French telecoms company MobiWire - formerly Sagem Wireless - appears to have filed for insolvency.

Court documents show receivership ("redressement judiciaire") being pronounced on 28th April and papers being issued today, with a hearing set for 23rd June 2011.

MobiWire has launched its new user interface for Android smartphones. The news follows the company's transformation in February, when it changed its name from Sagem and first revealed its user interface plans.

Surface UX enhances the standard Android user interface. It claims to simplify and improve usability - and also introduces 'Surface Apps' that appear as branded on-screen widgets.

Mark Bridge writes:

The mobile user interface seems to fall in and out of fashion. Nokia and Apple have both transformed the mobile UI in previous years… but still the challenge of creating the 'perfect' user interface design remains.

This focus on mobile usability is the main topic of today's special podcast, which includes Chris Millington of Doro UK and Jerome Nadel from MobiWire.

Mobile usability is the main topic of this special podcast, which includes Chris Millington from Doro UK and Jérôme Nadel of MobiWire (recorded at Mobile World Congress). Conversation topics include the user interface, encouraging usage and designing mobile phones to suit a specific customer group.

MobiWire - formerly known as Sagem Wireless - has unveiled a portfolio of secure business phones with embedded security for voice, SMS, data and on-device encryption. There's a feature phone with a proprietary OS and an Android-powered smartphone as well. The devices have been co-developed with secure communications specialists ERCOM following a partnership announced last year.

Control of the phone's security is managed by a company IT department, not by the user. The built-in security cannot be removed from the device or tampered with.