electronic device senses movement and/or pressure caused by the user and interprets the movement and/or the pressure as operating actions of the user on the virtual book. The electronic device downloads new computer programs from a download server and adds corresponding new pages into the virtual book. At lease one of the computer programs provides a service of a corporate operator of a wireless service network.
One the embodiments include a dual screen device similar to the Courier, which raises interesting speculation about HTC and their relationship with Microsoft.
Read the patent here.
Via Unwiredview.com.
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Interesting that this comes out so soon after they announce that they will stay out of the tablet business.
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Could be their overlay for a wm7 device or carrier specified product.
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This looks like an extension to TouchFlo. The tabs/pages etc look quite like manila ones.
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Lennard Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
I'm going along with you, it seems to resemble manila a whole lot…..also, check out the one labled "table of contents". we will see what comes of this if anything….
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l3v5y Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Maybe HTC are doing an e-book?
They may well be patenting and then not developing it, or saving it for another day…
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Not good.
Seems it will eat a lot of hardware resources.
not everything suitable to be organized as book pages.
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This reminds me of the Microsoft Courrier.
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