Digital Airways has released a C language version of its user interface (UI) building tools that will enable the tools to be used to build UIs for phones running Linux, and phones with fewer hardware and software resources. Previously, the technology was available only in Java.

Kaleido is a suite of software tools for mobile phone UI design and implementation. It comprises:

• Kaleido Design, a drag-and-drop UI design tool running on a host PC that generates “description files” used to implement the UI on the target handset.
• Kaleido Viewer, a rendering, testing, and validation application running on the host PC (pictured above).
• Kaleido Runtime, a UI engine implemented on the target handset, that works with Design-generated description files and is now available in C.

In addition, Kaleido includes IDO, a basic phone application stack that can customized and extended.

According to Digital Airways, Kaleido separates UI specification from implementation, allowing manufacturers to create handsets that can completely change their UI without re-programming once the UI engine is implemented on the handset. A new UI only requires a new description file, which can be produced with Kaleido Design.

Digital Airways says the new C language version of Kaleido Runtime has lower hardware and software resource requirements than the original Java version, enabling the MMI engine to be implemented on entry- to mid-level phones with excellent performance.

“The availability of the C version of Kaleido Runtime [makes it] possible to have the same [UI] solution on a whole range of handsets, from entry-level to smartphones, [running a range of] operating systems, from legacy to new generation, such as Linux,” said CEO Philippe Silberzahn.

 
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