Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a ‘stock’ skin too (hands-on)

Posted on 30/08/2012 by Mat Smith

Huawei didn't have any new hardware to show during its packed press conference, but it did have an early version of its Emotion UI skin for Android devices. Aiming to make its smartphone experience a little gentler for first-timers, while offering up a slightly different flavor of Google's OS, Huawei's been polling its customers, running user experience salons and meeting regular groups of between 40 - 70 consumers to understand what was working -- and what was definitely not. To this end, the company's "driven [itself] crazy" by keeping to a tight schedule and releasing iterative updates every two weeks (at least for beta) and monthly for stable builds.

Gallery: Huawei Emotion UI hands-on at IFA 2012

Continue reading Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a 'stock' skin too (hands-on)

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a 'stock' skin too (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei’s Emotion UI for Ice Cream Sandwich devices starts rolling out in China

Posted on 03/07/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

We knew its arrival was imminent, and it looks like the time to shine for Huawei's Emotion UI is right about now -- well, at least in areas near the Great Wall. To celebrate its official debut, the company's launched a new website where it goes into nearly every detail about its novel Android skin, touting fresh features such as a voice assistant, smart contact finder, customizable fonts, smart triggers and an all-new chat application that's very reminiscent of Cupertino's iMessage or Samsung's ChatOn. Unfortunately, the Emotion UI overlay is only available to Huawei devices -- that are running Ice Cream Sandwich -- in China, but word has it coming to the US of A and Europe once the outfit's upcoming Ascend D Quad finally hits the shelves.

Update: As it turns out, our dear friends from Engadget Chinese have pointed out that Huawei's website is listing the updates as "coming soon" and "ROM developing," meaning the Emotion UI isn't quite making its way to devices just yet.

Huawei's Emotion UI for Ice Cream Sandwich devices starts rolling out in China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp teams up with design company for new Feel UX Android skin (video)

Posted on 18/06/2012 by Mat Smith

While the western hemisphere hasn't (perhaps fortunately) got to experience Sharp's existing Android UI, it's announced that it'll be teaming up with design firm, frog, to craft Feel UX, a new "highly personalized", "visually stunning" smartphone experience. It will land on Sharp's next wave of AQUOS smartphones this summer, and will presumably tie-in to Japan-centric features like 1seg TV and IR receivers. We're told that highlights will include photo browsing and widget functionality without unlocking devices and "real-time weather display motion experience and animation." If you're getting a strong 'Sense' of déjà vu, you're not alone, but we're still intrigued by frog's efforts to "streamline" the home screen and tinker with app management -- some of those lockscreen shortcuts are looking mighty convenient. Sharp's Global Product Development Center's Itsuki Kouchi reckons it'll help them create "distinctive" devices, so take a look at the UI in action after the break and make that call for yourself. However, given a choice, we may still plump for Sharp's fan-baiting Evangelion skin.

Continue reading Sharp teams up with design company for new Feel UX Android skin (video)

Sharp teams up with design company for new Feel UX Android skin (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC exec: we didn’t have much time with ICS when making Sense 4, but our skin is still better

Posted on 04/05/2012 by Sharif Sakr

HTC's Drew Bamford is a long-time defender of the Sense UI, but in a fresh interview he's switched tactics and rushed headlong at the competition. He told Laptop that Sense 4 beats native Android 4 (as seen on the GNex) on a number of fronts, possessing a more inviting look, greater personalization of the lockscreen and wallpaper, plus faster camera performance. Of course, he would say that, but having spent many balmy evenings with both the One S and the One X we're inclined to agree that the latest version of the skin is lighter-footed and, actually, pretty nice. What's perhaps more revealing is Bamford's statement that HTC's software guys had "not a lot of time" with ICS before they released Sense 4, and had to build key components in isolation from the new OS. This could explain why HTC was forced to see sense (ahem) and tone down its custom layer. More broadly, if manufacturers are struggling to keep their handset launch schedules in sync with Google's in-house development, it's no wonder that Android skins seem so unsympathetic to the green robot's natural complexion.

HTC exec: we didn't have much time with ICS when making Sense 4, but our skin is still better originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Sense 4 review

Posted on 02/04/2012 by Brad Molen

Over the last year, HTC has established a reputation for fragmenting its proprietary Sense UI even within the same version of Android. Why, Gingerbread alone is the foundation for at least three different iterations (2.1, 3.0 and 3.5) of the firmware. The bump to Ice Cream Sandwich is no different, with legacy devices getting an update to Sense 3.6 and the One series (and presumably any future devices) benefiting from version 4.0.

HTC One X review

HTC One S review

Sense 3.6 preview

When we previewed Sense 3.6, we were disappointed at its similarity to previous versions and the sloppiness of its integration with key features in ICS. Even though it marked an improvement in functionality and performance, it seemed as if the OS and customized UI were at war with each other.

Sense 4 is a different story. It's lighter, cleaner and much more visually appealing than older versions of the user interface, and it has the full suite of ICS goodies to go along with it. HTC also throws in its own imaging technology, dubbed ImageSense, to offer some cool new enhancements to the camera. Ultimately, HTC has successfully tweaked Sense's design in a way that keeps the spirit of stock Android 4.0 alive, while still offering something familiar to loyal HTC fans. The tour is about to begin, so park yourself in your favorite chair and join us.

Gallery: HTC Sense 4 home, lock and notifications