HTC “Virtual Book” Touchscreen User Interface in the Works?

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HTC is already an experienced cell phone maker. Whether we’re talking about Windows Mobile or Android one thing is certain, HTC’s handsets offer a unique user interface which can’t be ignored when comparing HTC to other manufacturers. The company has been busy working on their TouchFlo and TouchFlo 3D UI for Windows Mobile phones and, most importantly, it has developed the HTC Sense UI for Android phones. Now HTC came up with something totally new, the “virtual book” user interface for touchscreen devices.

There’s no official name for it and here’s how the abstract of HTC’s new patent describes it:

An electronic device and a user interface display method thereof are provided. The electronic device organizes a plurality of computer programs executable on the electronic device into a virtual book. Each page of the virtual book includes a user interface of one of the computer programs. The electronic device displays one of the pages as a current page so that the user interface of the current page is accessible to a user of the electronic device. The electronic device senses movement and/or pressure caused by the user and interprets the movement and/or the pressure as operating actions of the user on the virtual book. The electronic device downloads new computer programs from a download server and adds corresponding new pages into the virtual book. At lease one of the computer programs provides a service of a corporate operator of a wireless service network

HTC might just be working on something really huge here. The Virtual Book UI could be used on a variety of mobile devices and HTC should consider bringing it to both Android and Windows Mobile smartphones. And just in case the company decides to make tablets and other kinds of handheld touch-friendly devices, then they’d better include a user interface of this kind.

The patent goes on to describe the full features of such a touch UI and I’m counting on HTC to make it available as soon as possible. A particular phrase in the abstract above reminds me that Apple is also working on a new touch UI for its tablet. You know, the kind of interface that can sense movement, pressure or touch and then rapidly translate it into actions. Who will launch a new touch UI first? HTC or Apple?