The University of Oulu of Finland will host a collaborative research effort between Nokia and Intel. The Joint Innovation Center, which will be located at the Center for Internet Excellence at the university, will bring together two dozen researchers who will investigate mobile handset user interfaces over the next three years.

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The research will focus on compelling new mobile user experiences. By taking advantage of the rapidly increasing processing and graphics power of cell phones and other mobile devices, the lab will target 3D projects and virtual reality. Potential applications include home control and gaming as well as new paradigms for social networking.

The basis for the research is the MeeGo open-source mobile operating system, which is based on Intel’s previous development work on its Moblin operating system (OS) and on Nokia’s Maemo OS. Announced in February at Mobile World Congress, the Linux-based MeeGo software platform is designed for handsets, netbooks, tablets, in-car devices, and even TV sets. It can be used with ARM and x86 processors.

The collaboration’s first efforts appear to be focused on an eyewear-free 3D display. The work is based on concepts that say that it is possible to implement a 3D display on a small screen without the use of special glasses. While the viewing angle for 3D is narrow, the approach seems acceptable for handset screens. Applications for such a display are also part of the R&D process.

No immediate practical output from the research is expected, as the objective is to establish a long-term process that will eventually result in real products. The plan calls for incremental steps in introducing innovations in practical products. Development tools and platforms are part of the research, which will allow expedient adoption of the software innovations. Open-source licenses will be available.

For more information, contact Heikki Huomo at the Center for Internet Excellence at Heikki.huomo@cie.fi.

Center for Internet Excellence

Intel

Nokia