Second Fuse UI video shows wild, dynamically lit 3D interface

We only got the briefest of glimpses at the new UI approach in Synaptics' collaborative Fuse concept handset, and now TAT (The Astonishing Tribe, the folks behind the original Android UI), has posted a brief clip that gives a better idea of the full UI. It's pretty wild, with some sort of rendering engine that really emphasizes depth, lighting and motion. We're not sure it's the most usable UI on the planet, but it's certainly one of the oddest we've witnessed. Check it out in motion after the break.

[glamajamma Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:25PM]

Call me when the hardware is capable of this.

[nelagster Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:26PM]

*calls glamajamma"

Hey dude, the hardware is capable of this.

[streetstealth Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:35PM]

@glamajamma But alas, nelagster's call didn't get through because his phone ran out of batteries rendering its crazy 3D UI.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:44PM]

@glamajamma I see what you're saying. I think the hardware is capable of running this but I imagine that the battery will suffer from having to run these GPU and CPU intensive tasks even when trying to do basic tasks.

[Freakin Ijit Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:57PM]

Can you imagine what would happen to certain companies that are just NOW trying to become software-heavy if HTC got into the software business too?

OUCH!

[Kid Red Posted Dec 21st 2009 10:08AM]

@glamajamma
The 80s called and wants their embossed buttons back.

[Nerdtalker Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:25PM]

Hopefully whatever hardware they're running this on has the best GPU acceleration in the world; I'm sure your battery is gonna love doing 3D all the time.

Also, isn't android fundamentally limited to being CPU only since it's essentially a java VM? I thought this was a major issue for the platform nobody has been talking about.

[Wwhat Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:34PM]

Any vista capable phone can do that :x

[MarcusMaximus Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:37PM]

@Nerdtalker No. Thus the OpenGL ES libraries for Android. Plus, OpenGL in Java has been available with GPU utilization for a while. Oh, and there's also the Native C API.

[martynmcfarquhar Posted Dec 17th 2009 3:30PM]

@Nerdtalker

You might be thinking of WebOS, which is limited to CPU currently, though I hear web-based GPU acceleration is here so Palm just need to implement it and they'll be golden.

[ibopm Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:56PM]

@martynmcfarquhar
HTML5 isn't coming for a LONG time

[Epon Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:26PM]

Trippy... I'd def get annoyed at the lag time between animation transitions though.

[Biomech Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:30PM]

Looks like those tiles had a default Photoshop bevel and emboss applied to them. Not very professional looking...

[MarcusMaximus Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:40PM]

@Biomech Um, it looked more like a shader effect to me. Probably utilizing OpenGL ES 2.0.It doesn't look like it's just a bunch of photoshop renderings but rather an active rendering engine running with shader support.

[Edobe Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:48PM]

@MarcusMaximus actually Biomech nailed it. Those looks like buttons made in Photoshop with a default bevel and emboss and maybe in inner glow and a satin thrown on top.

[Biomech Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:28PM]

@MarcusMaximus you misunderstand what I mean. I'm talking purely aesthetically here; it doesn't *look* as good as it can.

[Hazdaz Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:30PM]

So utterly pointless.

Now phones are going to need a 3D accelerating GPU and need to upgrade it very 6 months.

So all the great battery advancement that we have seen over the last couple of years, will all go out the window since now we will need even more processing power to simply look at the 3D-modeled, real-time rendered clock.

:rolleyes:

[Dafrety Posted Dec 17th 2009 4:00PM]

@Hazdaz
You're assuming that people want this amount of eye candy. No thanks, I'll stick with my HTC Dream.

[NYNY Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:27PM]

@Hazdaz Agreed. Just a lot of eye candy... if you can call it that.

[James Posted Dec 17th 2009 6:01PM]

@Hazdaz

I agree, function > form

[FreshLeo Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:31PM]

ugly as hell! seriously?
I think there are some 3d effects that look good but most of them have absolutely no style and just seem to show off (in an awful way, btw). This one's a prime example for the latter!

[x3m Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:31PM]

If it wasn't for TI, I would say this says Tegra all over it....

[ollylewis Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:33PM]

What a surprise... another analogue clock... can't tell the time on a handset without them..

[t3hpwninat0r Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:37PM]

Pretty much looks like shit. And that's all that needs to be said about that.

[Wwhat Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:37PM]

This wasn't impressive, they just use a standard GUI and pointlessly wobble things a bit and fly them around without benefits, and rotate a clock away so you can't see clearly what time it is but a shiny sideview instead, that's not a GUI that's art.

[Wwhat Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:39PM]

Thanks for the link anyway paul, it's nice to be able to judge and not be in doubt while doing so :)
Makes me feel relaxed somehow.

[bjsguess Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:54PM]

Wonder how different the response would have been had the article been titled "Apple tablet UI leaked".

This is pretty impressive aesthetically. Not sure I've seen anything that has this level of polish from HTC, Apple, or Google. Of course, one would need to see how it runs in the real world. But from an eye candy perspective, this is slick.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:12PM]

@bjsguess
It wouldn't be much different, a turd is a turd, no matter where it came from

[Wwhat Posted Dec 17th 2009 3:00PM]

No it would be an iTurd when it was apple.
But this isn't a turd, it's just pointless and silly and not impressive.

[zipp Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:04PM]

Cool but pointless. Also imagine the graphics work and 3D modeling 3rd party programmers would need to produce in order to make an app that matches the UI design standards set by the OS... ouch.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:09PM]

Reminds me of Ubuntu with the compiz effects, fun to watch at for 10 minutes, but you will in the end realize that usability still sucks hairy ass

[ash chapman Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:15PM]

This reminds me of that crappy SNES game "Rise of the Robots;" all looks, no fun.

What a pointless load of graphical gibberish. I can imagine Will Ferrell in a new role shouting "NEED MORE BUMPMAPPING."

[mykdinis Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:59PM]

This UI looks like a terrible overdesign! I hate widgets that have unnecessary levels of detail. The icons are super-generic - rendered block with vendor icon overlay.

The potential of this interface is staggering though. This TAT design was much more pleasing and groundbreaking -> http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/24/video-3d-eye-tracking-from-tat-the-guys-behind-the-t-mobile-g1/
I've been involved in UI design for a while and this is too much.

KISS! That's the name of the game.
It's an amazing proof of concept, but nothing as exceptional as -> http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/24/emblazes-first-else-unveiled-in-london-promises-to-be-a-game-c/

mmmm...TAT 3D UI with ELSE minimalism coupled with the new physical interface principles by Synaptics - heaven.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 17th 2009 3:05PM]

no thanks... i graduated from sesame street long time ago

[DaHarder Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:05PM]

@(Unverified)

So I take it that you don't care for the look of Apple's iPhone OS?

[magusxxx Posted Dec 17th 2009 4:13PM]

"Customer Service? Yeah, every time I tried to select an icon there's this static cling problem. I tried wiping the screen with Snuggle fabric softener sheets but that didn't help."

[DaHarder Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:00PM]

There are shades' of a more polished version of SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 present here, just taken to the next level.

It's certainly flashy, but I'd have to spend a good amount of time with it in order to determine just how useable it really is.

Very nice to look at though...

[Eternal Density Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:14PM]

Imagine hooking this up to a light sensor so the dynamic lighting adjusts to actual ambient lighting...

[Svenni Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:55PM]

@Eternal Density

better yet use the front camera to reflect the realworld in the metal shaders :D

[kweh Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:28PM]

I hate it.

[edf Posted Dec 17th 2009 5:33PM]

Animation for the sake of animation is pointless. I see no improvement in functionality here.

Reminds me of web sites that throw in a bunch of Flash with no purpose.

Ed

[TareG Posted Dec 17th 2009 6:25PM]

TAT seems to have two branches completely disconnected from each other. The one responsible for those mind blowing amazing 3D ultra smooth and shiny concept UI, and another branch which does the actual UI on its phones. Let's not forget they are responsible for the ugliness that was Android UI (till HTC came and made it beautiful).

[Wesscoast Posted Dec 17th 2009 6:33PM]

These 3D animation effects look like an amateurish Keynote presentation.

[adrianomelette Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:03PM]

VERY, very cool.
revolutionary.

[eka Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:35PM]

To waste a lot of computing power to just draw a 3d icon. Stupid idea.

[furquanatique Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:45PM]

The ZuneHD should be able to handle this.

[Wwhat Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:16PM]

I think so yeah, but why would they?