Monday, November 2, 2009

Sony's Rachael Android UI Shows Off Its (Concept) Media Capabilities.

By Benedict Wee

Gadget lovers in the US have been clamoring for a Zune phone based on the Zune HD UI while Android fans are asking for a more up to date media-friendly interface for Google's mobile OS and the answer might lie in Sony's (concept) build of the Android OS a.k.a Rachael.

A second video of Sony's Android UI has appeared on YouTube, showcasing its media navigation controls which might finally help Android get the edge it needs to be on par with the iPhone and iPod Touch.



The major features of Rachael's media interface include:
  • A crossbar on the bottom of the screen to switch between Music, Video and Photos home screens.
  • The top half of the My Music home screen has a similar layout to Zune's QuickPlay menu, displaying Favorites, Recently Added and Recently Played options.
  • The bottom half consists of the Sony PlayNow store, showcasing a list of Top 30 and Recommendations tracks.
  • When selecting an artist from the list, a photo of him/her is shown on the top of the screen and is replaced with the album's art once the album is picked. After a song a chosen the album art is displayed full screen in the background with the media controls in front.
  • Thumbnails of music, videos and photos can be scrolled horizontally or vertically depending on which menu you're in and the transition between screens is smooth.
As mentioned before, this is a concept build which might not end up in the final UI of Sony's Android phones. I'm also not sure if copying another gadget's interface could land them in legal trouble but all I know is that I can't wait for something like this to hit soon.

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