Intel is planning on producing a new user interface for Tizen-based mobile phones, and images of the new UI, codenamed Obsidian, have leaked.
Tizen is a new open-source mobile OS backed by the Linux Foundation, Samsung and Intel. The OS isn't on physical devices yet, but Samsung is planning an Eastern market-focused launch of Tizen devices later in the year. Although Intel's Atom chips - capable of powering Tizen OS - are used in a few Android products, the company hasn't yet officially announced it's new OS on any products.
Footage of the new UI in action was leaked to Ars Technica and made public. The site says that the interface still seems to be in the early days of development as it's not yet feature-complete.
The UI has the familiar ‘slide to unlock' feature and has box icons for apps, similar to the designs of Windows and Android. Along the bottom of the screen are three soft key buttons which are used to access phone, messages and contacts. Swiping to the left from the main app screen will display a single contact screen, and swiping left again reveals the entire contact list.
When an app receives a notification, it turns 45 degrees to distinguish it from other apps. The now diamond-shaped icon also displays a red notification in the bottom corner with the number of new notifications within the app.
Clicking on an app icon like clock or settings will open a quick-view pane on the bottom of the screen, offering a peek into the app without actually opening it. There's an option at the very bottom of the screen to open the full app.
According to Ars Technica, the first Intel device that will receive the Obsidian UI is called Josephine, and the "development ready" date was for this July. However, deadlines have been pushed back and there hasn't been an announcement from Intel about the release of either Tizen devices or the new UI. While the new user interface is designed to run over the Tizen mobile OS, it could run on Android as well.
You can see the videos for yourself here.
