First advanced UI for Vodafone

The new solution FlipFont (Monotype Imaging) is accessible from Vodafone live!, Vodafone is the first operator in Europe to provide a download service which will change the font of its interface.

The solution FlipFont launches a selection of 10 fonts from 1.40 €.To date phones that supports this UI are based on the Symbian OS.
Even if the service is an important step in the personalization of the user interface, which will expand, it is far from the Japanese Acrodea service ( check previous post).

Mobile data services are expected to exceed $ 200 billion in 2008 for the first time, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. (157 billion in 2007). It is an important growth engines for the future of operators and will therefore give an accelerated deployment of innovative mobile services, including customizing the user interface.

More than a deeper way to customize the mobile and enable a better experience to the user, I think this kind of UI would be a powerful marketing tool for brands and medias.

Next gen of User interfaces soon in Europe?

The company Acrodea - one of the stars of mobile multimedia in Japan – has arrived in Europe. It is represented by Jap'Presse/Innovasia in the EU.

The flagship solution of this company was at the basis of the strongest growth market in Japan since 2007, and aims to revolutionize the world of mobile user interfaces. The solution Vivid UI - which was adopted in Japan by 3 main players on the market ( NTT Docomo, KDDI, Softbank)- can fully customize the interface of mobile color of a brand or license content. This is the entire interface that results customized (see pictures), all the elements - including bar network, energy, menu animations when confronted with messages or calls, and so on. A simple tool, enables agencies to create user interfaces, and then offer them for download. However, the motive is to embark on pre-Vivid UI middleware, to help change UI (User Interface) in 2 clicks.

In Japan, there are now hundreds of user interfaces for download on all topics: brands, movies, music, sports, etc.. This new type of content may be free or sold until 4 euros for IU. On the archipelago, the Mobile Content Forum believes that the market for mobile UI was about 15 million euros in 2007, with growth of over 600%. Creator and leader of this market in Korea and Japan, Acrodea hopes to finally move the European mobile interfaces.

For my point of vue: To have seen a few months ago on a Japanese mobile ithis is a very high quality and fairly bluff, if operators and manufacturers kick their a** to incorporate this type of technology on the devices or for downloads on portal, a new juicy business will born very quickly for mobile content but also for mobile marketing agencies that will have new opportunities in creating user interfaces dedicated to trademarks, events, film, sport ...
I don't think that in Europe we will wait so long to see these wonderful interfaces in our future terminals...

More info about the product there:
http://www.acrodea.co.jp/english/product/ui/index.html