Could a spinoff from Microsoft Research end up providing another open-access piece of the Android mobile-internet experience?  That looks to be the word out of Zumobi, a developer of the self-titled mobile browser that uses a unique “tiles” system of organising specific web content - such as Flickr feeds, multimedia content, information from RSS or blog data - and serving it up in a scrolling, resizing UI they’re calling the Zooming User Interface.

“Whether it’s Android [Google’s platform for mobile devices], Verizon or Nokia, we want to provide a simple solution for people to access the data” Beth Goza, Senior Marketing Manager, Zumobi

Check out the video demo of the Zumobi beta release, after the cut

Server synchronization is used to speed up download times via caching, and the interface of the whole program can be customised from what handset providers or carriers supply.  Of course, Android will be supplied with a web browser of its own, but Zumobi potentially could be an augmentation to this rather than a replacement, providing a straightforward and fast way to access commonly checked information.

“Content will be available from more than 75 mobile widgets or Tiles, including many from Zumobi launch partners such as Amazon.com, MTV Networks, The Associated Press, AccuWeather.com, Traffic.com, FlightStats.com and OTOlabs, who developed Tiles for Vail Resorts and Fox Television’s Family Guy”Zumobi press release

If you’re interested in trying out Zumobi yourself, it’s currently available in beta form for Windows Mobile 5 and 6, with Java J2ME and Blackberry versions expected in Q2 2008.  As can be seen in the video, they’re also planning an iPhone-compatible version. 

[via Redmond Developer News]