UIQ seems to have made an interesting recovery from earlier 2002 where it seem to be slowing sliding away possibly to become the Series 60 of SE. However Symbian have firmly stamped their name on it and are back (or are remphasising) their UI side of things with a new version announced at Cannes.

UIQ is the UI on which the Sony Ericsson P800 runs. UIQ was developed by UIQ Technology AB established 1998 in Ronneby, Sweden, and is a fully owned subsidiary of Symbian (it used to be an Ericsson lab). Yes it does have a confusing history!

During 2002 UIQ looked like it might fade away as Symbian concentrated on the OS rather than the UI (basically precipitated by Series 60, but also other factors). However at cannes Symbian appears to be playing up UIQ again, and it no has its own website (which is very nice). Furthermore an update has been announced taking UI to version 2.1 (you can see a nice history of the UI from its first 1.4 VGA implementation through to the current fat and thin UIQ on the new website).

The update to 2.1 'introduces new functionality and customization possibilities. It also includes, for the first time, an integrated telephony application'. Other updates inlcude support for MIDP version 2.0 and enhance graphics and sound for gaming. The customisation upgrade aminly sounds to be in form of themes (like the T68i?) - 'a series of background wallpapers, color schemes and sounds, which can be used for branding as well as personalization of the phone by the end-user'.

Looks like it all good stuff, and the fine tuning of an already excellent interface. When we'll see this new UIQ is unclear, but it isn't beyond reason to think that it could be seen in a future P800 firmware upgrade. Certainly it will be seen in BeneQ 3Q UIQ device.

It seems likely that there may be more UIQ devices in the pipeline, and this is an important step for Symbian as it gives it another area besides Series 60 and shows it can be a sucessful mutliple area company. Accusations thta it was becoming a Nokia puppet are certainly weakened by this announcement (along with all the other 3GSM news). Who new UIQ devices might come from is very difficult to say although the Register suggests handspring (half jokingly perhaps) in this article about the announcement.

Whatever happens it seems UIQ has a bright future. I for one am very glad, because it seems to be this interface is the closest yet to smartphone / converged device perfection.


Press Release:

UIQ Technology unveils UIQ 2.1 for Symbian OS

3GSM, Cannes - February 18, 2003 – UIQ Technology unveils UIQ 2.1 for Symbian OS.
The UIQ 2.1 release, based on Symbian OS v 7.0, introduces new functionality and customization possibilities. It also includes, for the first time, an integrated telephony application.

Other new features and enhancements include: The latest version of Java MIDP (v2.0), richer graphical features, enhancements on gaming and sound applications and Themes - a series of background wallpapers, color schemes and sounds, which can be used for branding as well as personalization of the phone by the end-user. The way people interact with a mobile phone has evolved considerably which is directly reflected in this new product release.

"UIQ 2.1 improves our offering to phone manufacturers by adding components and features that shorten lead time and adds value. This release places our product in a lead position in the market for User Interface platforms.” said Johan Sandberg, CEO UIQ Technology AB. “By including a ready-to-go telephony solution, we lower the barriers of entry to the Smartphone segment and enable more companies to adopt Symbian OS and UIQ.”

About UIQ
UIQ is a user interface platform for Symbian OS, especially designed for advanced media rich mobile phones. UIQ offers users enchanting interaction through its pen-based user interface and large display. It is designed to offer easy access to the wide variety of data services in 2.5 and 3G networks. Symbian OS phones with UIQ are powerful and give access to enterprise application, email, multimedia clips and web pages. The excellent interaction and graphical capabilities also provides support for advanced gaming possibilities.

About UIQ Technology
UIQ Technology AB develops and licenses world-class user interface platforms for Symbian OS mobile phones and support bringing enchanting mobile phones to market. UIQ Technology AB established 1998 in Ronneby, Sweden, is a fully owned subsidiary of Symbian Ltd. The company today has over 90 employees. Within the group of current UIQ licensees, Sony Ericsson officially launched their first UIQ mobile phone, the P800 in late 2002. BenQ has anticipated the release of its first UIQ mobile phone by Q3, 2003.

For more information, please visit www.uiq.com

About Symbian
Symbian develops and licenses the global industry standard operating system for advanced, open, data-enabled mobile phones. The world's leading handset manufacturers license Symbian OS, including Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson. In total, Symbian OS licensees represent over 75% of worldwide mobile phone sales.

Symbian's mission is to create a global mass market for Symbian OS mobile phones by enabling its licensees to build winning products. Publicly announced Symbian OS phones include the Fujitsu F2051 for NTT DoCoMo's 3G FOMA network, Sony Ericsson P800, Nokia 9200 Communicator series, 7650, 3650 and N-Gage. As at December 2002, eight Symbian OS licensees had 20 Symbian OS phones in development. For further information about Symbian, please see www.symbian.com