Smart Facias Coming to Kyocera Handsets

Kyocera Wireless has announced a partnership with Wildseed to launch a new wireless phone aimed at the "young and fun" segment of teens and young adults in early 2003. The new phone will use Wildseed's Smart Skins and Smart Screens to make the user experience customizable and changeable.

Internally code-named (DELTA)2 (said Delta2), the key consumer appeal of the new phone concept will be its ability to be changed with Smart Skin intelligent faceplates. Far more than just changeable faceplates, Smart Skins will change the exterior style of (DELTA)2 and also deliver new assets such as ringtones, video clips, pictures, games and Web links, all related to the Smart Skin's theme. The concept represents the convergence of entertainment and telephony, with features including a color screen, FM radio and keypad music visualizer, and a rich two-way messaging interface that operates via existing carrier infrastructure and resembles PC-based instant messaging applications.

The Smart Screen application framework, which will reside on the new handset, is software that enables a DUI (dynamic user interface) that makes the phone's screen and custom applications morph to match the exterior design of the changeable Smart Skin on the phone. Smart Screens effectively and deeply "skin" the whole experience of (DELTA)2 from colors, background designs and icons to new audio accents. A Smart Skin stylizes the outside of (DELTA)2 and works together with Smart Screens to stylize the "inside" of the phone as well. Carriers and retailers will earn recurring revenue from the sale of Smart Skins.'"

Posted to the site on 16th October 2002