The kite UI project was created to provide Android users with a beautiful homescreen. It's key features is the coherent minimal design, the access to the most daily functions from the home screen and the smooth jump from it to the different applications.
The kite UI is built off of a pretty simple idea:
You have 2-3 views in every app. Flicking left from the middle view will bring you to the right view and vice versa. While you are in the right view, for instance the 'social' view, you can dig deeper by pressing on a friend. If you want to move backwards in this view all you do is flick right. If you are in the left view you move backwards by flicking left.
Simply put, when you're going deeper within a certain view you move further away from the middle. Moving closer to the middle equals moving backwards until ultimately your on the first 'level' of the view.
Video Teaser: Watch in 720p.
Homescreen example
The 3 'boxes' on the bottom of the screen, which show were you are, also acts like the app launcher. However, depending on which page you are currently viewing it brings up different menus. On the homescreen it brings up all apps while it on the social page brings up apps that are directly related to social medias like twitter, facebook, flickr.
Here are some concept promos.
kite User Interface:
locked
home
social
web
Bundled applications:
applications & settings
phone
messaging
music
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Latest update first:
*Updated* 2010-12-01 - Video teaser.
Finished the video showcase of the user interface. I'm currently too tired to update the thread or answer PMs and questions on the thread but I will try to get to that on the train to/from school tomorrow.
Video Teaser: Watch in 720p.
Enjoy!
*Updated* 2010-10-20 - Development goes on....
First of all I would like to clarify some things about this project.
Kite UI is not a theme, it is a completely new and unique User Interface. It will be available for Devices with the resolution 480x800 (and up) running Android 2.1 (and up).
We are really appreciative to all the interest that has been shown. However, with all due respect I must say that finding PMs like "can i plz test it" in my inbox is rather annoying.
If you have some serious skills that could be useful in development, feel free to PM me.
Back to the UI then. I recently got a new idea of how the interface should work and I have also altered the views slightly (to the better). This means that some of the pictures in this post is more or less obsolete, even though they still give you a good idea of what it is all about.
I will go into further detail about what is changed in the near future.
Edit:
If this thread is a little scarce on updates don't worry. It is simply because what is currently going on "behind the scenes" is more or less boring dev stuff.
*Updated* 2010-09-28 - Development has started.
Alright, so we have now started the actual developing of the UI. We are however, still in need of a few more coders for this project. Specifically coders with experience within programming on the Android Home API. To apply for the team, simply send me a PM.
As far as testers go we do have a test leader, but we have yet to decide who else is going to be on the testing team.
Audio and additional graphics designers are not needed at the time being, but might be asked to join in the future.
*Updated* 2010-09-26 - Rewritten presentation, list removed from post.
And yes, I got some inspiration from the HTC1 concept but this idea wasn't initiated by it. What was inspired by the HTC1 concept was the implementation of Flickr pics in the friend stream and how the clock and weather was done as one single widget. However I think we all can agree the end result of my clock look almost nothing like the original HTC1.
I stated this a couple of posts ahead but I guess I should've written this in the original post.
*Updated* 2010-09-20 - Teaser Promos.
If you are on the list of devs (language excluded) expect to be notified by PM sometime this week.
*Updated* 2010-09-17 - Ratio Changes, Redone art and New art.
Alright, I got some explaining to do so I'll go right ahead. I was supposed to look into the actuall developing of the UI at the end of August, but unfortunately I didn't. I'm not going to go into detail about why but it was a mix of school and prolonged work which left me with very little spare time to do much else.
Anyway, enough with the excuses. The last couple of days I've been doing some changes to the concept art. For some (stupid) reason I decided to use a resolution of 640x960px when this was first started, however that is now changed to 480x800 (hdpi). When I changed the ratio I also did some minor changes to all views, some was completely redone and some new where added.
This project is however still in concept art stage. Other than the ratio changes and some new views - done the last couple of days - the development has been at a complete standstill.
However this is about to change. Even though I go to college and study pretty much I will from now on focus my spare time on this. The list below has been modified with some new interesting people but to make sure the team doesn't get too big I will try to make it shorter in the following days.
Developers will be picked based on experience and how much time you can spare in a week.
Testers will be chosen based on devices, spare time and when they 'signed up' and if more testers are needed then we will work our way down the list. This means that if you are on the list you are not yet guaranteed to be on the team.
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