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32014 No.3 Bimonthly

Portugal Telecom: Differentiating Itself from the Competi-tion

“Mr Flash”ZTE Blade Vec 4G

Natural Beauty in the Zing Series

High-tech Omnipotent Stickers

Flappy Bird Rekindles Memories of Classic Games

HANDS-ON

VIP VOICE

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ZTE BladeVec 4G

Cover Product

ZTE Blade

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INFORMATION ROUNDUP

SHOWCASE

VIP VOICE

MOBILE MASTERY

Portugal Telecom: Diff erenti at-ing Itself from the Competi ti on

Smartphones have taken most of the market share held by feature phones, and room for further growth in smartphones seems small. However, the competition between homogenized smartphone products has become cut-throat. What does the future hold for the smartphone industry? p10

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19 How to Hide Pictures and Videos on Your Cell Phone

20 Flappy Bird Rekindles Memo-ries of Classic Games

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Smartphone Development Trends

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SHOWCASE

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MOBILE MASTERY

SMART GADGETS

HANDS-ON

DESIGN&ART

ZTE Blade Vec 4G: “Mr Flash”

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NO.3 2014htt p://wwwen.zte.com.cn/en/about/publicati ons

23 Zpro: A Crossover Innovati on

24 Zpro Plays the New Magic

26 High-tech Omnipotent Sti ckers

22 Picking a Cell Phone

30 Natural Beauty in the Zing Series

32 Designs on Dynamic Eff ects

34 Integrati on: The Essence of Stock Android OS

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Integrati on: The Essence of Stock

Pedro Durao Leitao, a board member of PT

Chairman: Zeng XuezhongVice Chairman: Sun Zhenge Members: Ao Wen, Chen Min, Dai Wenhong, Ding Ning, Gao Feng, Huang Xinming, Jiang Hua, Jiang Tao, Kan Yulun, Li Yuehua, Lin Rong, Ma Wenlong, Mai Donghai, Wu Haoqiang, Xiao Qihu, Yan Hua, Zhu Dongtang, Zhao Wei, Zhang Lei

Sponsor: ZTE Corporation Edited by Shenzhen Editorial Office, Strategy Planning Department Editor-in-Chief: Huang XinmingExecutive Editor: Liu YangEditor: Jin PingCirculation Manager: Wang Pingping

Address: NO. 55, Hi-tech Road South, Shenzhen, P.R.ChinaPostcode: 518057Tel: +86-755-26776663Fax: +86-755-26775217Email: [email protected] Date: June 30, 2014Volume 7 lssue 31

Mobile World Editorial Board

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INFORMATION ROUNDUP

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ZTE Open C Now for Sale on eBay On May 8, ZTE announced that sales of the ZTE Open C Firefox OS phone have started on eBay. The ZTE Open C off ers users a sleek intuiti ve design richly equipped with features including a 4-inch screen and a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor based on the A7 architecture. It is the fi rst smartphone to ship with the latest version of Firefox OS, bringing performance improvements, enhanced messaging and multi media capabiliti es to fi rst ti me smartphone users at an aff ordable price.

The ZTE Open C Firefox OS smartphone, priced at US$99.99, is now available to eBay users in the US, UK, Germany, Russia, and many European countries.

ZTE Open C is now available on eBay: • In the US at - (htt p://item.ebay.com/291125433026) • In Germany at – (htt p://www.ebay.de/itm/131151681046) • In the UK at – (htt p://item.ebay.co.uk/171301269724) • In Russia and many European countries at –(htt p://www.ebay.com/itm/111326263156)

ZTE Open C with Latest Firefox OS Of-fers Support for Developers ZTE announced on May 28 that developer tools for ZTE Open C, the world’s fi rst smartphone with Firefox OS 1.3, are available for download, enabling developers to take advantage of the latest open Web platf orm to build compelling applicati ons.

ZTE Open C developer tools may now be downloaded at the following URL: htt p://en.comebuy.com/developer-fi refox-os-open-c.html

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New Concord II Arrives at T-Mobile and MetroPCSOn May 14, ZTE USA announced the all-new T-Mobile® Concord II and ZTE Concord II for MetroPCS, with an updated design and features. This user-friendly, sleek phone is available with America’s Un-carrier at www.t-mobile.com for nothing down (with 24 monthly payments), no annual service contract, overages or hidden costs.

Beginning May 19 at MetroPCS stores and online

at www.metropcs.com, customers can experience the must-have smartphone features in the phone’s simple-to-use interface along with unlimited, no hidden fees, no annual contract rate plans starti ng at just $40. With elegant, sophisti cated construc-ti on, the Concord II is ideal for someone new to the smartphone experience or those just looking to have a well-constructed, super-responsive device without emptying their wallet.

ZTE Launches Blade L2 in EuropeOn May 7, ZTE celebrated the introducti on of its latest mobile phone, ZTE Blade L2, in Europe. The ZTE Blade L2 is already ranged in countries including Spain, Greece, Germany, Slovakia and the UK and will be rolled out globally later in 2014. The ZTE Blade L2 is the latest and most stylish handset to come from the aff ordable and highly popular Blade series that has already received millions of global sales.

Featuring an elegant design with a 5-inch touchscreen and white exterior fi nish, the Blade L2 not only deliv-ers on style but also packs a powerful performance with its 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Thanks to its narrow frame design, the ZTE Blade L2 looks and feels even slimmer than its 8.9 mm eff ecti ve thickness.Like its popular predecessors in the Blade series, the Blade L2 off ers a superior photo experience, boasti ng a 5 MP camera which includes a number of diff erent setti ngs.

New Concord II Arrives at T-Mobile and MetroPCS

smartphone experience or those just looking to have a well-constructed, super-responsive device without

In Germany at – (htt p://www.ebay.de/itm/131151681046) In the UK at – (htt p://item.ebay.co.uk/171301269724) In Russia and many European countries at –(htt p://www.ebay.com/itm/111326263156)

ZTE Open C with Latest Firefox OS Of-

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INFORMATION ROUNDUP

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‘First Lady Effect’ A Possible Boon for ZTEZTE may get an unexpected boost in sales thanks to fi rst lady Peng Liyuan.

During President Xi Jinping’s trip through Europe, Peng was spott ed taking pictures with the Nubia Z5 Mini handset, one of the latest models by the world’s fourth-largest maker of cellphones.

The recent pictures could be a boon to the company only two days aft er it announced 50 percent growth in shipments this year.

Despite having a bulk of China’s mobile phone market share, ZTE has been under pressure to expand its product line, which has mostly been stocked with aff ordable phones, with more high-end devices.

But ZTE has good reason to feel confi dent that sales will rise. Peng’s fashion choices have driven up sales for various Chinese companies and her popularity at both home and abroad is soaring.

Her choice of outf its during a trip last year to Russia created a nati onwide frenzy for domesti c apparel brands. (Source: China Daily, March 31)

ZTE Ushers in the ‘Smart 2.0’ Age for Mobile DevicesZTE Mobile Devices presented on June 9 a new strategic blueprint to deliver increased user value, defi ning a new “Smart 2.0” age when users will enjoy personalized and producti ve applicati ons that can be seamlessly accessed on their smartphones, tablets, wearables, gaming consoles and myriad other connected devices.

In the “Smart 2.0” age, users will gain increased value through a broad industry ecosystem comprising device makers, telecommunicati on operators, service platf orms and distributi on partners, ZTE Mobile Devices CEO Adam Zeng said at the ZTE Global Analysts Conference in Shanghai. The growth of mobile broadband has helped usher in the age of “Smart 2.0,” which will displace the “Smart 1.0” model that was prevalent when traditi onal broadband was main-stream.

The “Smart 2.0” model forms part of the “Enabler@M-ICT” strategic mission unveiled by ZTE at the conference, which was att ended by more than 100 analysts and industry partners.

ZTE forecasts that there will be more than 100 billion connected devices by 2020, including 50 billion connected sensors that will make up the Internet of Things. Automobiles and domesti c electronics such as game consoles will also become more connected.

Services Initiative Promises More Satisfac-tion to ZTE Smartphone Users

ZTE plans to step up the development of new consumer services to com-plement its expansion of 4G smartphone sales.

In an interview, ZTE Chief Financial Offi cer Wei Zaisheng told the South China Morning Post that the goal was to directly provide consumers with a range of soft ware applicati ons and so-called “cloud” services to enhance their experience in using ZTE’s smart devices.

“Our past business model relied too much on what the [mobile network] operators want when customising products for their subscribers. But what sati sfi es these carriers may not sati sfy the end-users of those devices,” Wei said. “We’re keen to listen and bett er understand what products and services these users want.”

The initi ati ve is designed to support ZTE’s push for greater brand awareness and its goal of shipping 60 million phones by the end of the year, with 40 percent consisti ng of advanced 4G smartphones that range from high-end to low-cost models. (Source: South China Morning Post, March 28)

First lady Peng Liyuan takes pictures with the Nubia Z5 Mini handset manufactured by ZTE

ZTE Chief Financial Offi cer Wei Zaisheng

Zeng Xuezhong, ZTE’s global head of mobile devices

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Designed for the YoungZTE Blade G LuxZTE Blade G Lux is designed for young people to show their personality. Its concise appearance looks elegant and the 4.5-inch FWVGA display provides good visual eff ects. Its Home Butt on is a large blue circle, while the Back and Menu butt ons are small blue dots. The overall theme of the phone is blue considering there is a blue ring around the camera lens on the back cover. Young people love to try new things. Therefore, their phones must perform well. Blade G Lux has a 1.3 GHz dual-core MT6572 processor and 512 MB memory, which enable you to play hot games smoothly. The 5 MP camera supports auto focus, conti nuous capture, smile shutt er, HDR, and panoramic photography.

Network: GSM/WCDMA Camera: 5 MP (rear)/2 MP (front) Batt ery: 1850 mAh

Ultra PracticalZTE Blade C2 PlusBlade C2 Plus may not have confi gurati ons as high as other fl agship smartphones, but you can sti ll enjoy it very much. It comes with a 4-inch screen and Android 4.4.2 system. Blade C2 Plus has a 5 MP main camera with a fl ash, which enables you to take beauti ful pictures and upload them to Facebook or WeChat immediately. In additi on, it has a dual-core 1.3 GHz processor that can run most popular apps and 3D games.

Network: GSM/WCDMA Camera: 5 MP (rear)/0.3 MP (front) Batt ery: 1600 mAh

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The phone has multi ple color choices.

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Powerful PerformanceZTE MF910 LTE u� Wireless technologies bring faster speed and also enable us to do what we want in our daily lives. However, wireless access devices oft en do not provide a very sati sfactory experience. ZTE MF910 is an LTE unifi ed Wi-Fi (uFi) mobile hotspot that solves this problem. It can be controlled through an app on your phone, providing a bett er user experience. It supports Wi-Fi at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, which ensures more stable wireless signals, faster transmission, and stronger anti -interference. In additi on, MF910 can meet your demands for speed with a rate as high as 150 Mbps.

Network: LTE-FDD/LTE-TDD/WCDMA/GSM Batt ery: 2300 mAh Dimensions: 104 mm × 65 mm × 14.3 mm

Powerful PerformanceZTE MF910 LTE u� Wireless technologies bring faster speed and also enable us to do what we want in our daily Wireless technologies bring faster speed and also enable us to do what we want in our daily lives. However, wireless access devices oft en do not provide a very sati sfactory experience. ZTE MF910 is an LTE unifi ed Wi-Fi (uFi) mobile hotspot that solves this problem. It can be controlled through an app on your phone, providing a bett er user experience. It supports Wi-Fi at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, which ensures more stable wireless signals, faster transmission, and stronger anti -interference. In additi on, MF910 can meet your demands for speed with a rate as high as 150 Mbps.

Network: mm × 14.3 mm

ZTE MF283+ Router/Modem ComboZTE MF283+ is shaped like a UFO and it really can do anything. It is a router that supports 4G LTE CAT4. As long as you insert a 4G phone card into the router, a 4G LTE connecti on can be accessed and shared through either home LAN or Wi-Fi. With a downlink speed of up to 150 Mbps, you can download a 1 GB movie in one second. The download speed is steady even when the internet connecti on is shared between several computers. MF283+ can also act as a DSL modem and a wireless router. You can use a tel-ephone line to set up an internet connecti on. The router supports Wi-Fi speeds of up to 300 Mbp, MIMO antenna technology, and up to 32 concurrent users. In some scenarios where strong Wi-Fi signals are required, you can mount two Wi-Fi antennas for the router. MF283+ can also be used for storage and fi le sharing. As long as you insert a fl ash disk or USB disk into the router, data can be shared among multi ple users in the LAN to functi on as a simple fi le server.

Network: LTE/WCDMA/GSM Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n 300 Mbps USB fi le sharing

Colorful FashionMobile Power SuppliesZTE’s dazzling color series of mobile power supplies have a dynamic style and rich color opti ons. All mobile power sup-plies are made of a single piece of high-strength aerospace aluminum alloy, with their surface specially oxidized to show rich colors like gold, wine red, silver, and sky blue. The power supplies use anti -stati c technology, and no fi ngerprints or dust shows on the surface. The high-performance lithium-ion batt ery cells guarantee a longer batt ery life. The power supplies have passed many durability tests, such as 500 charge/discharge cycles, and the power conversion effi ciency is between 85 and 90%. As for the output performance, the power supplies support 5V/1–2.1A (auto-adapti on) outputs, which can match the voltage requirements of cell phones and tablets. P81 has two interfaces for charging two devices at the same ti me. The power supplies have microcomputer-based protecti on against short circuiti ng, overcharging, and over-discharging. Batt ery indicators and mini fl ashlights all use LED lights.

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Differentiating Itself from the Competition

Portugal Telecom:

we learn about best practices across different geographies. We are able to leverage the know-how we have obtained in smaller but more developed markets, such as Portugal, in order to de-velop the much bigger markets, such as Brazil. Q: What is PT’s domestic investment strategy?

A: Portugal has been highly penetrated; it is competitive and technology-oriented. It’s a market where the latest technologies and innovation are keys to success. We know this and aim to provide the best experience to customers. PT has invested aggres-sively in FTTH and LTE deployment, and now more than 28% of the populations are covered by FTTH, and 93% of the population are covered by LTE. This investment was only possible because we adopted the best operational practices, rigorously optimized expenditure, and focused on efficiency.

Q: PT is considered an innovative operator. What are your most recent innovations?

A: I would emphasize the launch of the quadruple play offer (M4O), which is targeted at families and is based on simplicity, convenience and economy.

Portugal Telecom (PT) is a global telecommunications operator and the leader in every sector it has business in. It is also the Portuguese entity with the largest national and international reach. PT has a diversified business portfolio that has innovation and quality at its core and that rivals the portfolios of the most advanced international operators. Mobile World interviewed Pedro Durao Leitao, a board member of PT who is responsible for consumer business. He talked about PT’s domestic investment strategy and recent innovations as well as the factors that make PT successful. He also shared with us his views on cooperation with ZTE and the hottest mobile trends in 2014.

Q: What is PT’s business development in the global market?

A: PT is a global operator with a strong presence in Portugal, Bra-zil, Angola, Namibia, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and East Timor.

Currently, Portugal Telecom and Oi are merging, and the new company will have more than one hundred million customers worldwide.

Q: What are PT’s mission and objectives?

A: PT’s mission is to deliver telecommunications and multimedia services with recognized value to the costumer. We seek to lever-age cutting-edge technology and qualified human resources in order to exploit new opportunities and break through boundaries.

Q: How does PT retain its leadership in both the domestic and international markets?

A: Innovation is part of PT’s DNA and a pillar of our business development.

Being the first mover is an advantage and enables PT to offer the best products, services and value for money to customers.

PT also focuses heavily on quality and efficiency. These are fun-damental to delivering state-of-the-art customer experience and having a controlled cost structure.

Having a presence in several markets is a major strength because

● Interview by Zhao Rujing

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M4O was launched with a very clear message: we positi oned the product very clearly and highlighted the fact that there are no hidden costs or bureaucracy. The bills for TV, Internet, fi xed phone, and up to four mobile phones (all with internet and un-limited calls) are combined into one bill. We leverage our invest-ments in FTTH and LTE, and this enables PT to diff erenti ate itself from the competi ti on. Our quality of service is excellent.

Our success has been such that M4O has reshaped the market. M4O reached 1.7 million RGUs and leveraged a strong uptake (+5.5pp) in the mobile market over the course of a year. 38% of the gross additi ons were new RGUs. We have also leveraged our innovati ve converged TV, music, gaming, and cloud storage ser-vices, which are all available for multi ple devices. For instance, PT has a music service with more than 10 million songs that are available for TVs, mobile phones, tablets, and PCs in a com-pletely integrated way. Today, our Meo brand, is the best overall Portuguese brand, not just in the telecommunicati ons sector.

Q: What are the hott est mobile trends in 2014? How will PT react to them?

A: 2014 has the potenti al to be the year of the volume growth of LTE handsets because of the expected decrease in price points. This trend will ride on the back of other enabling factors, and the user will see a clear advantage to using an LTE handset. They will be able to experience the full advantages of screen size and resoluti on, processing power, batt ery life and camera.

These devices, when used in conjuncti on with our state-of-the-art LTE network and services, will provide an unbeatable user experience and further diff erenti ate PT from its competi tors.

PT is carefully analyzing the potenti al of forthcoming LTE hand-sets in order to provide a premium experience for a reasonable price. This will enable a broader swath of the populati on to seamlessly access our innovati ve converged services.

Q: PT and ZTE have had longstanding cooperati on on smartphones. What progress have you seen in ZTE terminals?

A: ZTE has progressed substanti ally in terms of manag-ing product launches and improving its consistency. This is a key factor for a vendor because ti me to market is fun-damental in making the launched products competi ti ve.

ZTE has also greatly increased its ability to analyze, predict, and react to new market trends. This is an important asset that enables ZTE to compete in dynamic markets.

Q: What are your expectati ons of ZTE? Do you have any advice for ZTE?

A: PT and ZTE are longti me partners. In fact, the fi rst PT-branded smartphone, called Bluebelt, was developed with ZTE in 2009. At that ti me, it was a huge success and reshaped the Portuguese smartphone market. PT expects to improve its cooperati on with ZTE and deliver even bett er products that have shorter develop-ment cycles. We want to leverage even more of the trustworthy relati onship between our companies.

M4O was launched with a very clear message: we positi oned the product very clearly and highlighted the fact that there are no hidden costs or bureaucracy. The bills for TV, Internet, fi xed phone, and up to four mobile phones (all with internet and un-limited calls) are combined into one bill. We leverage our invest-ments in FTTH and LTE, and this enables PT to diff erenti ate itself from the competi ti on. Our quality of service is excellent.

Our success has been such that M4O has reshaped the market. M4O reached 1.7 million RGUs and leveraged a strong uptake (+5.5pp) in the mobile market over the course of a year. 38% of the gross additi ons were new RGUs. We have also leveraged our innovati ve converged TV, music, gaming, and cloud storage ser-vices, which are all available for multi ple devices. For instance, PT has a music service with more than 10 million songs that are available for TVs, mobile phones, tablets, and PCs in a com-pletely integrated way. Today, our Meo brand, is the best overall Portuguese brand, not just in the telecommunicati ons sector.

Q: What are the hott est mobile trends in 2014? How will PT

A: 2014 has the potenti al to be the year of the volume growth of LTE handsets because of the expected decrease in price points. This trend will ride on the back of other enabling factors, and the user will see a clear advantage to using an LTE handset. They will be able to experience the full advantages of screen size and resoluti on, processing power, batt ery life and camera.

These devices, when used in conjuncti on with our state-of-the-art LTE network and services, will provide an unbeatable user experience and further diff erenti ate PT from its competi tors.

PT is carefully analyzing the potenti al of forthcoming LTE hand-sets in order to provide a premium experience for a reasonable price. This will enable a broader swath of the populati on to

ing product launches and improving its consistency. This is a key factor for a vendor because ti me to market is fun-damental in making the launched products competi ti ve.

ZTE has also greatly increased its ability to analyze, predict, and react to new market trends. This is an important asset that

Q: What are your expectati ons of ZTE? Do you have any advice

A: PT and ZTE are longti me partners. In fact, the fi rst PT-branded smartphone, called Bluebelt, was developed with ZTE in 2009. At that ti me, it was a huge success and reshaped the Portuguese smartphone market. PT expects to improve its cooperati on with ZTE and deliver even bett er products that have shorter develop-ment cycles. We want to leverage even more of the trustworthy

Pedro Durao Leitao, a board member of PT

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Outstanding and Innovative

ZTE Blade Vec 4G features an innovative exterior design. The rear

cover has a glossy carbon fiber texture. Its ultra-thin body

perfectly balances weight and grip comfort.

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● By He Hao

SMARTPHO

NE

DEVELOPMENT

TRENDS

● By He Hao

TRENDS

Smartphones have taken most of the market share held by

feature phones, and room for further growth in smartphones seems

small. However, the competition between homogenized smartphone

products has become cut-throat. What does the future hold for the

smartphone industry?

FOCUS

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High Speed, High Definition

Blade Vec 4G supports LTE Cat 4 network with a maximum speed of

150 Mbps, even higher than many Wi-Fi hotspots. This allows you to download a 1 GB HD movie in less than one minute and

open a webpage instantly. Complemented by the 5-inch HD

screen, the phone gives you a pleasant video-on-demand

experience.

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The Present Smartphone Industry

Smartphones with an OS and third-party apps have changed what people expect from a handheld telephone. No longer is a phone simply for making calls; it is more like a computer that allows people to access the internet and remain online anytime. In other words, smartphone users are free to surf the Web while they are on the move. The mobile internet era has begun, spurred by the fast growth of smartphones.

Changing Patterns

Smartphones development has changed the pattern of the mobile phone industry. Traditional handset vendors, such as Nokia, foresaw mobile internet and launched a series of smartphones, yet the company barely took smartphones as anything much than a dial-up tool for communication and therefore lost market share. Apple and Google, however, saw the smartphone as a pocket computer and led a revolution in the handset industry by producing touch-screen smartphones that are used to browse the internet.

Apple applied its software-hardware integration strategy to its smartphones so that Apple controls both the hardware design and the operating system of its smartphones. Apple also created the innovative App Store, where smartphone apps can be bought, and revenue is shared with third-party developers. By keeping users in a relatively closed system, Apple profits from both its hardware and associated software and, at the same time, locks competitors out.

Just as Microsoft did when exploring the PC market in its early years, Google separated software from hardware and developed Android, an OS for its smartphones. Android succeeded because of Google’s open-source strategy and collaboration with the Open Handset Alliance.

< Configuration War Due to the unique ecology of Android, a hardware configuration war is raging. CPU, memory, camera pixels and screen size are often mentioned by handset manufacturers. To a certain extent, the configuration war has misled consumers and killed innovation. However, many manufacturers have realized the problem and are trying to stay out of the war.

Innovation relies on technology accumulation. The revolution ignited by smartphones is the result of breakthroughs in touch control technology, mobile OS, and mobile computing. Such a revolution does not happen every year. The smartphone industry is bracing itself to get out of the innovation dilemma.

Lack of Innovation

While smartphone vendors are vying over the hardware market, Google indirectly benefits from the interest generated by this.

With innovative products and business model, Apple came out of the blue to take the lead in the high-end smartphone market. Samsung then seized the opportunities presented by the transition to smartphones and outpaced the other giants. Samsung has the advantage of vertical integration at the hardware side. Meanwhile, ZTE and other Chinese vendors took the upper hand in the mid-range and low-end smartphone markets because these companies had certain manufacturing and cost advantages.

A worldwide pattern has emerged within the smartphone industry. Western companies, led by Apple and Google, are dominating the

development of the industry because they own operating systems and core patents. On the other hand, East Asian vendors are involved in manufacturing smartphones and related parts. Samsung and Apple are effectively a duopoly, devouring the lion’s share of profits in the industry and leaving other vendors to struggle.

Problems within the Industry

After several years of fast growth of the smartphone market, there are now problems to overcome. For example, competition between processor manufacturers is affecting battery life; screens are becoming bigger than one can hold; and products running iOS or Android have bottlenecks in terms of innovation. Also, growth is slowing as markets in China and developed countries approach saturation and those in other developing countries are not yet developed enough. Also, the internet has overturned traditional ways of marketing mobile phones and poses big challenges for those smartphone vendors who are set in their old ways. The profit margin is being eroded by hardware and price wars. It’s high time to search for a blue ocean.

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Evolution ofSmartphones

< Smartphones Changing HealthcareIn 2014, smartphones will be used in healthcare. Smartphones and wearable devices are becoming more interconnected. The new generation of smartphones has copressors as well as intelligent sensors. How to interconnect these with wearable devices without consuming much energy is an issue. With the help of an app, smartphones could collect the health data via wearable devices so that they can give a complete report about the user’s health. In the future, smartphone-based personal health evaluation will be more complete. It can even sync with the medical data system of the hospital so that your medical record can show your recent health status. Health care, is another major direction of the smartphone development.

Following in the footsteps of iPhone, Android was also upgraded to provide improved user experience. The competition between iOS and Android has won both an enormous market share. Product development centered on user experience is the zeitgeist in the mobile phone industry. Smartphones with wireless connectivity have freed people from desktop internet, and numerous applications have enabled people to customize their smartphones. Advances in technology have simplified interactive operations so that the smartphone becomes a humanized gadget that is hard to part with. From communication, entertainment, and social networking to content sharing and creation, smartphones have penetrated people’s lives. Yet smartphones are still not able to understand or speak languages. They are not great interpreters in cross-cultural scenarios. They still do not replace the role of a secretary in the workplace, and they are not able to detect changes in people’s physical and emotional health. These are areas that may drive the industry forward. The broad future of smartphones lies in creatively adapting technology to cater to fundamental human needs.

The multi-touch technology occurred in 2007 is the turning point for the interaction between handset and user. Apart from touch, people also need other ways of interaction, such as voice, gestures, motions, and even smelling and eye movements. Although these interaction methods are not mature, and cannot be as precise as multi-point touch, they show the future ways for the researchers.

The first-ever smartphone was Simon, launched by IBM and BellSouth in 1993. It was an integrated IT/CT product and was innovative at that time because it served as both a wireless telephone and personal digital assistant. As with the early development of PCs, the early development of smartphones has been driven primarily by technical innovation, not user experience.

Hardware Development Advancements in semiconductor technology mean that smartphones now have faster processors, higher storage capacity, larger screens, finer displays, and higher resolution cameras. Electrochemical techniques have also improved the energy density of chargeable batteries; thus, batteries have longer standby time. As the performance of these parts improved, they became smaller and smaller and less power-hungry. All of these things together made the smartphone much lighter and more portable. The development of wireless technologies and network infrastructure has improved wireless connectivity and transmission. Your smartphone can almost always stay permanently connected to the internet. Computing, processing, data transmission, satellite positioning, and sensors all support more applications on the mobile phone. This means that smartphones are getting smarter all the time. Software Development

Mobile phone operating systems have also been upgraded in order to support a growing array of functions. Such functionality has expanded from personal information management and email to file management, multimedia, multipoint touch control, and Web page browsing. Besides the OS itself, vendors are also starting to emphasize applications, which are crucial to the survival of

Interactions Just Begin

the OS. Both Apple and Google are turning to their app stores and using revenue-sharing and free-of-charge strategies respectively to attract third-party developers. This helps Apple and

Google build their operating systems. Because of the abundance of

applications for both iOS and Android, these operating systems have risen to the top. Others have failed due to erroneous strategies.

Driving Force of the Industry

In 2007, the first generation iPhone hit the market and re-wrote mobile phone history. Mobile phone development began to be driven by human needs, not just by new technology. The touch-screen exemplifies the human-driven development of mobile phones. Touch-screens allow a simpler, more visual operation than physical buttons. Technology has been made subservient to user experience.

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10-18-Focus-封面故事 9p.indd 14 2014/6/19 15:54:23

Smart Shooting Blade Vec 4G boasts a powerful 13 MP camera with LED flash to

produce high-quality photos. It supports high-speed auto-focus so that you can precisely focus on a fast-moving object. The unique smile detection and shutter function allows the camera to identify

faces and automatically take selfies without needing to press the

shutter button.

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10-18-Focus-封面故事 9p.indd 15 2014/6/19 15:54:43

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16

Knock-Out

Entertainment Blade Vec 4G offers excellent audio and visual effects. The 5-inch high-

brightness HD screen completely and clearly displays details of even dark scenes in movies and videos. The display provides rich colors, precise color rendition as well

as a wide viewing angle. Blade Vec 4G also has Dolby Sound, which produces a natural, balanced

sound with more bass and treble.

10-18-Focus-封面故事 9p.indd 16 2014/6/19 15:55:12

0123456789

AI and cognitive computing technologies are bringing about more humanized smartphones that can act as a personal assistant.

1.More Diverse Shapes

In their shape, most smartphones resemble a miniature tablet. Smartphones are not necessarily limited to the palm as they are basically a portable internet tool with telephone functions. When voice control, gesture recognition, curved screen, thin-film battery, and flexible circuits become mature, smartphones will emerge as wrist watches, wristbands, arm rings, eye glasses, or something attached to the belt or shoes. Wearable products free up your hands, and screen size is no longer limited to the size of the human hand. The term “smartphone” will quite literally be replaced by “smart terminal.”

2. Intelligent Man-Machine Interaction

Currently, people interact with smartphones by touching and viewing the screen. In the future, voice, gesture, and even brainwave interaction will be explored to create a more human experience that is suited to the environment and scenario at the moment of smartphone use. For example, voice-based interaction would encourage safe driving, and brainwave interaction could be used with intelligent glasses to browse and edit information while we are

For years, smartphone input has remained in the stage of intelligent prediction. Now, researchers are making keyboards that are capable of learning and thinking. For example, if one asks you in a message “Steak or lamb for tonight’s dinner?” the input method will automatically show the options “steak” and “lamb”. You only need to click to text back.

Smart Keyboard

lying somewhere. When a smartphone becomes more capable of learning people’s intentions, it will be able to better understand natural language and gestures or even predict intentions. Interacting with a smartphone will become more interesting, and there will be fewer barriers for beginners to interact with smartphones.

3. Intelligent Sensing

Smartphones not only sense location, gestures, and ambient light but also behavior, emotions, intentions, and social relations. With the help of mobile internet, AI and sensors, the sensing capability of smartphones can be strengthened. As a new form of smartphone, smart glasses enable people to see a real view shot with a 3D camera from a remote distance. Smart glasses can also create an augmented reality where the wearer can interact naturally. With a smart wristband, people can determine their health status or environmental changes if a connection to the Internet of Things is available. In a word, future smartphones will be an extension of sensory organs and will help people fulfill tasks that seem impossible at the moment.

User intention can be sensed by combining the context with the information perceived by sensors. For example, brainwave sensing might develop so that your device can automatically detect when you are hungry and push information about nearby restaurants to you. By capturing human voice, facial expression, and even EEG signals, the emotional changes can be sensed and understood, and services can

be recommended. An EEG reflects the electrical activity in a brain. By interpreting this activity, a person’s intentions can be determined. For example, if the EEG detects reduced activity after a long period of reading, the smart device will know that the user needs a break. It will then stop the reading application and ask the user whether they want to listen to their favorite music. In these ways, the smartphone makes a more understanding friend.

Intelligent sensing changes the way people get along with their portable devices, which can adapt to the user’s needs and not the other way around. By simulating human senses, intelligence-sensing technology enables the more natural use of the smartphone, and this will greatly improve user experience.

4. Intelligent Applications

Smartphones have a wealth of functions, most of which come from an enormous array of applications. However, applications are isolated from each other, and this makes information sharing and global intelligent searching impossible. Various information islands have their own functions. When designing future applications, an integrated approach will be taken to cater to user habits as much as possible. Applications will be interconnected. International travel, for example, will benefit from interconnectedness between calendar-

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Development Trends

Wearable devices

Air touch-screen

10-18-Focus-封面故事 9p.indd 17 2014/6/19 15:55:29

based itinerary, maps and route planning, transportation and accommodation inquiry and reservations, weather forecasts, real-time translation, local culture and customs, and background information. The smart device will be able to construct an optimal travel proposal as required by the user. In this way, applications are no longer separate functional modules but united to become a smart assistant. In other words, the smartphone will have certain task-management capabilities.

Application-related user data will be integrated as well. Identity, geographic information, location information, payment ability and service preferences can all be better integrated. The user’s intentions can be better understood with the help of AI and the context of a specific scenario. For example, if a smartphone is used to play music often over long periods of time, the smartphone can determine that this is a music fan and prioritize music-related information when the user searches the internet. If the user often posts pop songs and artist information on SNS, they could be invited into various music circles and be notified of events in the communities they often visit. Because application data is linked and user preferences are known, the applications will be able to interact with the user in a more intelligent, personalized way.

5. Integrating Multiple Functions

A smartphones is now a mobile telephone, music player, digital camera and gaming console. In fact, integrated functionality has become a salient feature of smartphones. Breakthroughs in wearable devices, intelligent interaction, and intelligent sensing will further the integration trend. Smartphones will also be better integrated with PC functions. Innovations in display

technologies and man-machine interaction free users from the limitations of the screen, keyboard, and mouse. A smartphone is not only a tool for entertainment and communication but also for content creation. The mobile office experience on a smartphone will prove to be better than with a laptop. When integrated into an automobile, a smartphone can be a data-management tool for communication, navigation, multimedia, and traffic querying. When integrated into a smart home system, a smartphone is not only a remote control for managing a home surveillance system and appliances but a device for sharing content with the TV and audio equipment that work as smartphone peripherals. Any changes in the wearer’s blood pressure, heart rate, or body temperature could be perceived by a smart wristband. A smartphone can replace the data collection funtions of some medical equipment to provide the wearer with real-time health and fitness suggestions when these data are transferred to an analysis system.

The multifunctional convergence of smartphones will enable user-centered integration of data and services. Wearable accessories that have dedicated purposes can be freely configured and can move with the user. The convergence of different devices will help stimulate the stymied growth in the smartphone industry and expand the market potential of smartphones.

As a personal portal to the mobile internet, the smartphone has already overturned traditional conceptions. Past research has shown that people always carry a mobile phone, keys and a wallet with them when they go outside. In the future, only a smartphone will be necessary. Wearable devices can expand a person’s cognitive capabilities. Telepathic control can take advantages of both human brain and a computer. The ability to collect information, process it, and make decisions has been improved. If a smartphone is integrated with a robot, a person’s physical abilities may also be greatly expanded.

In a word, the smartphone has a broad future that lies in innovation.

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< Ubiquitous SearchGoogle is not the only search engine. As time goes by, search will become a core feature of an OS, and users will be able to search any data available to them, whether the content is located on the device, the internet or on an SNS. For example, when you say “show all photos of myself” to your smartphone, the search system will show all your photos according to your image icon.

In the past, data from the smartphones was standalone. Photos on the smartphones and those on the PCs were independent. With network development, smartphones, smart TVs, tablets and desktop PCs will share a single database so that personal data will be easier to manage.

DATA INTEGRATION ACROSS THE PLATFORMS

Conclusion

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HOW TO HIDE PICTURES AND VIDEOS

ON YOUR CELL PHONEYou may have some private pictures or videos on your cell phone that you do not want others to see.

Here are some opti ons for hiding such stuff .

.mystuff .

Tip: The new folder must be created in a subdirectory. If you create the folder in the root directory, all your photos, music and videos will be hidden.

4. Move the fi les that you want to hide to the new folder.

5. Clear the Show Hidden Files check box.

Tip: Compared with the fi rst method, you can easily view the hidden fi les on your phone. You only need to turn on “Show hidden Files”. ES player is preferred for playing the hidden fi les. If you use other media players, the fi les will be found in the history of played videos.

File Management Apps

Android phones automati cally search all photos and videos on your phone and SD card and display thumbnails in the gallery. How can you remove your private stuff so that it is not shown in the gallery?

Other Apps for Hiding FilesIf you don’t like the above opti ons, you can also use other apps to hide your stuff more easily.

Security GuarderSecurity Guarder has a privacy center that can be password-protected. You can move photos, videos, and fi les and call log to the privacy center. Then these fi les will not appear in the gallery, and you have to enter password to access them in the privacy center.

Mi-AssistantZTE’s Mi-Assistant security app also has a private space where you can put all the stuff you don’t want others to access and set a password to protect the space.

ConclusionAlthough there is a variety of ways to manage and hide fi les on your cell phone, none of them is perfectly safe. The safest way is not to store private fi les on your phone or not lend your phone to others.

Method 1:If you have a fi le manager on your phone, you can hide pictures, videos and other fi les by tak-ing the following steps:

1. Open the File Manager, create a new folder, and name it as you want.

2. Move the fi les that you want to hide to this folder.

3. Change the fi le name to .nomedia (There is a dot before the folder name). Then fi les in this folder are not displayed in the media player or picture gallery. Tip: Files hidden in this way are not accessible on the cell phone. You can only view them by connecti ng the phone to a computer and open-ing the folder on the computer or you can install a third-party fi le manager and view them by showing the hidden fi les.

Method 2:If your cell phone does not have a fi le manager, you can download ES File Explorer from An-droid market and take the following steps:

1. Install ES File Explorer (or other fi le manage-ment app).

2. Run ES File Explorer. Click the icon on the upper-left corner and you will see a list of op-ti ons. Click tools and select Show Hidden Files.

3. Return to the main interface, and click the memory card icon. Create a subfolder and name it. The name should add a dot prefi x, like

● By Yan Juan

2

3

If your cell phone does not have a fi le manager,

1

ing the folder on the computer or you can install

2

3

1

2

3Other Apps for Hiding FilesIf you don’t like the above opti ons, you can also use other apps to hide your stuff more easily.

Security GuarderSecurity Guarder has a privacy center that can be password-protected. You can move photos, videos, and fi les and call log to the privacy center. Then these fi les will not appear in the gallery, and you have to enter password to access them in the privacy center.

Mi-AssistantZTE’s Mi-Assistant security app also has a private space where you can put all the stuff you don’t want others to access and set a password to protect the space.

Conclusion

3

4

5

2

MOBILE MASTERY

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MOBILE MASTERY MOBILE MASTERY

20

FLAPPY BIRD REKINDLES MEMORIES OF CLASSIC GAMESEarly this year, a video game called Flappy Bird topped the list of free games on App Store and Google Play. Despite being less than 1 MB and having simple graphics, Flappy Bird is surprisingly challenging and addictive. Its sudden rise to popularity may be because it reminds people of classic games such as Super Mario Bros., The King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Contra, and Knights of Valor. Handheld game consoles have become relics, but now these classic games have been reinvented for the mobile phone.

John GBA Lite

John GBA Lite is a GBA emulator app for Android 2.2+. This app uses the original GBA engine and supports all GBA games on An-droid. It features high-quality ren-dering, cheats (Raw/Game Shark/Code Breaker), and customizable keys. Relevant functi on opti ons show up automati cally during the game. You also need to download game fi les from the internet.

GBA Emulator

The Game Boy Advance (GBA) emulator app is compati ble with all GBA games. First, you need to download games (.gba fi les) from internet to your mobile phone. There is an abundance of GBA re-sources, such as htt p://coolrom.com/roms/gba/, on the internet. Start the app and click “search” to locate the game and run it. The

GBA emulator makes games such as Super Mario Bros. and Contra available on mobile phones.

Follow the steps below to install games (applicable to almost all emulator apps): 1. Create a folder in the root directory of the SD card and call it ROMS. 2. Unzip the Android arcade game package downloaded from the internet and move the games (in .zip format, don’t change the fi le name) into the ROMS folder. 3. Move the extracted BIOS fi le into the ROMS folder. 4. Start the emulator app, fi nd the game, and run it.

● By Jia Mao

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21

NDS4droid

NDS is a handheld game console by Nintendo and is a successor to Game Boy. Now, NDS games can also be played on Android phones. NDS4droid is an NDS emula-tor that enables stable, smooth gaming and provides many customizati on opti ons, including setti ngs of keys and screen fi lter. If the phone’s performance is not good, the emulator can also lower the game resoluti on. The cheats are also available, and you can download game fi les from htt p://doperoms.com/.

Let’s go back to Flappy Bird again. The success of Flappy Bird can be attributed to its simple operation, challenging levels, and classic interfaces that rekindle your childhood gaming memories. Highly developed social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, facilitate sharing and communication between game players. All these have made Flappy Bird a global sensation.

Brick Game Simulator

Do you remember playing Brick Game, Snake, Arkanoid, Racing, and Frogger on the Brick Game console? Now you can play all these on your Android device. Install Brick Game Simulator on your phone and get the interfaces that will recreate the feeling of playing on the original Brick Game console.

Emulator KOBox

Emulator KOBox is an all-round game emula-tor app that supports Arcade, GBA, FC and SFC games for Android phones. Put game fi les (rom) into the default path, and KOBox

will fi nd games automati cally. With built-in web pages, the app allows players to easily search for rom fi les on internet. What’s more, you can play games with your friends over your LAN by connecti ng through a mobile phone hotspot.

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22

PICKING A CELLPICKING A CELL

PHONE The world is changing fast, so too are the new dazzling func-ti ons of cell phones. How do you choose a stylish cell phone that truly suits your needs? Let’s look at a few cell phone features.

Like the human brain, the CPU runs soft ware in the

memory to perform tasks. The performance of a

cell phone depends fi rst and foremost on its CPU.

Cell phone CPUs have developed from one core

to dual-core, quad-core and even octa-core. This

signifi cantly boosts computi ng performance. As

far as consumers are concerned, compati bility and

price will always be top priority.

Material and resoluti on are two key elements of

the cell phone screen. A screen comprises the outer

touch panel and inner monitor. The touch panel is

made of high-strength tempered glass, and the in-

ner monitor is either OLED or TFT. The OLED is self-

illuminated, and the TFT is backlit. TFT screens are

common in the market. A TFT screen paired with

IPS display technology promises wide visual angle

and good color restorati on. The screen resoluti on

is usually represented by a multi plicati on, such as

800 × 480, which is not very meaningful unless the

screen size is known. The pixels per inch (PPI) bett er

determine whether a screen is good or not. If the

PPI of a 5-inch and 4-inch 800 × 480 screen is 187

and 233 respecti vely, then the 4-inch has bett er

display eff ects than the 5-inch one. Yet PPI isn’t

everything, and a very high PPI increases power

consumpti on.

RAM and ROM are two storage types of a cell

phone. ROM, like the hard drive of a PC, is generally

used to store pre-installed system soft ware. 4 GB

ROMs are common at present. There are also 8

GB, 16 GB and 32 GB ROM opti ons for people who

want to save the trouble of future expansion. RAM,

like the memory chip of a PC, bridges the CPU and

hard drive and determines the operati on speed of a

cell phone. ROM can be thought of as a water plant,

the CPU a resident, and RAM as the pipe that con-

nects them. The bigger the pipe is, the more easily

the water fl ows to the resident. That is, the bigger

the RAM, the faster the cell phone. There are 512

MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB RAMs available at present. 3 GB

RAM is hitti ng the market.

A cell phone usually comes with a rear-facing and

front-facing camera. Now we have 2 MP, 3 MP, 5

MP, 8 MP and 13 MP rear cameras. A 5 MP camera

is the lowest resoluti on required for a clear picture.

Because of the color shift and resoluti on reasons

of the phone screen, the picture shown on a cell

phone should not be taken for the true eff ects

produced by the cell phone. The best way to know

the real eff ects of a cell phone camera is to show

the picture on a PC.

CPU

STORAGE

SCREEN

CAMERA

● By Tian Zhonghui

When picking a smartphone, some people only

pay att enti on to a phone’s appearance while oth-

ers are only concerned about hardware confi gura-

ti on. Both appearance and hardware confi gura-

ti on need to be considered. There is no need to

pursue a high-end confi gurati on and good enough

is bett er than the best.

22-Mobile Mastery-选购手机 1P.indd 22 2014/6/19 15:57:14

23

ZPRO: A CROSSOVER INNOVATION Design is not only important to beau-ti fy a product; it is a creati ve task that integrates experience, technol-ogy, and aestheti cs. A designer’s job is to create an object that is new in some way and can change lives. Zpro is a crossover product that refl ects the keen insight and bold innovati on of ZTE’s designers.

Inspirati on from Life

In a common meeti ng-room scenar-io, parti cipants take out their laptops and fi nd cables to access the inter-net. Before making presentati on, someone might have to connect to a projector. A mess of cables and devices makes the meeti ng room clutt ered.

A smartphone or tablet is versati le and can be used to connect to the internet, watch videos, or read documents. Do we sti ll need bulky

equipment to hold a meeti ng? Why can’t fi les stored on a mobile device be directly projected onto a screen? Why can’t internet connecti ons be shared easily? Designers are keen to solve these problems. If a projector had a Wi-Fi hotspot, smart operati ng system, and independent power, like a mobile device, couldn’t all these problems be solved?

Fantasy Becomes Reality ZTE designers have already proposed Zpro and have thought about its styling, operati on mode, and UI.

Converti ng a new concept into a real product requires the combined

eff orts of designers and enterprises.

When making a new prod-uct, some challenges are always encountered. ZTE designers discussed the de-

sign of Zpro with engineers and modifi ed the design

numerous ti mes. The product’s appearance, user experience, and quality were all carefully considered. Aft er several months of hard work, the concept came to fruiti on.

Experience Innova-ti ons

Zpro is compact. The product is a palm-sized product with a 4-inch ca-paciti ve touch-screen, and it runs on Android, which allows for unlimited expansion. It has all the features of a cell phone or tablet. It can access network resources and also share its Wi-Fi signals with all conference parti cipants so that everyone can ac-cess the Internet. It has a projecti on capacity of up to 120 inches and can project fi les stored on a device itself or in the cloud. It can connect up to eight clients to an 802.11 b/g/n network running at 4G LTE speeds, Zpro has a 5000 mAh batt ery and can be used as a portable charger for smartphones or other devices. The device creates a new experience for users. Conclusion ZTE designers have come up with a soluti on that can be used in meet-ings and at parti es. ZTE designers have re-thought a traditi onal technology, the projector, in terms of user experience, and the result is fresh and practi cal. The hotspot pro-jector demonstrates ZTE’s strategy of “driving R&D through design.”

styling, operati on mode, and UI.

Converti ng a new concept into a real product requires the combined

eff orts of designers and enterprises.

When making a new prod-uct, some challenges are always encountered. ZTE designers discussed the de-

sign of Zpro with engineers and modifi ed the design

numerous ti mes. The product’s appearance, user experience, and quality were all carefully considered. Aft er several months of hard work, the concept came to fruiti on.

● By Yu Yue

SMART GADGETS

23-Smart Gadgets-Zpro-设计故事 1P.indd 23 2014/6/19 15:57:43

SMART GADGETS SMART GADGETS

24

ZTE’s projector hotspot, Zpro, is the world’s first all-in-one Wi-Fi hotspot and portable projector. Let’s see how the gadget works in five common scenarios.

ZPRO PLAYS THE NEW MAGIC ● By Zhang Ying

BillA top-notch salesmanIt was a rainy day. I am the new assistant to Ted, a sales manager at my firm, and we were going to visit two important customers who are far from each other.

It rained hard and the traffic was bad. We were late for the first appointment, and the meeting room and projector we booked before were in use by others. How could we give a presentation without a projector? I panicked; however, Ted was clam and went to the tea room and showed me the empty wall, “Here is where we’ll give our presentation.” Ted took out a beautiful compact box. With a tap on its screen the interface was projected immediately onto the wall. Better still, Zpro supports multiple file sharing options including local, HDMI, Wi-Fi display, Airplay, T-flash, U disc and Cloud.

What a surprise! This small box turned out to be a projector, Zpro. Ted confirmed my guess and told me it’s more than a projector.

Our appointment with the first customer went so well because our presentation was a big success with the little magic played by Zpro.

During our second visit that day, the network was inter-rupted because of the bad weather. How could I send the negotiation details back to my company without Internet access? Ted touched the Zpro screen, and the magic went on again: Zpro turned out to be a hotspot that created a WLAN.

Now, I have my own Zpro now. It helps me achieve great performance.

24-25-Smart Gadgets-Zpro应用场景 2P.indd 24 2014/6/19 15:58:26


25

SteveA college student and a back-packerCamping necessities usually include a tent, sleeping bag, lamp, headlight and flashlight. Now Zpro is my new buddy. It is lightweight and compact. Its hotspot function makes it possible to surf the Internet, even when we are in the wild. It enables us to watch a movie under the starry sky. It spices up a campfire party with the projected MV. Last month, I went camping with friends and had an unforgettable night. We sat on the lawn, drinking beer and watching a live football match with the help of Zpro. Zpro is also a mobile charger, which is really useful for campers.

ChrisA bookshop ownerI have a small bookshop. I use Zpro to promote new arrivals on the window and elsewhere. The coffee shop next door also uses it to project sales information and sometimes movies and MVs. Zpro brings in good business!

KateA college teacherWe have different kinds of workshops and interest groups at our college. We may start a discussion anytime and anywhere. It can be in the library, coffee shop corner, building corridor, or dormitory. We need to present our data, videos and pictures. We also need Internet access. Only Zpro meets all our needs. With Zpro, we can discuss anything as long as we have a wall or piece of empty paper. Zpro is our buddy-teacher!

NancyA housewife with two childrenA new member recently joined our family. Every weekend, my husband David and our two children play games using Zpro. They use Zpro to project games onto the wall of the living room or bedroom. They use Zpro to download the hottest Android joystick games. It’s so cool, and they always have a good time!

Every time we get home from a trip, we use Zpro to share photos and videos with our friends anytime at our home or our friend’s home. It’s fantastic! Every-body enjoys it.

David is a romantic. He uses Zpro to download ro-mance movies, and we watch them together. We both love being couch potatoes with Zpro projecting the movies on the wall, of course!

Our children also enjoy quality time before sleep. They watch cartoons on the ceiling of their bedroom and then fall asleep happily.

All my family love Zpro much.

24-25-Smart Gadgets-Zpro应用场景 2P.indd 25 2014/6/19 15:58:28


26

Stickers are a necessary tool in work and life. In the high-tech era, stickers are much smarter and may include transparent solar cells that recharge mobile phones and tablets, glass films whose transparency can be controlled by a mobile phone, and other stickers used to filter noise and make painless injections.

HIGH-TECH OMNIPOTENT STICKERS

Concept USB Flash Drives Sti cked onto a Computer Transferring data to your computer could soon be as simple as using a post-it note. Scienti sts have invented a data storage device called dataSTICKIES that look like sti cky notes and can transfer fi les when they are stuck onto the front of a computer, or anywhere on the opti cal data transfer surface (ODTS) which is a panel that can be att ached to the front

surface of devices like computer screens. The ti ny, paper-thin data-STICKIES are made of graphene, and stacked one on top of another, like real post-it notes, to off er storage of 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. The special conducti ve adhesive that sti cks the dataSTICKIES to the ODTS is the medium that transfers the data.

High-Tech Business Card Devices we

use are getti ng

smarter, but

most people sti ll

use traditi onal

business cards.

An MIT startup

called TouchBase

proposes a new

opti on. Touch-

Base’s business cards are embedded with conducti ve ink circuitry that

mimics the electronic signal of a fi ngerprint. By tapping the card against

a smartphone screen, the cardholder’s digital profi le is transferred to the

device in seconds. The informati on on a TouchBase card is not limited

to what is physically printed on it. When tapped against a smartphone

screen, the card redirects to a digital profi le with the cardholder’s photo

and contact informati on, with links to Twitt er, LinkedIn and Facebook

profi les, as well as photos and videos of creati ve projects. The TouchBase

profi le is cloud-based, so you can update your informati on at any ti me.

Concept USB Flash Drives Sti cked High-Tech Business Card

● By He Yan

26-27-Smart Gadgets-高科技便利贴 2P.indd 26 2014/6/19 15:59:19


27

Wearable Electronic SkinResearchers

have developed

a wearable elec-

tronic skin that

can monitor your

health, store and

transmit data,

and deliver drugs

when needed. The device has instant applicati ons for

those suff ering from epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease.

It is not the fi rst electronic skin device, but the fi rst

capable of storing data and delivering drugs.

These patches are ti ny—only 4 cm long, 2 cm wide

and 0.3 mm thick. They can survive bending and

twisti ng without losing functi onality. This skin patch

is embedded with temperature sensors, resisti ve

RAM, and microheaters. Pati ents can wear an

electronic skin just like a tatt oo. Drugs are delivered

through the skin and acti vated by micro heaters

inside the device. However, the power source is a

limitati on. If that can be solved, this electronic skin

can be commercialized.

Controlling a Window’s Opacity with a SmartphoneTurning a window from transparent to opaque with a smartphone app is now made possible thanks to Sonte. The company is hoping to provide an aff ordable window fi lm that connects wirelessly to a smartphone app to instantly turn any secti on of glass from clear to solid. Sonte designed the fi lm so that it can be installed by the user. Rather than replacing an enti re window to get the eff ect, the fi lm can be sized and cut to fi t

any existi ng glass parti -ti on. When the fi lm is in place, a user can

control the level of opacity from any locati on using a free iOS or Android app. However, the product can be very expensive because the raw material costs a lot.

Noise Eliminators on Windows You live in an apartment, and your window faces a noisy constructi on site. It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep. Austrian industrial designer Rudolf Stefanich has created a concept noise cancelati on and isolati on device, called Sono, which sti cks to your window. Sono vibrates a window in a manner that counters the vibrati ons caused by ambient noise. So noise can be canceled out completely or partly so that wanted sounds and noises are not aff ected.

Wearable Electronic Skin

Controlling a Window’s Noise Eliminators

Transparent Solar Cells for Mobile DevicesA startup called Ubiquitous Energy recently developed trans-parent coati ngs and fi lms that can harvest light when applied to mobile screens. Such solar cells are made of organic layers that collect wavelengths in the UV and infrared part of the spectrum but allows visible light pass through. Prototypes made of organic materials yield slightly less than two percent

effi ciency and visible transpar-ency of about 70 percent. The company hopes to achieve effi ciency greater than 10 percent with high visible transparency. Unti l then, power-hungry devices will run much longer in sunshine-effi cient areas without the need of power sockets or mobile chargers.

A Needle-Free Vaccine PatchFor most children,

needles are scary.

Researchers from

MIT have developed

a vaccine patch that

could replace painful

needles. One side of

the patch is studded

with hundreds of

ti ny, biodegradable

plasti c microneedles

(0.25 mm in diameter,

0.65 mm in length)– far too small to acti vate the body’s pain receptors. The

microneedles are sprayed with several coati ngs of a very fi ne fi lm composed

of layer upon layer of alternately charged nano-plasti cs that can be loaded

with vaccine. Apply the patch to skin for several minutes and then remove

it. Then, the microneedles and their vaccine-laden coati ng remain behind,

embedded in the skin. Over days or weeks, the biodegradable plasti cs break

down and release the vaccine into the body in a conti nuous, steady way.

Transparent Solar Cells for Mobile A Needle-Free Vaccine Patch

26-27-Smart Gadgets-高科技便利贴 2P.indd 27 2014/6/19 15:59:22

HANDS-ON HANDS-ON

28

HANDS-ON

"Mr Flash" ZTE Blade Vec 4G

The phone price in Europe: 139 euro (for reference only).

ZTE Blade Vec 4G 72-Hour Experi-ence Test

ExcellentGoodAverage

1. Bright and light: ZTE Blade Vec 4G has a clear, simple appearance. It looks hi-tech with straight lines and a frame that has a well-designed arc. It feels comfortable in the hand. Compared with those heavy batt ery large-screen phones, ZTE Blade Vec 4G is very slim at only 7.8 mm. It is light and will not fall down when we put it into pocket.

2. A large screen: ZTE Blade Vec 4G has a 5-inch IPS display with a reso-luti on of 1280 x 720 pixels. The test fully shows the advantages of IPS screens, that is, broad color gamut, natural, bright colors, and high contrast. It also has wider viewing angles than an ordinary LCD screen. This provides great visual impact when playing videos and games.

3. Fast speed: ZTE Blade Vec 4G is very fast. It supports fast web browsing and a maximum of 150 Mbps downlink. When we start the web browser, pages appear immediately. When we tap a video on YouTube, the video plays almost without cache delay. The phone also runs fast. It has a Qualcomm quad-core 1.2 GHz CPU and 1 GB RAM.

During a three-day experi-ence test, ZTE Blade Vec 4G made a very good impression. Its UI is similar to a stock Android UI with some small modifi cati ons. The powerful LTE network ensured that the phone was smooth and ran well during the test. Whether used for running apps or browsing web pages, the phone always ran without any hiccups. In a word, its confi gurati on is very balanced and there is not any obvious shortcoming or defect. It is a very competi -ti ve smartphone.

Six months ago, 4G LTE phones were sti ll relati vely uncommon, but they have now entered in our lives. Here, we introduce a smartphone that supports 150 Mbps downlink transmission.

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ful a

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eed and

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and it

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aken in

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1 mins 2 mins 6 mins 15 mins 25 mins 50 mins 60 mins 3 hrs 5 hrs 5 hrs 30 mins 7 hrs 9 hrs 10 mins 16 hrs 20 mins 72 hrs

"Mr Flash"The phone price in Europe: 139 euro (for reference only).

ZTE Blade Vec 4G is very fast. It supports fast web

Six months ago, 4G LTE phones were sti ll relati vely uncommon, but they have now entered in our lives. Here, we introduce a smartphone that supports 150 Mbps downlink transmission.

1

2

28-29-Hands-on-VEC 4G 2P.indd 28 2014/6/19 16:00:22

HANDS-ON HANDS-ON

29

HANDS-ON

Special Functi ons

Specifi cati ons

4. Camera: ZTE Blade Vec 4G has a 13-megapixel camera that can take excellent pictures and has multi ple shooti ng modes. The camera supports unique shooti ng functi ons, such as smile detecti on and shutt er, and fast focus and conti nuous shooti ng for objects that move at high speeds. Its front camera supports an 88-degree ultra wide angle.

5. Batt ery: Even though the 2300 mAh batt ery is not that large, it supports the batt ery life of one day under frequent use. Of course, you need to have a batt ery charger on hand when playing 3D games for a long ti me. If you do not use the cell phone frequently, the batt ery is easy to serve for 1.5 to 2 days.

Wide Visual AngleA screen’s visual angle determines the quality of a cell phone’s display panel. The brightness and color of a good display panel does not change sharply as a cell phone turns. For a bad display screen, the details in the picture cannot be seen, and the color changes greatly as the cell phone

turns a certain angle. The screen of ZTE Blade Vec 4G has a good reputati on in this respect. When the screen is rotated 160 degrees or more, the words on the screen can be clearly seen, and the color change is not very obvious. This is very important when you watch pictures with your friends.

HDR You cannot wait to take photos using your cell phones when you see beauti ful scenery. How-ever, these may not be recorded exactly as they are. Photos may have bad eff ects due to strong backlight and clear splits between sky and ground. The HDR functi on of ZTE Blade Vec 4G greatly im-proves the exposure lati -tude so that details can be shown in the shade, and the bright parts are not overexposed.

Macro Photogra-phyFor people who love shooti ng fl owers or small things, the macro mode is commonly used. The cam-era of ZTE Blade Vec 4G has a macro mode that allows a short focusing distance. As the sample pictures show, plant textures can be clearly seen because the camera can focus on what’s important by blurring the background and accentu-ati ng the main subject in defi ned details.

Mobile World Says:Blade Vec 4G is a light, smooth and portable phone. It is functi onal enough to handle the daily tasks. It shows good performance in display eff ects, audio eff ects, and camera shooti ng.

OS: Android 4.4 Screen: 5-inch, 1280 x 720 pixelsCPU: Qualcomm MSM8926, 1.2 GHz, quad-coreMemory: 1 GB RAM+16 GB ROMCamera: 13-megapixel (rear), 2-megapixel (front) Batt ery: 2300 mAh Network: 4G LTE (Cat4) Dimensions: 142.3 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm

I nev

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about it

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comforta

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to hold and ge

nerates

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no hea

t

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witter o

r othe

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t make

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phon

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hours an

d

there

is sti

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r 50% re

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ower

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1 mins 2 mins 6 mins 15 mins 25 mins 50 mins 60 mins 3 hrs 5 hrs 5 hrs 30 mins 7 hrs 9 hrs 10 mins 16 hrs 20 mins 72 hrs

5. Batt ery: mAh batt ery is not that large, it supports the batt ery life of one day under frequent use. Of course,

I nev

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about it

. It is

comforta

ble

to hold and ge

nerates

almost

no hea

t

3

4

5

28-29-Hands-on-VEC 4G 2P.indd 29 2014/6/19 16:00:30

DESIGN & ART

NATURAL BEAUTYIN THE ZING SERIESZTE’s Zing series of smartphones combines oriental philosophy with modern techniques. This series comes in three screen sizes: 4.0 inch, 5.0 inch, and 5.5 inches. Emphasizing simplicity and human orientati on, the Zing series incorporates traditi onal Chinese craft smanship and old-style oriental ceramic culture. This combinati on gives the feeling of tranquility, longevity and harmony. In 2014, the series won the 2014 iF Internati onal Design Award, making ZTE an industry-leading innovati ve company.

30

● By Zhang Xiangrong

DESIGN & ART

30-31-Design&Art-Zing系列 2P.indd 30 2014/6/19 16:01:05

DESIGN & ART

Oriental Design Philosophy “The great sound seems soundless, and the great image seems formless.”

This sentence in Tao Te Ching is a traditi onal Chinese aestheti c concept

proposed by Lao Zi. Taoism advocates natural beauty and has had a pro-

found infl uence on the literary and aestheti c theories of China. Drawing on

this cultural inspirati on, ZTE has developed a mobile phone with oriental

charm in order to bring the concept of simplicity and natural beauty in

oriental culture into full play. The Zing series looks concise but not crude.

“Good design is as litt le design as possible,” says Dieter Rams, a famous

German industrial designer. The Zing series has a simple structure, concise

shape, sleek outline, and pure surface treatment. The sound holes and

some interfaces are designed to have a natural curve. In this way, the Zing

series conveys appeal and affi nity.

Human Orientati onThe functi ons of mobile phones are becoming increasingly homogeneous,

and customers expect more diff erenti ati on and innovati on in the design of

mobile phones. That is why human-oriented product design is becoming

popular. Human-oriented design is all about solving usability and experi-

ence problems through design and technology. The Zing series is designed

to meet the very human needs of customers. For a handheld device, a

comfortable grip is very important. ZTE’s R&D teams conducted a lot of

research on this and discussed various customer demands. They made and

compared many models and fi nally came up with Zing. The Zing phones

have a clear, curved body that fi ts perfectly into the palm. The volume

and power keys, as smooth as the phone body, feel comfortable to touch.

The separate two-part design means you can easily take the phone apart.

Great att enti on has also been paid to the quality and functi ons of the Zing

series.

Use of Ceramic ElementsA good mobile phone material gives a simple arti sti c eff ect and also re-

fl ects outstanding identi ty and good taste. Therefore, we need to consider

not only the quality, processing craft , durability, and strength of materials

31

but also the emoti onal associati on between the materials and cus-

tomers. The same model phone made with diff erent materials gives

the customer a diff erent feeling. ZTE put a lot of eff orts into the color,

materials, and fi nish of the Zing phones. China has many noti ceable

achievements in ceramic technologies and art, and ceramics culture

is one of the most important elements in oriental culture. Therefore,

ZTE did a lot of research on Chinese ceramic elements and mixed a

lot of colors and made many samples in order to achieve the eff ect of

ceramic glaze on plasti c. This ceramic eff ect is decorati ve but also has

cultural meaning. It gives important psychological hints that have an

emoti onal resonance with customers.

Diff erenti ated Designs in the SeriesThe three models in the Zing series have the same design language,

but have diff erenti ated designs to cater for diff erent consumer

groups. The 4.5-inch model targets low-income customers. The cost is

minimized, and unnecessary functi ons are eliminated in order to avoid

potenti al problems that may arise from producti on and processing.

With the concise separated design, smooth curved surface, and com-

fortable grip, this model is good value for money. The 5.0-inch model

is aimed at mid-range and high-end business people. It is ultra simple

to use and feels good in the hand. This user group att aches greater im-

portance to additi onal functi ons, for example, the camera. Therefore,

Zing phones have a round plate in the rear that integrates the camera

with the fl ashlight and ZTE logo and looks harmonious combined with

the glass texture. The 5.5-inch model is designed on the basis of the

previous two models and conforms to the trend of bigger phones. ZTE

has made new inroads with this model by integrati ng the sound hole

area and the camera.

ZTE follows the design philosophy “Friendly, Innovati ve, Pure, and

Thoughtf ul,” and the Zing series is a masterpiece that perfectly incor-

porates this philosophy into the products. With the human-oriented

design concept and advanced technologies, ZTE creates marvelous

smartphones by perfectly integrati ng the unique design with excellent

user experience.

31

Diff erenti ated Designs in the SeriesThe three models in the Zing series have the same design language,

but have diff erenti ated designs to cater for diff erent consumer

groups. The 4.5-inch model targets low-income customers. The cost is

minimized, and unnecessary functi ons are eliminated in order to avoid

potenti al problems that may arise from producti on and processing.

With the concise separated design, smooth curved surface, and com-

fortable grip, this model is good value for money. The 5.0-inch model

is aimed at mid-range and high-end business people. It is ultra simple

to use and feels good in the hand. This user group att aches greater im-

portance to additi onal functi ons, for example, the camera. Therefore,

Zing phones have a round plate in the rear that integrates the camera

with the fl ashlight and ZTE logo and looks harmonious combined with

the glass texture. The 5.5-inch model is designed on the basis of the

previous two models and conforms to the trend of bigger phones. ZTE

has made new inroads with this model by integrati ng the sound hole

area and the camera.

ZTE follows the design philosophy “Friendly, Innovati ve, Pure, and

Thoughtf ul,” and the Zing series is a masterpiece that perfectly incor-

porates this philosophy into the products. With the human-oriented

design concept and advanced technologies, ZTE creates marvelous

smartphones by perfectly integrati ng the unique design with excellent

user experience.

30-31-Design&Art-Zing系列 2P.indd 31 2014/6/19 16:01:25

DESIGNS ON DYNAMIC EFFECTS

DESIGN & ART

32

Imagine the following scenes:·A list appears as soon as you touch a butt on in the

UI.

·An app icon disappears as soon as you touch it and

the corresponding app screen appears under your

fi nger.

·A new screen quickly appears before you know it

when you swipe your fi nger horizontally.

All these are examples of non-dynamic eff ects in which

animati ons are unnaturally presented as a series of

fl ashing images. Fortunately, dynamic eff ect design

presents them in a smooth manner, vividly showing the

detailed process of how they are displayed, including

the velocity and whether they bounce.

● By Huo Yongxin

Dynamic eff ect literally means moving or dynamic graphics. Usually, dynamic eff ects create inter-est and enjoyment; however, they also provide guidance and instructi on.

Apps with good dynamic eff ects

Thinglist Campus Quad Clear Interfaces for Campus Quad app

Functi ons of Dynamic Eff ectDynamic eff ects are not required in traditi onal UI

designs for cell phones. iOS 7 declared the importance

of dynamic eff ect design. The following summarizes the

functi ons of dynamic eff ects:

· Smooth transiti onCompared with the traditi onal UI layout that arranges

the stati c positi ons of apps, dynamic eff ect designs

dynamically illustrate the evolvement of an app in the

ti me dimension, including how it appears and disap-

pears within each millisecond and how it changes its

size, positi on, transparency, and colors. This enables a

smoother interacti on process between a user and the

product. The Campus Quad iOS app, which provides

many dynamic eff ects, is a typical example of smooth

transiti on and dynamic interacti on.

· Effi cient feedbackGood feedback design enables a user to see the result

of an operati on and the current status of a program.

32-33-Design&Art-动态设计 2P.indd 32 2014/6/19 16:02:01

DESIGN & ART

33

This relieves user’s impati ence while waiti ng during interacti on. It is

more direct and effi cient than the traditi onal stati c feedback design

presented in text form. The iOS 7 App Store uses a progress ring to

refl ect the download process of an app. The progress ring works with

a pause butt on and enables users to learn the progress and pause the

process at any ti me.

· Enhanced operati on“Direct operati on” is very important in mobile user experience. The

interacti on between a mobile product and a user must be similar to

that in the real world. This requires that the response of the interact-

ing objects be in concordance with people’s percepti on to the world,

and can be predicted without any prompt. A successful dynamic

eff ect design makes users hardly noti ce the diff erence between their

interacti on with virtual objects and actual operati ons.

· Help and guidanceSome functi ons are oft en hidden in the UI because of limited UI

space. Dynamic eff ects can help a user fi nd the hidden functi ons

through swiping or sliding their fi ngers on the screen. For example, in

the iOS 7 system, the unlock prompt on a lock screen shows a gradual

change in eff ect from left to right, and the user can assume the

gesture directi on according to the prompt.

· Advanced experienceTo make a product with good usability disti nguishable from others,

dynamic eff ect can be added to the product to achieve more pleasant

user experience. A uniform style of dynamic eff ect can build a prod-

uct with its own unique brand image.

Issues in Dynamic Eff ect Design Dynamic eff ect design enhances a product not only in terms of func-

ti ons but also in terms of UI presentati on. To get a bett er dynamic

eff ect design, the following should be considered:

· Light animati onThe dynamic eff ect design represented by iOS 7 abandons the com-

plex quasi-physical animati ons. Instead, it uses a more fl exible, lighter

style focusing on a quicker response.

· Actual laws of moti onBoth displacement and slow moti on should be researched in dy-

namic eff ect design. Someti mes the laws of moti on in the traditi onal

animati on industry can be referred to in order to make the dynamic

eff ect more natural.

· Harmonious animati on arrangementIt is necessary to use a uniform style in the animati on eff ect designs

of the same app. Thus, a unifi ed dynamic eff ect plan is required. This

includes amount, durati on, type, and style.

· Balance between effi ciency and eff ect Diff erent mobile devices may have diff erent confi gurati ons. The

dynamic eff ect design for a platf orm such as Android that supports

multi ple hardware types should not cause overload on a mobile

device. This may result in stumping of animati ons.

· Appropriate animati onDynamic eff ects may highlight a product, but it may also backfi re if

not used properly. User habits must be considered in dynamic eff ect

design, and garish dynamic eff ects are not recommended.

· Rhythm

Although dynamic eff ects are not a new idea nowadays, some details,

such as rhythm, are not considered in dynamic eff ect design for most

apps. For example, when an app is closed, the app UI quickly shrinks

into a point and then disappears from the screen. Actually, we should

pay att enti on to whether it is shrinking at a uniform velocity, more

and more quickly, or providing more change details in track and ve-

locity. Bett er dynamic eff ect design can only be achieved aft er more

details are considered and implemented.

The iOS 7 noti fi cati on center can be acti vated from the lock screen,

and the panel bounces at the bott om of the screen. The bounce

track is presented at a non-uniform velocity, and change details are

displayed during the enti re bounce process.

SummaryOur products are designed to bring customers pleasure, love, and contact. We will make every eff ort to develop our products and opti mize them unti l they are perfect and enhance our customers’ lives. Clear app’s playful interfaces

The circular download progress indicator in iOS 7

32-33-Design&Art-动态设计 2P.indd 33 2014/6/19 16:02:02

DESIGN & ART

34

● By Geng Lingfang

Originally, iPhone dominated the market with its personalized design

and features, and Android won the market because it is open and

free. Today, with the endeavors of mobile phone designers and

manufacturers, the huge gap between iPhone and Android phones

has been greatly narrowed, and they both now tend to have the

similar functi ons and styles.

iOS incorporates excellent third-party designs to itself every ti me

it upgrades to a new version. Similarly, stock Android OS is also

gradually upgrading. Manufacturers who are using stock Android OS

have also designed generati on aft er generati on of Android-based UIs

with their own features in the hope of improving user experience in

Android UIs. Now, the user experience in customized Android UIs has

spiraled.

Some brilliant designs in stock Android OS, however, provide a good

basis for manufacturers to develop their own products and are also

valuable for att racti ng consumers. The essence of all these designs

comes to integrati on. Stock Android OS manages a mobile phone

with a unifi ed user account in which communicati on functi ons are

integrated into Hangouts; the video clips are added into the gallery;

the scatt ered UIs are integrated into the card-style layout; the logical

functi ons that cannot be well laid out are put in the sidebar; and the

cut scenes are animated in a natural way.

Dedicated AccountNowadays, the mobile phone has overtaken the purse as a

must-have accessory when going out. We need it to store

contacts, private messages, photos, and video clips and

remind us of memos, agendas and alarms. With a

unifi ed mobile phone account, we can

synchronize all this informati on to

the cloud so that the informa-

ti on will not be lost and can be

shared easily. It is also convenient

for updati ng personal informati on

and resources when starti ng to use

a new phone.

Google Account is a dedicated account for each

mobile phone user. A person can create an account

by signing up for a Gmail address or using an existi ng

email address. Aft er a Google Account has been created,

a user can add other Google apps to the account, including

AdWords, Blogger, Google Checkout, Google Code, Google

Health, Gtalk, iGoogle, Orkut, Picasa, YouTube, Google Calendar,

Google Docs, Google Finance, Google Groups, Google Map, Google

News, Google Reader, and Google Sites.

Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts integrates contacts, mailbox, circles and call func-

ti ons. It is a convenient and powerful platf orm which people can use

to share device model, call status, and mood with your contacts.

INTEGRATION: THE ESSENCE OF STOCK ANDROID OS

34

have also designed generati on aft er generati on of Android-based UIs the scatt ered UIs are integrated into the card-style layout; the logical

functi ons that cannot be well laid out are put in the sidebar; and the

cut scenes are animated in a natural way.

Dedicated AccountNowadays, the mobile phone has overtaken the purse as a

must-have accessory when going out. We need it to store

contacts, private messages, photos, and video clips and

remind us of memos, agendas and alarms. With a

unifi ed mobile phone account, we can

synchronize all this informati on to

the cloud so that the informa-

ti on will not be lost and can be

shared easily. It is also convenient

for updati ng personal informati on

and resources when starti ng to use

a new phone.

Google Account is a dedicated account for each

mobile phone user. A person can create an account

by signing up for a Gmail address or using an existi ng

email address. Aft er a Google Account has been created,

a user can add other Google apps to the account, including

AdWords, Blogger, Google Checkout, Google Code, Google

Health, Gtalk, iGoogle, Orkut, Picasa, YouTube, Google Calendar,

Google Docs, Google Finance, Google Groups, Google Map, Google

News, Google Reader, and Google Sites.

Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts integrates contacts, mailbox, circles and call func-

ti ons. It is a convenient and powerful platf orm which people can use

to share device model, call status, and mood with your contacts. to share device model, call status, and mood with your contacts.

34-35-Design&Art-原生设计 2P.indd 34 2014/6/19 16:02:45

DESIGN & ART

35

Users can send pictures and emoji in their messages

and over 850 emoji icons are available for users

to choose from. Users can also get to know when

their friends have read their messages and see

when their friends are typing.

Google Hangouts allows you to turn one-to one

conversati on to group videoconferencing between two

or more users.

Card-Style LayoutThe fl at style has been widely used in design, and Google products

are no excepti on, evolving toward simple designs. Now, the card-

style layout is the most signifi cant element in Google products. The

card-style design is a good illustrati on of modernism, and introduces

boxy layouts to contain only the key texts and images. There are no

superfl uous elements. The card-style layout can be used fl exibly

and independently or can be organized as a group to deliver a

large amount of conti nuous informati on and maintain consistency.

Having made great improvements to the previously chaoti c layout,

card-style design rules out redundant informati on like adverti se-

ments, eliminates hyperlinks, and allows users to focus on the

informati on itself rather than searching for informati on. Moreover,

Google’s card-style layout provides uniform experience on screens

of all sizes.

Sidebar Design As a novel, practi cal, user-friendly design, the sidebar is currently

preferred by many third-party apps when: (1) Normally, tabs can be

used for a UI with no more than three feature icons. Otherwise, the

UI layout looks cramped and disordered. In this case, the sidebar

can be used to show more content. (2) There is a sub-menu besides

the level-one menu. The sidebar allows a user to rapidly enter the

sub-menu for further navigati on. (3) The sidebar is the main UI that

is the fi rst to be displayed when a user enters the corresponding

app. All the navigati ons are implemented on the sidebar.

Natural Cut scenes Good animati on of a product must have smooth proceeding, natu-

ral inducti on, and rapid response. The cut scenes for stock Android

OS are just like this. Typical ones include the collapsible drop-down

status bars, fl y-ins of short messages, the sliding in the calendar,

the UI for alarm going off , and screen unlock animati on. All of

these have great dynamic eff ects that are extremely smooth and

controllable. They can be paused in any positi on at any ti me when

necessary, providing users with good experience.

All in all, aft er years of version upgrades and functi onal integrati on,

stock Android OS has evolved to a good platf orm for UI design and

developed its own design features. It is certain that it will be well

received by a growing number of fans.

34-35-Design&Art-原生设计 2P.indd 35 2014/6/19 16:02:47

00-FM-FD.indd 4 2014/6/19 15:47:18

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