Date: 18/10/2010

Mentor Graphics offers UI dev. platform for Android developers

Mentor Graphics has announced the Inflexion Platform User Interface (UI) for Android based UI software development. The new development toolkit comprised of graphics engine and UI creation tool for Android application developers to develop 2D and 3D user interface type.

The Inflexion Platform UI for Android is suggested for products and applications such as smart phones, consumer devices, televisions, set-top boxes, printers, infotainment systems, and other products.

Mentor Graphics says standard approaches applied to the development of the latest UIs lead to a complicated, time-consuming, and expensive development process since it requires coding, configuration, and expert knowledge of OpenGL/ES APIs. The Inflexion Platform UI for Android provides a rapid design and implementation methodology through a drag and drop tool and then automatically generates Java interfaces, integrates code, and creates required files in minutes versus days, claims Mentor Graphics.

Inflexion helps the graphics and user interface designers of Android and Linux based products to work independently from the other part of the software development. Also due to this feature the UI developed for one product can be easily ported to other similar device. This tool saves UI designers from programming or scripting because the Inflexion Platform UI tool automates key interactive behaviors necessary for UI performance.

"Funtoro, a member of Micro-Star International (MSI), the maker of next-generation infotainment systems for public transportation vehicles, is a user of Mentor's Inflexion Platform UI for Android for innovative 3D graphics," stated Ted Huang, assistant vice president, Micro-Star International. "The Inflexion UI has also helped Funtoro/MSI dramatically minimize engineering time and resources for rapid UI development to achieve both a more compelling UI and faster time-to-market benefits."

Inflexion supports adding animations and 3D effects, such as spinning, zooming, reflections, textures, and per-pixel lighting variations.

"Mentor's Inflexion UI for Android quickly morphs the default Android UI to sophisticated and differentiated UIs for specific vendors, products, and applications," said Glenn Perry, general manager, Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. "These types of UI customizations are critical for people using Android beyond mobile handsets since it requires tremendous effort without Mentor's comprehensive, vendor-independent technologies and services for new and innovative products."

Inflexion Platform UI for Android is available now, starting at $39,000 USD plus royalty, including support and one seat of the UI Express tool.