Ars Technica has screenshots of what it says is Intel’s UI overlay for use on mobile handsets in the future. If real, these early shots of the skin, codenamed “Obsidian”, represent the earliest look at Intel’s vision for the Linux-backed Tizen OS, as well as for what we should be looking for on future Android devices.
From what we can see in what’s clearly (we hope) an early build of the UI, it appears the Intel’s going for the currently popular “flat” look of interfaces like Microsoft’s Metro designs for Windows Phone and Windows 8.
Perhaps the most notable UI choice is that opening many apps begins with a widget-like quick-view pane that allows you to perform basic functions like setting alarms from the home screen without having to fire the app all the way up.
Are these real? We’ll have to wait and see for sure. Head over to Ars for some hands on video that makes us think we’ve got something to look forward to. [Ars Technica]