Zumobi UI to come with Win Mobile phones
updated 01:10 pm EST, Tue January 22, 2008
Zumobi on Win Mobile
The Zumobi team announced on Tuesday that its interface would come preloaded with Windows Mobile, making it the primary means of accessing widgets for the cellphone OS. The software will continue to center on a "tile" interface that lets users check out news feeds, media clips, and other short-form content simply by selecting visual icons; the software is meant as an alternative to web browsers and other sometimes cumbersome means of getting the same information, Zumobi says. The code should also take advantage of many smartphones' use of 3G to continually update tiles in the background and eliminate the wait times associated with visiting a website.
The originally Microsoft-born firm does not say which version of Windows Mobile will bundle Zumobi, though the release is most likely to be a standard part of Windows Mobile 6.1. Neither Zumobi nor Microsoft has said whether the software will be a free update for existing Windows Mobile 6 users, though the current public beta has been available for free with any Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device. Most of Zumobi's content is ad-sponsored and so does not require the up-front costs of similar features.
