Over in Japan it appears that smartphone maker Sharp wants to differentiate their smartphones from all the Android based handsets out there, and that differentiation will come by way of a new user interface for Sharp’s range of smartphones, apparently so they will stand out from the Android masses.

According to the guys over at PC World, Sharp has announced they are to launch the new Feel UX that will feature large icons and a simplistic design, and enables many phone functions such as music player apps, photo gallery, and camera to be accessed right from the lock screen.

Word is when unlocked the Feel UX offers 3 main screens, one for short-cuts to phone features, one for widgets like clock and calendar, and the other for applications, and the lock screen can also auto-tweak its background image to match the current weather whilst showing updates on real time info such as stocks, missed calls and messages.

According to Sharp the new Feel UX will initially be phased in on their Japanese smartphones, however they are also “exploring its potential use in smartphones destined for international markets.”

Apparently the new user interface has been designed and built together with Frog Design, who has stated that the interface was developed over a 9-month period and will launch on 7 Aquos brand smartphones in Japan.

As the majority of Android smartphones have similar feature sets and specs, smartphone makers are looking towards unique user interfaces to differentiate between Android based devices to capture the customer’s attention, and as such Sharp joins rival companies Samsung and Sony in offering a user interface that runs on top of various version of the Android software.