Last week I listed 10 important ISVs that are working with Intel on Moblin-based software. Gypsii, Move Networks, Fring and a bunch of others. Today, you can add two more to the list; FancyPants and Orb.
FancyPants is a GUI development system. Announced in a press release that I missed last week you’ll see that they (that’s FST – Fluffy Spider Technologies) develop an API and software suite for implementing graphics and media-rich GUI solutions. Up until now, OEMS have had to employ the services of software houses to ‘finish’ the existing Moblin, Ubunti and Asianux stacks but this could help them turn around nice designs at lower cost and with a shorter time to market. They’ve also produced a demonstrator running on the Compal JAX10 (Gigabyte M528, Aigo MID) which you have to take a look at here. Its smooth! I certainly wouldn’t mind having a bit of fun with this on my MID! [Article continues...]
Many of you will know Orb. Its a media streaming client-server solution which allows you to view your stored or live media on the go. Its been mentioned in the UMPC world many times but now it’s coming to the MID world. Orb have announced that they will develop a client for MIDs. I can almost hear the cheers out there because I know many of you want to use your MID for this sort of thing. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Orb take advantage of that hardware decoding layer in Poulsbo. The MIDs are actually the first PC-based portable devices to include H.264 hardware decoding and could achieve high quality at low bitrates for 3G TV goodness!
So if you add these to the ten I previously reported on, you get 12 ISVs. Wrong! Intel tell us they have over 60 ISVs working on Moblin and MID related projects now with something like 400 active members of the Moblin community. Impressive but really it shouldn’t be a surprise. The MID/Moblin platform is unique, flexible and built perfectly for the job of delivering Media and Internet content at the sort of quality we’ve never had in our pocket before. I just hope the process of loading new software onto the devices is not as ugly as it is on other Linux-based solutions.
For more info on Moblin, see www.moblin.org
August 26th, 2008 at 4:33 am
I see RAISIO again
JKK will understand…
August 26th, 2008 at 10:01 am
fancypants, fluffy spider technologies?!
chippy Reply:
August 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I like their style!
August 26th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Why is the M528 always shown demonstrated with a stylus? Is the touch screen not finger friendly or do they do that so they don’t block the screen?
I love the UI, it looks very promising. The graphics look rather childish though. Searchlights?
ecsk2 Reply:
August 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
It’s a “normal” touchscreen, your finger will work but just as well (or poorly) as it does on your average PDA. Precision at times on such devices is not the greatest without a stylus.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I am sorry but I am missing something, whenever I keep talking about smart phones people tell me “I need full internet and a full OS” so why is it that these solutions are on the table?? Secondly I am very confused why Skype *AND* Fring is on there, both that is, since the later is an agent for the first (among others) and typically the other messengers Fring enabes you to use, are relatively quick to offer their own programs for new a new OS.
turn.self.off Reply:
August 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
what solutions exactly? a full os do not have to mean that the gui looks like windows or mac…
ecsk2 Reply:
August 26th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
OK I will be the first to confess I haven’t kept up with this topic much but from the very few I know take FRING it is (currently) an agent intended mainly to be used on devices that can not natively run the “original” prg such as Skype on various mobile platforms.
True though on a smaller screen it is better to invent/come up with more graphical UIs somewhat like iPhone has it.