Disqus
If China Mobile can have its special version of Android (OPhone), so can its fierce competitor – China Unicom. The carrier, which BTW is China’s second largest, is working toward developing what they call the “uPhone” platform that again sits on top of Google’s mobile OS. As you can see from the image above, devices running this “version” of Android will have a new UI which borrows elements from Apple’s iOS and Samsung’s TouchWIZ.
In addition to the new look and feel, China Unicom is also planning a special app store called Unistore that will be “compatible with the Android Market.”
First uPhones should hit the market at some point in the third or fourth quarter of the year. In the meantime, we’ll watching for any leaks that come from major OEMs, which I’m sure are working round the clock as we speak, even though the platform doesn’t seem complete at the moment.
Personally, I like uPhone’s look and feel but I do wonder whether it infringes on some of Apple or Samsung’s patents…
[Via: Unwired View]
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
