Transitions, or pretty shit to watch while you wait for a device to do something as I like to call them, are a fast and easy way to make an outdated user interface seem new and modern. The Nokia N97 has the ability to display transitions, but the feature just happened to be turned off with shipping versions. Someone “hacked” the device, also known as allowing system files to be modified, in order to turn on the bling. Now I seriously hope that Nokia doesn’t think adding transitions to the Symbian OS is going to keep them competitive in the market place, because it isn’t. When Microsoft came out with Windows Vista, the Aero UI was called a waste of time and system resources since it failed to offer a compelling new experience and was essentially Windows XP plus pretty effects & transparency. Now that Windows 7 is out (I’m running the RC, waiting until October to buy the retail version) and has a brand spanking new taskbar and way of interacting with the operating system, it makes the Aero visualization engine useful and helpful! Time will tell if Nokia turns transitions on, I’m waiting until 2011 to see what Symbian^4 is going to look like.
Oh and one more thing, if you actually want to learn how to make your N97 look like it does in the video below, then read this blog post over at The Symbian Blog.