News

Sharp Standardises Picsel software across Mobile Handsets

Is there a better user interface for tiny devices than Windows? or than Palm OS? or than UIQ? Sharp thinks so: it has adopted Picsel File Viewer for all its NTT 3G phones.

The Picsel Viewer does have to be seen to be believed. The official description is dry and sounds just like Windows sounds like, if you let Microsoft describe it: "solutions which enable intuitive interaction on small screen devices to a broad range of content types."

What it actually is, is a system of getting at the files, without needing the appropriate software. Normally, if you want to edit a Microsoft Word file, you need Microsoft Word. If you need to correct an error in an Adobe Acrobat file, you need Acrobat Editor. Otherwise, you're restricted to viewing the content, and sometimes you can't even make sense of that. Instead, you'd find you have to convert the file into some other format, probably losing most of the layout and detail.

Sharp has previously licensed Picsel File Viewer for other mobile devices, including SH900i and SH506iC. Now, Sharp has licensed Picsel File Viewer for NTT DoCoMo's SH901iC, one of the most advanced 3G/FOMA smart phones for Japan. Picsel File Viewer is part of Picsel's complete content platform which goes a long way beyond merely viewing files; it lets you merge them.

It also includes a unique UI to get around the major problem of mobile phone screens - their size. "Picsel Live Zoom & Pan, a feature offered on all Picsel applications, enables the user to rapidly magnify content to any desired level and move the content page in absolutely any direction. Picsel Mobile Display intelligently reconstitutes any type of content to fit the width of the device screen, while maintaining the integrity and rich quality of the original content page and is employable across all content formats, such as HTML for Browsing, MS Word, MS PowerPoint and Adobe PDF."

For more information, visit www.picsel.com