One of the reasons we prefer the Symbian and Android smartphone operating systems to something like Apple’s iOS is that it’s totally possible to replace the homescreen, otherwise known as the first thing you see when you unlock your device. Hiplogic recently went public with a Symbian homescreen alternative called *Spark, and if you’re one of these people who are addicted to social networking and reading headline news then consider this an early Christmas present. From the screenshot above you can see that there’s a totally new time and battery life indicator, a launcher at the bottom similar to the one in current versions of Android, weather forecast including the appropriate icon for current weather conditions, and the main interface is an infinitely long scrollable list that plugs into Twitter, Facebook, the Associated Press, in addition to news from BSkyB and CBS, and Groupon.
No word as to how this homescreen will impact battery life, it is fetching data from multiple sources at a frequent interval after all, but the time you’ll save by having all that information available at a mere glance should help reduce the amount of time your screen is on while you go to each web service individually and hunt for the right information.
When operators and handset makers throw a custom homescreen on top of a smartphone operating system such as Android, we complain that they’re cheapening the user interface. Yet when it’s available as an installable application such as this one, we go head over heals. Maybe that’s a potential source of future revenue? Who can make the best interface, sell it for a fair price, and then enjoy attention from the media with headlines such as “Developer creates new mind blowing experience on top of operating system X, Y, Z”.
It’s a long shot, and maybe no one is insane enough to spend money on a glorified theme, but then again people have sold applications that do nothing other than make fart noises.
[Via: All About Symbian]