Hasta La Gadget!

It appears that the Microsoft logo was due for an update as the manufacturer of hardware and developer of software brought on a new look this morning. This new logo consists of a simplified windows grid of four squares on the left and a Microsoft type representation on the right in Segoe font. This symbol and logotype combination are set to represent the company for the forseeable future and will very likely be popping up on machines and software across the grid in the very near future.

Microsoft is exceedingly excited about revealing the new look ahead of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, two new bits of software that they hope will revolutionize the way they do business. A rebirth of the Microsoft way is in the works, and with what they say is the 10th most visited website in the world being Microsoft.com, they need to be bright as possible for the new wave. Per Microsoft, this logo represents a “new era in which we’re reimagining how our products can help people and businesses throughout the world realize their potential.”

As Microsoft’s General Manager of Brand Strategy Jeff Hansen notes today:

“This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs. This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.” – Hansen

The old logo, for your comparison purposes. Notice the flying flag is now flat and square and the italics are no longer built in to the type – Microsoft has been re-modernized.

The font you’ll recognize from the full collection of Microsoft super brand such as the Xbox and Windows from this point forward. You’ll also find a lovely presentation video below to get you in the mood for the future of the company – enjoy!

[via Microsoft]

Microsoft logo updated for first time in 25 years is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve been holding out on buying yourself a Kinect for your Xbox 360 because you thought the $150 price was too much, you may want to reach for your wallet now. Microsoft has announced a price cut for the Xbox 360 Kinect of $40. The price cut will apparently be permanent, so it sucks to be you if you just bought one at full price.

The new official price for the Kinect is $109.99(USD) in the United States. A price cut is also coming to the rest of North America and Asia-Pacific countries as well. In October, the price will drop in Australia and New Zealand. This will make European and Japanese fans of the Kinect angry. Apparently, there are no plans to cut the price in those countries.

This should spur adoption of the Kinect in the US for people who aren’t really are interested in the device for gaming. I’ll admit that Kinect games were interesting for about two days and then the motion controls lost their luster for me. However, with other Xbox 360 apps such as Netflix and the menus being navigable using the Kinect the device is becoming increasingly more useful outside of gaming, and is certainly the darling of the hacking and interactive community.

[via Neowin]

Just a couple of days ago, we took a look at the Sony Xperia J aka ST26i, and here we are with yet another smartphone preview courtesy of Sergei Kuzmin of Mobile Review fame, coming in the form of the Sony Xperia Go, where some prefer to call it by its codename, the ST27i. Some others might call it the Sony Xperia advance, but as the bard once said, a rose by any other name, would smell just as sweet. The Xperia Go had already arrived at the FCC back in June, having its manual released a month later, but here is the skinny on the Xperia Go from Sergei Kuzmin’s perspective. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony Xperia go manual released, Sony Xperia Go arrives at the FCC,

So you think that you are tough? Well, assuming that is true, you might want to have an equally tough digital camera to follow you around so that it is capable of capturing all that goes on around during your adrenaline pumping adventures. The candidate of choice? The Olympus Stylus TG-625, which is touted to be waterproof, shockproof and freeze-proof, but despite all of its ability to be able to handle heavy duty work on the field, it does not look unwieldy in any way. The inclusion of iHS Technology enables users to perfectly and beautifully capture photographic moments using its 12-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Olympus Unveils Flagship Compact Camera: Stylus SP-820UZ iHS with 40X Optical Zoom, Olympus announces that they are working on a new four-thirds camera body,

Microsoft is a household name, and I am quite sure that the company’s logo has already been ingrained and etched onto our memories by now. The thing is, even after a quarter of a century, things do get a little stale, which is why Microsoft has unveiled a new logo. Everything from Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, one common thing will tie all of these products together for a familiar and seamless experience, regardless of whether you are using a desktop computer, rocking to a smartphone or tablet, or watching a TV; and that would be the new Microsoft logo.

The new Microsoft logo comprises of two components, the logotype and the symbol. The logotype relies on the Segoe font for its inspiration, which is the same font that sees action in the rest of Microsoft’s products in addition to their marketing communications. As for the symbol, its squares of color are meant to express the diverse portfolio of products made available to the masses.

The big question is, hot or not? Do you think that the new Microsoft logo is going to take off in due time, or do you prefer the logo of old?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Verizon to sell Windows 8-powered Nokia Oyj phone in 2012, Microsoft Kinect gets price drop to $109.99,