Mentor Graphics announces Inflexion platform user interface for Android-based device development

WILSONVILLE, USA: Mentor Graphics Corp. has announced the Inflexion Platform User Interface (UI) for Android, a comprehensive development toolkit comprising a graphics engine and UI creation tool that enables Android application developers to rapidly customize product UIs with visually compelling 2D and 3D animated elements for increased product differentiation.

The Inflexion Platform UI for Android is ideal for smart phones and consumer devices where product differentiation is critical, and for non-smart phone Android and Linux-based devices, such as televisions, set-top boxes, printers, infotainment systems, and other products which would otherwise require significant UI development effort.

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.

By separating an application’s visual and interactive characteristics from the underlying functionality, the Inflexion Platform UI for Android enables the application software engineering and the UI implementation teams to work independently on their tasks for increased productivity and optimal GUI effects.

Completely new interface designs can be created without 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.”

The Inflexion Platform UI Express enables a multitude of animations and 3D effects, such as spinning, zooming, reflections, textures, and per-pixel lighting variations. The UI can be altered without changing the underlying application logic, enabling design components to be easily reused across screens or other products.

As a result, Android device designers can retarget their Inflexion-based Java applications for a variety of products in minutes, with different UI “skins” for different end-products without coding.

“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.”

The 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. Versions of the Inflexion Platform UI for Nucleus® and Linux® operating systems are also available.