userinterface
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SwiftKey launches SDK, phones and tablets get more predictable
SwiftKey is responsible for as many saved typing hours, as it is crushing affirmations of just how predictable we really are. A fact that can now be drilled home by infinitely more devices, thanks to a new SDK for OEMs. Developers for a variety of platforms and programming languages (including C++, iOS and JVM) can access SwiftKey's core language-engine technology for their own UI or on screen keyboard, and with support for over 40 languages, we can expect many more tablets, phones and even white goods to worryingly know what we were going to say.
Tobii's Gaze interface lets you use your eyes to move a cursor, perform gestures in Windows 8 (video)
We've seen gesture control, but how about an input device that lets you stare your PC into submission? That's the basic gist of Tobii's Gaze UI, an early version of which is on display here at CES, and which will eventually help doctors and other professionals skim through data just by looking at it. When this becomes available, likely in a year or so, customers will need some requisite hardware (read: that conspicuous eye tracking strip you see up there) and, of course, software that can take advantage of it. Got it? Good. Here's the elevator pitch: using your eyes, you can move the cursor around the screen, select objects, scroll and pinch to zoom. But if you imagined looking at your Firefox shortcut and blinking twice to open it, you'd be sorely disappointed: though you can use your eyes to drag the cursor, you'll still need to keep a finger on your touchpad. For instance, once you direct your eyes to a certain part of a webpage, you'll need to use two fingers to zoom in, as you normally would. Really, then, this is saving you from having to bear down on your clickpad, so for now, at least, your fingers can keep their day job.
HP redesigns its Magic Canvas software, plans to install it on all desktops (even non-touch ones)
Though HP announced two desktops today, the most interesting tidbit might not be the computers, but the software installed on them. As the company releases new hardware, it's also rolling out a revamped version of its Magic Canvas UI (formerly known as TouchSmart). Now, it'll work even on PCs without touchscreens, and it's going to ship on every HP tower and all-in-one, including already-announced models like this. The most significant improvement is that you can now access the Start Menu and all your Windows apps, even when you're immersed in this UI that frankly looks more like a mobile OS than Windows 7. (If all this reeks of bloatware, you can uninstall or choose not to launch it.) As for that mobile-inspired experience, we're talking about those widgets and large, finger-friendly shortcuts, sure, but also the fact that you get an unlimited number of home screens for pinning notes and leaving documents open. Forget where you left your 15-page term paper? You can right click to bring up a search screen (we're not clear if there will be a keyboard shortcut for that). As we said, you can expect this to become ubiquitous on HP's desktops but if you want to see it in action now, you can head past the break for a short promo video.
PlayStation Vita plays it smart with phone-like UI, we go hands-on
We've handled the PlayStation Vita often enough to know our way around its lightweight chassis and petite thumbsticks, but whenever we've tried to explore the handheld's underlying user interface, event staff played interference. Developers at a recent Vita Hill Social Club event were much less shy, however, and let us poke and swipe through the Vita's menu with hardly a shrug. %Gallery-141676%
On UI inconsistency in iOS 5
A while back, designer Jake Marsh commented on an inconsistency in Apple's use of linen textures in iOS 5 (hat tip to Daring Fireball). In both OS X Lion and iOS 5, the linen texture is "underneath" other UI elements in almost every instance. In Lion, linen textures lie beneath the Mission Control interface, the main login screen, folders in Launchpad, and web pages in Safari. In iOS 5, linen lies beneath the multitasking tray, in Siri's interface, in folder backgrounds, and once again (on the iPad) underneath web pages in Safari. Marsh points out that the metaphor of linen textures lying "beneath" the interface completely breaks down with Notification Center. With Notification Center acting as an overlay on top of other interface elements, it essentially means that the standard interface is "sandwiched" between two layers of linen textures. Two different proposals exist for fixing this inconsistency. Max Rudberg proposes shifting Notification Center to a background layer, so instead of sliding over the home screen or whatever app you're in at the time, the foreground layer would slide away with Notification Center appearing from "underneath" it. This would be a decent solution on the iPhone, but it wouldn't work quite so well on the iPad. An arguably better solution is the one Nik Radjenovic proposes: get rid of the linen texture in Notification Center and replace it with a background that more clearly establishes Notification Center as a pullover UI element separate from the "what lies beneath" metaphor implied by the linen background. This may seem nitpicky at first, but Apple's usual attention to UI details like this is arguably one of the things that makes iOS a pleasure to use. Inconsistencies like the "sandwiching" of linen-textured UI elements are subtle, but when UI inconsistencies start stacking up they can result in an experience that drastically and negatively affects usability. [We looked at inconsistent iPhone UI concepts back in 2007, before there was an App Store or iOS even. –Ed.] The iPad's Music app in iOS 5 is a perfect example of how UI inconsistency creates a subpar experience. I've already described at length how Apple's overhaul of iOS 4's iPod app rendered music playback on the iPad a frustrating experience in iOS 5; I got so fed up with the poor interface in the Music app that I've almost completely stopped using my iPad for music playback and defaulted to using my iPhone 4S instead. Apple has already fixed some inconsistencies in iOS's look and feel; as of iOS 5, pages in the Calendar app can be "turned" just like pages in iBooks, which wasn't possible in iOS 4. Sadly, the same is not true of the Contacts app on the iPad; despite having the same "pages in a book" design as both Calendar and iBooks, swiping on pages in Contacts does precisely nothing. [See our post from last week on the 'leaky abstraction' problem in skeuomorphic UIs. –Ed.] Top to bottom: Swipe to turn page, swipe to turn page, swipe to experience frustration. UI inconsistency across devices can be just as irritating. Again, the Music app is a great example. On the iPhone and iPod touch, the Music app is largely list and text-driven, and playback controls are consistently colored throughout the interface so you can tell the state of a control at a glance. On the iPad, the Music app is visually-driven, with control colors that are not only inconsistent with the color scheme on smaller iOS devices but also internally inconsistent within the app itself. Putting the same app from the iPhone and iPad side-by-side, it's very hard to believe they both came from the same design team. The same company designed both of these apps. True story. The Camera app is another example of contradictory behavior in user interfaces across devices. On the iPhone and iPod touch, the shutter button, controls for switching between still photos and video recording, and a link to your camera roll are all pinned to the screen edge near the home button, which makes taking a picture extremely easy and something you can do one-handed. On the iPad, these controls shift around depending on the device's orientation, constantly presenting the controls on the screen's bottom. This makes taking pictures and recording video on the iPad far more difficult, particularly in landscape orientation where the shutter button is several inches away from the edges of the device you're actually gripping. iPhone: Easily reachable camera controls. iPad: Not so much. Just like the use of linen in the background of Notification Center, all of these UI hiccups are easy to fix, but I have to wonder why they need to be fixed in the first place. Apple usually pays far better attention to the tiniest details in its interfaces; it may be time for Apple's designers to step back from piling on new features and instead do a Snow Leopard-like audit of what's already in iOS.
Microsoft enables Android and iOS users to experience Windows Phone 7... via the web
Still tempted by the fruit of another? If you're looking Microsoft's way, but aren't quite ready to toss your adoration for iOS or Android aside, the coders in Redmond are giving you an alternative to quitting cold turkey. By visiting http://aka.ms/wpdemo on one's iOS or Android browser, you'll be immediately tunneled into a emulation of Windows Phone 7. We gave it a test run here at Engadget HQ, and it seems that every tile and swipe save for Apps runs properly. Can't say the fonts and such looked as smooth on our Galaxy S II as they do on the Radar, but it's a solid effort that'll definitely serve you well if you're considering the switch. Just don't try to flip the demo horizontally -- that's clearly a no-no. %Gallery-140524%
Revamped Xbox 360 dashboard to launch on December 6th, Microsoft confirms
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that its Xbox 360 dashboard would be getting an upgrade "in the coming days." Today, the company has clarified that statement, declaring that the revamped interface will launch on December 6th. As we've previously noted, the update promises to bring deeper Kinect integration (including sharper voice recognition capabilities), Facebook sharing mechanisms, and a cleaner interface. Redmond also says that the fall cleanup will introduce "a wealth of new content," including live TV, music and movies, available for streaming. For now, the dashboard is still in beta, though it certainly won't be long before the masses get their hands on it. Update: Read Microsoft's e-mailed announcement in full, after the break.
Netflix reveals new user interface experience for Android tablets, iPad counterpart coming soon
You've already had a peek at it in the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, but it seems that redesigned user interface is going to be hitting more than just the holiday's most-talked about duo. Netflix has made official a newly redesigned user interface experience for Android tablets -- one that "makes browsing and instantly watching unlimited TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix better than ever." The new look provides multiple rows of titles with larger artwork to scroll through, with Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix, noting that the company has seen a "threefold increase in how long Netflix members are watching on their tablets." As of today, interested consumers can simply update their Netflix app in the Android Market, while iPad users are being asked to wait "a few weeks," after which the new tablet experience will be dubbed Tabster and led on Twitter by a 17-year old methamphetamine addict.
Toys R Us' Nabi Android tablet lets junior play while mommy drinks
True, mommy may not have to drink, but as long as Toys R Us' Nabi tablet is in the house, that cabinet door will always be open. Designed to distract kids aged six years and up, this tot-sized Android slate boasts a seven-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen display, 4GB of onboard storage, and a 533MHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU. These certainly aren't the most scintillating specs we've ever come across (even by kiddo tablet standards), but keep in mind that we're talking about six-year-olds, here. They don't know anything. Plus, they'll probably be distracted by the Nabi's customized UI, tailored for so-called "kiddified" browsing, reading and TV watching. If you ever get a hankering to get in on the action yourself, you can always send the beast to time out and play with the tablet yourself, thanks to a built-in "Mommy Mode" that provides a more mature Android experience. No word yet on whether Toys R Us plans to introduce a "Daddy Mode" (or, for that matter, a "Postman Mode"), but that's probably a conversation for another day. Hands-off parents can pre-order the Nabi for $200, at the source link below.
Microsoft responds to disgruntled users, unveils changes to Windows 8 UI
You can unpack your suitcase and drop that custody suit, because Microsoft has heard your Windows 8 complaints, and it's willing to change its ways. Yesterday, in a lengthy post on its Building Windows 8 blog, the company acknowledged that it's received plenty of feedback since unleashing a developer preview of the OS last month, and pledged to respond with a number changes. For starters, apps displayed within the Windows 8 App Screen can now be organized into groups, rather than alphabetical arrangements (see image above). Apps will also be displayed at a higher density, thereby cramming more content within the same space. Enterprise users, meanwhile, will be able to customize their companies' Start screens and unify them across networks, though there's still no word on whether administrators will be able to opt out of the software's tiled interface in favor of the more Windows 7-esque Desktop app -- one of the most highly requested features. These are just two of many, relatively granular changes that Microsoft is implementing to help users maximize the efficiency of its new Start screen, and they likely won't be the last. To dig into the nitty gritty, check out the full post, at the source link below.
Size matters: why the iPhone has a 3.5-inch screen
One of the things Android phone owners love to brag about -- particularly those who have the new Samsung Galaxy S II with its 4.27-inch diagonal screen -- is that the larger screens are much easier to read and watch videos on. Dustin Curtis has owned both the iPhone 4 and the Galaxy S II, and in an enlightening post on his blog, he pointed out why bigger isn't always better. Curtis noted that the iPhone 4's design allows you to hold the device in one hand and touch almost any part of the screen with your thumb. You can't do that with the larger Galaxy S II, as seen in the diagram (size is incorrectly marked by Curtis) at the top of this post. The green area designates the reach of the thumb when holding the device in one hand, and there's a lot of Galaxy S II real estate that's not under that field of green. According to Curtis, "Touching the upper right corner of the screen on the Galaxy S II using one hand, with its 4.27-inch screen, while you're walking down the street looking at Google Maps, is extremely difficult and frustrating." He concluded the post with a point that all Apple owners instinctively know, but can rarely explain: "This is an example of one of those design decisions that you don't usually notice until you see someone doing it wrong. It's one of the things that makes Apple products Apple products."
Amazon adds Kindle Fire-specific details to Developer Portal, A's your FAQ
The Kindle Fire may not be hitting the market until November, but Amazon has already updated its Developer Portal FAQ page with an entire section devoted to its forthcoming Android tablet. On the new page, you'll find largely standard information on things like the application process and how to set up an Android SDK emulator, though there are a few more salient tidbits, as well. For instance, Amazon says it will review every app in its Appstore for Fire compatibility, as part of an automated process. Rejected apps, Amazon informs us, will include those that rely on a gyroscope, camera, WAN module, Bluetooth, microphone, GPS, or micro SD. Apps are also forbidden from using Google's Mobile Services (and in-app billing), which, if included, will have to be "gracefully" removed. In terms of actual content, Amazon has outlawed all apps that change the tablet's UI in any way (including theme- or wallpaper-based tools), as well as any that demand root access (it remains to be seen how the company will treat the root-dependent apps already in its store). Interested devs can find more information at the source link, below.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video)
Leaks are flying left and right as Samsung's Unpacked event approaches, with the latest coming from Romania's Mobilissimo.ro. Today, the site published new images and video of what could be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- the long-awaited follow-up to the Nexus S. At this point, it's difficult to say whether the device (model number "Tuna") totally jibes with the leaked specs we saw earlier this week, though its spacious display (rumored to be of 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED stock) does look rather sharp -- the screenshots we've seen are indeed at 720 x 1280 resolution. Other than that, the handset appears to boast a 1,750mAh battery, along with a five megapixel camera and that rumored Ice Cream Sandwich UI, replete with onscreen buttons.Compared with the Nexus S, the front-facing camera on this handset is shifted further to the right, with the proximity sensor nestled between the earpiece and the shooter, rather than all the way on the left. Its corners, meanwhile, seem less rounded than what you'll find on the earlier version, though we noticed that it does have a micro-USB port lurking at the bottom center, much like its ancestor. Of course, we'll have to wait until October 11th to see whether these shots are as good as advertised, but you can head past the break to see the purportedly authentic video or to gaze at some extra screenshots.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video)
Google's DOJ-approved acquisition of ITA has finally borne fruit, in the form of Flight Search -- a new tool that aims to streamline the chaos that is online travel booking. The Mountain View contingent unveiled the interface yesterday, with an "early look" at what appears to be a fairly straightforward service. Once you enter your starting point, destination, price range and duration, a list of results will appear in ascending order of fare and duration, below a map displaying each flight's trajectory. From there, you can filter your results by airline, number of layovers or specific departure times, before booking your itinerary on the carrier's site (Google was careful to point out that flight selection and results will not be "influenced by any paid relationships"). At the moment, the service is restricted to a select group of US cities and only features round-trip economy class flights, but Google says future updates and expansions are on the way. We're eager to see how the company dresses up this relatively bare bones platform and, perhaps more importantly, how competing travel sites react to it. Kayak, for one, responded with confident nonchalance to Flight Search, explicitly describing it as an inferior product. "We're confident in our ability to compete, and we believe our flight search technology is superior," the company said, in a statement. "We recognize Google is a formidable competitor but they haven't been successful in every vertical they've entered." Let the games begin. Demo video after the break.
Microsoft showcases new copy, move, rename functions in Windows 8 (video)
Windows 8 has yet to see the light of day, but new details on the forthcoming OS continue to emerge. The most recent preview once again comes courtesy of Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, where the company has posted new information on the software's copy, move, rename and delete functions. With the new system, all pending copy operations will appear in one dialog, where users can pause, stop and resume any job, while monitoring data transfer rates on a real-time throughput graph (pictured above). Redmond's developers have also made it easier to resolve file name collisions, with a new dialog that displays thumbnail images of source files directly alongside preexisting documents of the same name. This allows users to decide which files they'd like to copy or replace by simply hovering their mouse over the image to see its file path, or double clicking it to open in full view. For more information, check out the demo video that's waiting for you after the break.
Symbian Anna now available for download on Nokia N8, E7, C7 and C6-01
Just a day after popping up on NaviFirm, Nokia's Symbian Anna has finally arrived for download, right on schedule. Available for N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 users, the new OS brings a fresh new UI and a virtual portrait QWERTY keypad to Symbian smartphones, along with split-screen messaging, richer maps and speedier browsing. The update also brings NFC capabilities to the C7, in particular, allowing users to share contacts, photos and other goodies by simply tapping their handsets together. If you're interested in upgrading, you can download Anna using the latest version of Ovi Suite (3.1.1), or with an OTA update, though availability and method of delivery vary from market to market. Find more information in the full PR, after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC Bliss spotted frolicking in the blurry wild?
We haven't heard much about the HTC Bliss since it popped up on a Verizon roadmap earlier this month, but the folks over at PocketNow have obtained photos of what could be the handset's first public appearance. The so-called "women only" smartphone, which recently passed through the FCC, is rumored to run on a 800MHz single-core processor and will reportedly sport a new version of HTC's Sense UI. It's also expected to run Android 2.3 and to rock a GSM 900MHz radio, though, as you can tell, it's a little difficult to glean any of that from the above blurry images. No word yet on whether it'll launch in September, as expected, or whether it'll look a bit more feminine when it does, but we'll keep you posted.
From the boneheaded design file: Browsing Versions in Lion
I like Lion. I really really do. I can forgive Apple for breaking my Network Area Storage device, but in general it's a nice upgrade. There is, however, that matter of the "browse versions" feature in iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote), Preview and some other apps designed to work with the Versions feature in Lion. I asked several experienced Mac users if they understood how it all worked and not a one did. While some knew of the feature, and were anxious to use it, they couldn't find it. I would have expected a function that deals with a file to be on the File menu. Nope. Apple has it in the title bar, just where you are sure to miss it. If the document is locked, there's nothing in the File Menu either. You can lock the document from the title bar, but you have to unlock it from the drop down that appears on the word "locked". These are GUI choices from hell. When you finally do figure out how to browse your versions, your entire desktop changes, and you wind up in the Time Machine GUI (which Apple calls "The Star Field"), even though you never invoked Time Machine. As my colleague Erica Sadun points out, why introduce another system? Apple now offers full screen mode in several applications so you won't be distracted, but browsing versions morphs your desktop into a purple universe with flying stars whizzing by. Talk about distractions. There's no doubt that you can stumble through Apple documentation and find all this information out, but hey, this is Apple. You know, "it just works." By the way, I searched for "browse versions" in the Pages help document and came up blank. Lion does have some great features, but it's important that people understand them and that they are easy to use. It seems like these document functions really should be part of the File menu. If Apple wants to hide them in the title bar, that's fine, but give users a fighting chance. Apple should not change its motto to "it just works if you can find the non-intuitive place we've hidden it." If you want a good overview, our Steve Sande has done a nice job of explaining the new document control features. How are you doing with all this? Did you figure it out, or have you been lost too? I'm sure some of our readers were just fine, but I'll bet a lot of you are in the tall weeds.
Best Buy launches Insignia connected TVs with DVR-less TiVo
Right on schedule, Best Buy's announced it's good and ready to ship two Insignia-branded connected televisions with TiVo's UI -- minus the whole DVR thing, that is. The two 1080p sets, available in 32- and 42-inch flavors, are landing months after the retailer said it was buddying up with TiVo to borrow its user interface -- and only that, there's no indication these will play nicely with Premiere DVRs and their multiroom streaming at launch -- for searching content and also just getting up and running easily. As you'd expect, folks perusing these sets can watch movies from Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube, as well as stream from Pandora and Napster. Rounding out the list of apps are Facebook, Twitter, Photobucket, and Chumby, with more to come, Best Buy tells us. In addition to the easy access to content, the story here is that the UI plays nice with existing cable boxes, making the installation easy even if the person holding the remote doesn't happen to have a lengthy serial number on hand. Look for the 32-inch number for $499, with the 42-incher fetching $699. Find the full PR and some b-roll video after the break, along with a smattering of hands-on shots of what should be an all-too-familiar interface. %Gallery-129545%
Automated shoulder surfing makes it easier to steal passwords, isn't very tubular, brah (video)
Here's something mildly terrifying to chew on: researchers in Italy have developed a way to automatically harvest anything you type on your smartphone's touchscreen, using only a camera placed over your shoulder. The software, created by Federico Maggi and his team from the Politecnico di Milano, takes advantage of the magnified touchscreen keys you'll find on most iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices. Because these magnifications often pop up in predictable positions, the spying system can recognize and record them with relative ease, with the help of a camera aimed at a targeted display. And it's not like bobbing and weaving around will help evade its watchful eye, since the apparatus can instantly detect sudden movements and adjust its gaze accordingly. Researchers say their tool is capable of accurately recognizing up to 97 percent of all keystrokes and is fast enough to transmit copied passwords in "quasi real-time," which must be music to a lazy criminal's ears. Tiptoe past the break to see the beast in action and spend the rest of your life in an everlasting state of fear.
