UI is the way to go at Symbian show

WHILST HANGING around waiting for the Symbian Foundation to say something here at the Smartphone show, the INQ ran into TAT. Who hail from Sweden... just like Absolut Vodka does.

Writing UIs for phones is nothing new but TAT (which stands for The Astounding Tribe) has found a new angle. "Squeezing the maximum power out of the processor," is how CEO, Charlotta Falvin, describes it.

So while the impetus behind UIs to date has been 'keeping up with the Jobses', Falvin reckons the trick lies in taking UIs downmarket. "The knack is to make the UI look like it's doing something clever – even if it isn't really. "

This has two advantages. Firstly using the same UI across a range provides a consistent 'look and feel'. Secondly, it enables handset vendors to create low cost ARM7-based handsets which look good.

And will therefore sell in the one sector of the handset market still expanding rapidly – emerging markets. ARM obviously appreciates this ploy since it was running TAT's demo on its show booth.

Falvin claims that TAT's software is already installed in 200 million handsets and in one in ten of all handsets shipping now.

She also claims to have four out of five of the major handset vendors as clients. That only leaves LG. "Watch this space", Falvin quipped.

The interesting point is that TAT hasn't tried to re-invent the wheel. So when it comes to rendering graphics, TAT works very closely with the hardware guys – such as ARM, Nvidia and TI.

TAT's demos were very impressive. The INQ just hopes the company doesn't go the way of previous UI specialists and finds itself swallowed by the likes of a Qualcomm, Adobe or Motorola. µ