TAT Home: the gesture-powered 3D home screen your Android device has longed for
By Darren Murph 
posted February 15th 2010 5:40PM
posted February 15th 2010 5:40PM
[Thanks, Jesper]
posted February 15th 2010 5:40PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
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gotta love opensource.
@NoOrdinaryMSFT
I know... I'd rather have this than the winmo 7 UI or iphone UI... I give it about 3 years before Android beats Symbian in market dominance!
@NoOrdinaryMSFT
yes but this just looks annoying \i would rather have regular android
@nubbily Me too. Symbian is way too little too late. Besides Symbian is being targeted at the low-end.
@NoOrdinaryMSFT
look at his vids. he made it in 5 minutes
*drool*
I want this bad, and I don't even have an Android powered phone!
@Oscarv77
It's more eye-candy(alot at that) than anything, I didn't see any added functionality
@Oscarv77
You wouldn't if you have used Slidescreen.
@Atkins That man with the van has candy, go see him!
Interesting.
@Drethis
way too much bling
@bergwitz
Oh my Gosh, whatever you want to call that noise he is making at 1:11 it is the most annoying sound ever.
@New Reformation
EHHHEEEEEHHEE! OHHAOOAA
I'm all for advancing UI, aesthetics, gestures and the like, but am I alone in feeling like this is clutter?
I don't want a bunch of flipping/rotating/overanimated icons/widgets on my display. I want my device to be elegant and sophisticated--not cartoonish and weighed down by worthless 3D-rendering that's stretching, highlighting, animating, texturing and displaying my weather.
Just my opinion.
(I really like Android's current UI, but re-reading my post makes it sound like I'm ready for WinMo7. I think WinMo7 looks interesting too.. but I really, really, really like Android.)
@Shidell Not alone!
For the most part, I think this is a worthless, self-indulgent, overblown, needlessly complicated user interface.
They forgot to ask whether or not anything they invented was actually better, and just did it any way.
I don't get it at all.
@Shidell:
No, you're definitely not alone.
But even still, think about all the Compiz Fusion-type eyecandy. Maybe this is exactly what a specific user base wants, right?
@Shidell
You're not alone.
This UI looks kinda cool for a minute but I quickly got fed up by the unnecessary gimmicky animations. This race for "who's gonna make a new UI with craziest transitions and animations" is getting out of hand.
@Shidell
Don't let the animations turn you off. This is brilliant. You see, currently, the widgets are static, the same size whether you're using them or not. Come TAT widgets, and they start expanding (beautifully) into something more functional once tapped. This is brilliant. You can get better usage from the screen, and it still looks beautiful.
@Shidell
I will agree on the "cartoonish" thing. I want my OS to be elegant too, like webOS and WP7.... Android was way too "cartoonish" on launch.
TAT always = Win.
Android users should have this by default.
I wish the other smartphone companies would just copy the Pre's multitasking. Admit it; it's the best system.
@artemis360
The mobile OS which offers the least possible information on its homescreen? No thanks.
@TareG:
Read, man. Pre's *multitasking*.
And seconded, it is by far the best at multitasking.
@TareG agreed.
@TareG: The pre needs a number of widgets to remain in the background, which come to the foreground when you close all cards so that you have an on the fly widget view that can be seen at any time by doing a simple gesture or by just having all the cards closed.
A gesture that would work is a gesture down when you are in the standard card view. A gesture by grabbing any of the cards and dragging down would drag all the cards down, bringing the widgets to the foreground (since the drag down gesture while holding a card doesnt really do anything). letting go restores the standard card view. Dragging the cards all he way into the gesture area brings the widgets to the foreground. Swiping up gets your cards back.
And definitely the best multi-tasking metaphor out there.
Where can I send my resume, Palm?
@artemis360 By far it is. They did webOS right.
I'd tap that.
@Ryan Trevisol
You mean, I'd 'TAT' that?
@Miguel
You mean I'd Tap TAT
Finger surf your widgets...that you can't see because your finger is covering them
This looks like a bunch of fluff with no real substance. There's an uglier rip off of cover flow, an alarm clock that looks annoying to set, and a clock that looks exactly like the Casio I had when I was 10. Do not want
@EGOvoruhk
why do you hate what you don't understand!! :'(
@EGOvoruhk
Unlike the iPhone android users have a CHOICE of what the clock looks like. And a CHOICE of apps to control alarms. Oh, and a CHOICE to enable certain features.
@Stotherd
What is it with you commenter that always bring up the iPhone? Engadget didn't mention it, I certainly didn't mention it, and it has no place in my conversation. Android offers you a choice, yay, we all know that. I CHOOSE not to pick TAT Home because it looks like uninspired ass
@EGOvoruhk A Mandroid Chooses. An iSlave Obeys.
@EGOvoruhk
Rip off cover flow ? LOL Have you never seen jukeboxes from the 70's through to today many of them look just like cover flow and thats just to start.
Apple didn't invent cover flow like most UI design it just copies how you would do it physically.
No-one mentioned iPhone to ruin your post you reek of Apple juice!
@fourthletter
I reek of Apple juice? Click my name and read some of my posts, I own a Touch Pro2
@EGOvoruhk Yeah it looks like fluff but at least you have choice. I prefer HTC's UI personally.
It looks like Web os taken to another level. Not a bad thing though.
I like that a lot! If Microsoft had announced a UI like that today, I'd be hyped.
Surprise surprise: This demo is running ON THE HTC HERO. Yes, the one with the old-gen 528mhz processor. Imagine how it would look on the Nexus one with its 1 Ghz Snapdragon.... how about on a Tegra 2 Android phone with OpenGL ES 2.0....
The future for Android is bright.
@TareG
Where did you see that? I was also trying to find out what they were demoing on.
@Condiment
TAT said so, check the original video on youtube, and see their reply.
@TareG But at least the Hero has a lot of RAM. The ARM 11 CPU isn't that slow as long as it is only working on one application. Start multitasking and you will 1. run out of RAM and 2. the CPU will be too busy to do anything. I don't think I will even try it on my 32B Magic. I'm trying everything to keep the number of running apps low.
let me add this to the list of themes the iphone cant do
Android
1. Sense
2. Vanilla
3. Motoblur
4. Darkstar
5. GDE
6. Home +
7. Open home
the list goes on
iPhone
1. Reg iPhone
2. Jailbreak iPhone
@lv2bll54
fanboy we all know this stuff already don't have to remind us about it, you won't change anything by telling it over and over again. Both systems have their legitimacies for being around. one for the a little geeky "us" and the iphones for all the posh people who like "function follow design"
@lv2bll54
Winterboard>All android themes
I don't want that at all. It's ugly, and cluttered. It kind of reminds me of those stupid overly customized linux desktops you see youtube videos of. You know, the ones with the stupid, cheesey, "heavy metal" or "techno" playing in the background.
@redeyeglasses
I think you are referring to Compiz or Beryl?
That stuff has never been more than useless desktop eye-candy.
How many folks need windows that wobble or menus that bursts into flame?
@LAY Yes, but they also make everything transparent, and every possible piece of screen real estate is covered by a obnoxious widget. If they could everything would be flashing and moving around the screen.
@redeyeglasses
There's a lot of useful things that Compiz does, other than just look silly. Desktop Zoom is really handy on underpowered machines that can't throw full screen Flash. The cube is nice to set multiple workspaces - one for internet, one for email, one for development. Window Transparency is handy to look below your current window without having to move, minimize or close it.
Overall I think Compiz renders the screen far better in composited OpenGL than most drivers do in 2D mode - no screen tearing when you move windows, transitions are much smoother too.