Emblaze Cancels First ELSE Smart Phone
The First ELSE originally popped out late last year at a time when the Android 2.0 Éclair was still an exclusive Motorola model and nobody had an idea what the new Windows Phone 7 mobile platform would look like. It was shown off in a period that nobody could confirm if Google was indeed making their own mobile phone and whether Apple would be coming out with a new OS.
At that time, Emblaze was pushing for design innovation when it came to user interfaces. Since the advent of the Apple iPhone OS, most designs for the UI were limited in style and function, relying heavily on the desktop established “click an icon” control system. Emblaze’s First ELSE strived to be something more.
The one finger control system might sound gimmicky, but from the demonstration videos and the hands on example that the OS showed off at the Mobile World Congress was more than enough to convince tech fans that this new user interface just might work. Add in the fact that it looks incredibly stylish and futuristic and we all knew that when the First ELSE comes out, it will have a cult following.
With giants such as the Android and iPhone OS already dominating the field, carving out a niche is already a huge feat.
However, due to financial troubles, Emblaze has announced that it will be cancelling the production and development of the First ELSE. Reasons cited for the action mostly focused on the fact that the company needed to re-allocate the funds in order to stay stabilized. Many believe that taking down ELSE is a bad move –that Emblaze is risking the loss of a potentially marketable product.
It has been revealed that the ELSE UI might be sold to other developers and manufacturers, so it is possible that other incarnations of the technology might appear in other devices in the future.
