Samsung UI Patent Exposed – Looks To Improve Folders on Android, Adds 3D Effects For Good Measure
Samsung’s TouchWiz UI could get a bit more interesting if this newly exposed patent application is a tale of things to come. The boys at Patent Bolt discovered the UI patent filed by Sammy late last year, and it deals specifically with the way the user interacts with folders on Android. You can see in the provided images, the user can interact with the folders — which look like a stack of cards — in a few different ways. The stack can be opened and displayed in a traditional Android fashion, only with fancy card animations. Or, a folder stack can be pulled like an accordion to display its contents. Not shown in these images was a vertical scrolling folder, similar to the accordion effect but a lot less fancy.
Nothing too ground breaking, but the patents show that Samsung has bigger and better plans for TouchWiz, adding even more 3D effects and flashiness. It’s possible we could see these card stacks in future version of TouchWiz, perhaps whenever Samsung gets around to updating their devices to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. What do you guys think about the card stacks? Cool or uncool?