The Icon Engine by Ted Patrick is a great concept which I think can be used and extended in many different ways. This approach could be described as a “meta rendering engine”. I can see similar techniques exploited in Flash Lite projects or for instance in a UI prototype I am currently working on.

e.g. “;0×0,0xFFFFFF;1<1:2<1|2|1<1|2:2|1<1|2:3|1<1|2:4|1<1|2:5|1<
1|2:6|1<1|2:7|1<1|2:8|1<1|2:9|1<1|2:6|1:5<1|2:3|1|2:2|1<
1|2:2|1:2|2:2|1<1|2|1|0:2|1|2:2|1<1|1|0:3|1|2:2|1<1|0:5|1|2:2|1<
0:6|1|2:2|1<0:7|1|2:2|1<0:7|1|2:2|1<0:8|1:2″

Planning to get my first app Symbian signed, from symbiansigned.com I read the costs of signing symbian applications are:(1st submission)

Capgemini 560 €
Mphasis 185 €
NSTL 250 €

Which one should I choose?

Are the keypads becoming really digital as opposed to physical (made of atoms)? May be yes! …looking at devices like the Nintendo DS Lite, FOMA D800iDS, and event the future Apple phone.
I can see the advantages of hardware keypad in terms of tactile interaction (at response and input level), mastering phones’ functions while walking etc…
At the same time a “digital” keypad is a blank canvas for any GUI designer.

Here my latest experiment:

1. Load the SWF file on your mobile
2. Run the file in the player and wait for loading
3. Hold the handset firmly closing your fist as much as possible
4. Tell your brain to shake your hand vigorously for 5-6 secs
5. Open your fist and watch promptly the screen (if nothing happens repeat from point 3 putting some more effort)

- This is our Flash Lite brain speech recognition UI and worked 9 times out of 10 during test.

Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any damage to your mobile phone nor injuries to people you may hit if your phone happens to slip off your hands.

Download

G.tec has developed a biosensitive device capable to capture the mental activity and translate this into signals/commands to computers and pocket PCs.
Brain-Computer Interface research is starting to show off some practical applications.

Asteroidz is a Flash Lite remake of the famous Asteroids arcade game.
All in a 36Kb SWF, uses 360 degrees collision detection. In theory this game should run also on Series 40 devices, however has been tested only on S60 phones. Download the beta release here.

Judging from this video and from the Willcom’s product lineup page the Sharp WS007SH has got Flash Lite. This is a Windows Mobile handset with a screen resolution of 640×480.

NTT DoCoMo R&D center is researching mime-speech recognition. This technology detects the speaker’s mouth-muscle movements and can interpret them into words even if the speaker has not uttered a sound. This technology will enable people to communicate in public spaces such as libraries and train carriages without annoying others around them.

This is very digital.

With MyFlashScreenSaver you can now play your Flash Lite animations as screensaver for your mobile phone.
Find out more about MyFlashScrensaver under the Pages section here on the right hand side.

For an even faster way to start sketching S60 Themes, here is a .FLA Flash compatible template for you to use. s60_Theme_Sketching_Template01.fla or s60_Theme_Sketching_Template02.fla.

Recently Nokia provide us with a quick way to start sketching themes with the .PSD template.
But since I prefer to work faster with Flash I have decided to convert the .PSD file to a .FLA. Hope you can make good use of it.