Video: ASUS' new touchscreen GUI prettifies Windows Mobile 6.1

Regardless of the cause, we certainly like the trend of these enhanced touch-screen UIs dominating the high-end cellphone market. Now meet ASUS' GUI slickness destined for their newest touchscreen devices including the ZX1. Starting with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core, ASUS slathers on a new customizable Multi-Home 3D interface meant to simplify access to your today screen, life and business applications. Think HTC's TouchFlo only sexier. ASUS even threw in some "album cover flow" to the media app and the ability to more easily manipulate all your digital media with enhanced figure gestures. You can even drop everything into a visual carousel if that's your preference. See for yourself in the video after the break.

[Saad Rabia @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:37AM]

Holly frekin cow, AHHHH, This looks frekin sweet man! I love how they used one touch to do mutlitouch actions! hahahaha, in your face iPhone. :p

Release date, if possible, please?

[bondsbw @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:22AM]

I give ASUS props. They've made a great looking UI for the device.

But seriously, "...in your face, iPhone"? You act like you have a beef with the iPhone. What has it ever done to you?

Oh, except maybe how it woke up the world of ultra-mobile devices. What you're seeing here is the result of the challenge presented by the iPhone. Of course, if you'd rather have a boring and cluttered UI with Pocket IE, then I'm obviously wrong.

And quite frankly, it's not the graphics, or the multitouch, that make the iPhone sell. It's the uncluttered look and feel. What I saw in the video, even with the great graphics that DO meet (or beat) those of the iPhone, is a thick phone with a UI that is too cluttered for most people.

[Jeff @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:36AM]

@ bondsbw: seconded. This looks like a lot of flash an not a lot of simplicity or intuition.

But that's exactly what the WinMo crowd goes for, and to one degree or another, the Windows world. This is like the mobile equivalent of Flip3D - real fancy looking, but far more flashy than useful (as compared to the actually-useful, though less flashy Expose on the mac)

My point being that people who aren't interested in the iPhone will probably love this, and that people who'd "rather have a boring and cluttered UI with Pocket IE" might actually describe more people than you think, either because they prefer it, or don't know any better.

[BradStar @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:04PM]

Forget iPhone or PC style, was I the only one that saw that when you try to swipe your finger one way across the screen, it moves the actual object backwards? Watch 0:20 and tell me I'm crazy...

[E71 @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:45PM]

Uh, what's this about HTC's touchflo being sexy? It was some crappy cube that didn't even feature 6 sides and with animation that comprised of 2-3 bitmaps per flick.

This Asus-designed UI most definitely uses hardware graphics acceleration for nice smooth animation unlike some morons in this business like HTC who believe hardware graphics chips inside your phone should remain redundant because they're too lazy to develop drivers.

[Esat @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:49AM]

Wow.

If I was a GUI I would totally tap that.

[Andrew @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:44AM]

Hahaha, that comment made my morning. Thanks. :D

[Esat @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:48AM]

You are very welcoome sir :)

[Alan Strangis @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:50AM]

I second that. You've got the comment of the day. I actually got coffee in my keyboard.

[Esat @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:02AM]

Sorry about that!

Hope engadget staff notice.. I applied for the european editor position.... ;)

[WM6junk @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:59AM]

Unless ASUS (a great company) has figured out how to make WM6 actually run fast. I don't see this thing working like that video. Let me see a live demo of it then I'll believe it. And if they did get it to actually run good, the battery time probably sucks big time because of the processing power that is required to do so.

[Weaver @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:07AM]

Maybe Asus managed to get their graphics drivers working which would certainly speed up the display for these sorts of operations...

[Kris @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:40AM]

It's not the WM6 OS that's slow. It's the hardware. Microsoft has minimum and recommended hardware specifications and most manufacturers (I'm looking at your, HTC) go with the bare minimum.

With WM7 and beyond, Microsoft has stated they will be updating their minimim requirements so users won't experience such slowness due to manufacturers not putting enough hardware behind them.

I'd also like to point out that many devices with an accelerated UI include video drivers. Unfortunately many WM6 device manufacturers (again, I'm looking at your HTC) are not creating them and thus, slows the entire experience down.

WM6 is built on top of Windows CE 5 which is pretty solid.

[Dave @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:11AM]

Maybe it's just me but I can't see using that thing while I'm driving. You'd almost need a stylus the icons are so small. I don't need a 3d integrated rotating cube with applications on each side. I just need to do what I need to do and get back to work. Looks like I'd need to solve a rubix cube to open mail.

[Den @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:24AM]

Using your phone while driving is illegal and stupid.

[jimmy @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:50AM]

speak for yourself, its not illegal where I am

[NeoteriX @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:05AM]

Unfortunately, Jimmy, you've still neglected to disprove how stupid you are.

[Superprime @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:06AM]

It might not be illegal where you are but it's still stupid

[Serpiko @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:30AM]

Ifthey can do these things with windows mobile 6, why is Asus the only one trying?

wth manufacturers, get to work, screw touchflo./

[3rdsun @ Mar 3rd 2008 1:48PM]

Why doesn't Mircosoft do it their damn selves instead of relying on third parties to do it for them

[Duscrom @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:38AM]

Ooooh, pretty.. i miss owning a WinMo6 phone. The Shadow was such a great device..... but now i'm stuck with a Cantro...

[zoara @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:06AM]

Pretty, but not very useful. Someone needs to learn that interface design isn't just about making it look nice, but also about making it work well.

[qwho @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:07AM]

My htc titan already pretty much does all that, with an app called ultimate launch. That just looks way too messy and confusing. I prefer multiple pages of large, touchable icons, with one page being the main one, with email, sms, and voicemail message counts, and maybe weather info. What is in the video looks like it would be overkill.

[Brian Whitney @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:14AM]

Wow, even when it's just being simulated, the frame rate is abysmal. And, when the animations occur in the iPhone UI they actually have to do with what's going on on the screen. Nothing is just zapping down and up and zooming all over the place for the sake of movement. And you can't tell me that pyramid spinning over zoom in trick is actually cool. iPhone has nothing to worry about here.

[kthw @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:18AM]

I own an HP iPaq that runs WM5. Is there any potential for a non cell phone version of this that could run on my type of device?

[NightBlade @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:21AM]

Somehow, I like Xperia's panel interface more than this. Seems more practical.

[dale_nx26 @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:07AM]

I know! This UI confused me. How does a rotating cube/triangle be affective? Am i the only one that doesn't get it?

[eVp @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:41AM]

Uhh, the spinning thing in the beginning spins in the opposite direction of your figner swipe. Way to grasp the basics ASUS...

[Infamouship @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:14AM]

I'm sure that can be adjusted, similar to adjustments you can make with the pointui WM5/6 interface. I think it looks great!

[Steffen Jobbs @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:39AM]

Meh. Does it also have virtual keyboard. I thought people hated virtual keyboards. Demos are one thing but real use is more demanding. We'll see how many of these are sold. As old as WinMobile is, they should have had this years ago. Oh, that's right. They never thought about touch and a slick GUI until the iPhone was introduced. Nice attempt.

[T1 @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:25AM]

Compared to an iPhone (or iPod-Touch) this UI looks totally horrendous. For example, look at the digits of the 'business clock'. Did ASUS developers took the C64 as a point of reference or what? For the rest: way too much info on a way too small screen. Yuck!

[guglez @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:45AM]

Looks like compiz-fusion in linux. Nothing new.

[Alan Strangis @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:55AM]

Not bad, but I was more impressed with the nvidia windows mobile chip demo.

[Surur @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:57AM]

Pretty cool, although one can clearly see the inspiration from HTC's Touchflo, HTC Home, HTC Album and of course the iPhone.

To all the iPhone fanboys, I hope you enjoy your subtle "useful" animations while you sit there hoping for cut and paste and MMS, not to mention 3G and GPS and being able to record video like any free cellphone can do these days.

[Jeff @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:43AM]

you know, i've only ever heard people who DON'T actually own iPhone bitching about that stuff...

What you don't know (and probably won't ever understand) is that the basic usability and intuitive GUI more than makes up for the silly little shortcomings that the non-users like to trot out any chance they get.

No amount of copy&paste would make this WinMo more intuitive to use than an iPhone.

[Jimmy Jones @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:13AM]

Think of the 3D stuff and gesture stuff as Compiz Fusion mobile...

[Sergio Nayar @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:30PM]

Asus is not the only one trying...

Google for PointUI and you'll see what I mean!

Asus of course has done a better job with the new interface though! But at least you can grab a copy of PointUI right now.

Cheers!
Sergio

[Hoag @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:40PM]

Why is it that so many times when I click to look at an Engadget video, it's no longer available?
That makes me a sad panda.

[Austin I @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:56PM]

Kind of like a Ubuntu sort of thing? On a phone... That is the greatest thing ever.

[skulldriveshaft @ Mar 4th 2008 1:15AM]

gcompiz got jacked

[Thomas Choice @ Mar 4th 2008 2:09AM]

WOOOOWWW! I am very impressed. Looks like a great consumer device. This kills windows mobile, or should I say windows mobile kills itself.

However, for business....Blackberry 4 Life!!