RIM as part of the many elements shown at the BlackBerry World day two opener both showed 3D and its promised Android app launcher. The 3D came through a demo from The Astonishing Tribe and showed us a Rubik's Cube displayed in stereoscopic, glasses-based 3D. Visuals could draw smoothly over HDMI through the dual-core processor and the faster graphics core.
RIM today said it had bought The Astonishing Tribe in a bid to improve its mobile interfaces. The Swedish design outlet is being brought onboard to help the UI on both its BlackBerry phones and on the PlayBook tablet. RIM's CTO David Yach didn't say how soon users could expect Astonishing Tribe's work to influence the design.
Synaptics on Monday revealed a concept phone design that shows input methods beyond touchscreens. The Fuse, co-designed by TheAlloy and The Astonishing Tribe, has a multi-touch capacitive screen but also embeds grip and touch sensors on the sides that can recognize when the phone is squeezed or touched beyond its display. It would even have basic touch control from the back of the phone to provide control without blocking the screen itself.
