The latest version of the S60 platform includes an updated version of the UI visuals, with animations and transitions. The technology powering this is from The Astonishing Tribe (TAT). Richard Bloor found out more about the technology from TAT's co-founder Hampus Jakobsson and CEO Charlotta Falvin.

Prior to the release of S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 the S60 UI offered very few dynamic graphic elements. The few that existed were limited largely to animated screen savers and wallpaper. Enter Kastor from TAT, a UI rendering engine. "Kastor has allowed Nokia to make the S60 more expressive," says Hampus. "Our technology has enabled new dynamic effects and we have done it without adding memory and processor requirements to S60 devices."

It is not uncommon for UI changes of this type to create problems for developers, because new features may not fit well with the existing APIs. However, Nokia set a clear goal that the integration should not break source or binary compatibility with earlier versions of the S60 UI. This meant that TAT could only add APIs for new features, such as transitions. The disadvantage of this approach is that, in Hampus' view, it means S60 could not take full advantage of TAT's UI technology.

"Where we are able to incorporate Kastor and our other technologies into the core of a platform, developers gain advantages in the way they are able to develop their UI," claims Hampus. "So, in S60 we are effectively skinning the existing UI components. In other implementations - where we don't have similar restrictions - developers get the opportunity to do things such as determine how UI components interact with one another. With the full range of our technology we believe it's possible to design a UI similar to the iPhone in just a few months. However, I do believe S60 has done a very smart job of making the legacy UI look more beautiful."