Passion for Innovation
Innovation has always been a natural part of UIQ Technology’s business. We started out as a development lab owned by Ericsson Mobile Communications. The lab became a company owned by Symbian. The company grew and grew. It became independent and today goes under the name of UIQ Technology. The name has changed, but the innovative mindset remains. It’s simply a matter of creative momentum. It is just a matter of creatively moving forward, all the time.
So what did we innovate?
UIQ was FIRST with TOUCH on Symbian OS
The first touch UI phone based on Symbian was the Sony Ericsson P800. It was powered by UIQ software. The year was 1999.
UIQ technology has now been working in the field of touch UI for ten years. We have learned the principles. We have developed the skills. All the while, market demand for touch UI has drastically increased. More people and companies discover the benefits with touch phones. More models are released in more markets. And this is just the beginning.
Our passion for innovation has continued. UIQ can now proudly present the third generation of touch UI. The prospects look good. Touch UI is on its way. But beware: there are many roads to choose along the way. We know the ones to take.
When designing touch phones, there are certain things to consider Ergonomics Pen and finger usage, visual, audible and tactile feedback, size of target areas Direct manipulation Scrolling, clicking, dragging.
Another innovation that UIQ uniquely offered the market was the multiple UI configurations.
Multiple UI Configurations First by UIQ
This is the user interface that can be configured to a very large extent through the means of various settings, such as with or without touch screen, soft keys, or a flip. It could also be dynamically adjusted to various screen sizes and hardware key setups and all configurations are made against the same code line. This innovation enabled mobile phone manufacturers to create a broad range of devices each aiming for different markets and segments. As all the configurations were made against the same code line, the manufacturer could re-use internal software and investment.
What’s more , the same APIs were offered to external developers which meant that applications developed according to guidelines would automatically adjust its user interface to the capabilities of the phone the application was installed on. For developers this meant more focus could be spent on application features as opposed to adapting to new device requirements and for mobile phone manufacturers it provided an existing application base to draw from when launching new mobile phones.
Different Phones – One Ecosystem. This innovation was first delivered in UIQ 3.0 as early as 2005. Similar approaches have now been taken by others.
Driving Innovation
All the phones below are based on UIQ and Symbian OS. Follow the innovations!
P800 from Sony Ericsson was FIRST with
- Touch screen on Symbian OS
- Built in camera on Symbian OS
- Bluetooth on Symbian OS
- Two graphical UIs on one phone
- Handwriting recognition on Symbian OS
A920 from Motorola was the FIRST
- 3G smartphone on Symbian OS
- GPS smartphone on Symbian OS
- Handset with extensive operator customization on Symbian OS
P910 from Sony Ericsson was FIRST with
- Integrated push-Email solution with Office editor
P990 from Sony Ericsson was FIRST with
- Integrated business card scanner
N6708 from Nokia was the FIRST
- Nokia device with touch screen and keypad on Symbian OS
A1000 from Motorola was the FIRST
- Handset with WiFi on Symbian OS
Z8 from Motorola was the FIRST
- HSDPA phone in the Motorola portfolio
Z10 from Motorola was the FIRST
- Handset with video editing built in