Hasta La Gadget!

Those who cover the gadget and technology universe in news know that Microsoft is more than ready for a face change – they’re ready for a whole nip and tuck age reduction. With the logo they’ve released today, they’ve made it clear that they’re willing to make their way into the post-PC age – or perhaps the mobile age, if you want to call it that. While many companies flounder with fabulous software and hardware because they don’t want to see their precious graphic design change, Microsoft has hired Pentagram to make it work.

With the new logo, Microsoft takes their lovely equilateral square grid and flattens it out, letting you know that they’re not messing around with frills here in 2012. The logo that came before this one had a faux-3D effect to it with the same flag, extra shadows, and a logotype addition below – and sometimes beside – with italics and a chip taken out of the mark. It was a very well-traveled mess.

Back when it was introduced, of course, it was a masterpiece. With a bit of help from Neatorama you’ll see that the first Micro-Soft logo had them working in the Atari age with lots and lots of lines. Another iteration that existed for just about 12 years had the company keeping with the strange love of shutter-lines in the center O and cutting out the junk in the rest of the now-lovely simple letters.

Then came the italics and the chip – the chip was added by designer Scott Baker who has been reported quite a few times as having added it so it would look like Pac-man. We’ve since evolved way, way past simple silly cuts such as that. Microsoft’s new design will look like a “I could have done that with Photoshop” sort of situation, but it’s no joke.

Machines are getting more and more complex as they’re getting smaller, more portable, and more powerful. We do not see the complexities, we only see the simplicity and the effortless implementation that manufacturers and developers across the board are pushing as their representation to the world. We have as few steps as we’ve ever had now between our wallet and the final product.

Watch the company evolve now perfectly in-sync with their renewed brand power. We’re glad to see this legend in the software business keep up with the times behind the scenes as well as on the surface.

Microsoft’s logo update tells us they’re ready for new era is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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.

With Mountain Lion newly available and Windows 8 on the verge of shipping, now was a pretty good time for VMware to update its Fusion virtualization software, dont’cha think? The company just announced Fusion 5 with 70-plus new features, including support for Win 8 and tight integration with OS X 10.8. For instance, you can now view Windows programs in Mountain Lion’s Launchpad, while VMware software updates pop up in the Notification Center. Fusion also supports AirPlay for the first time, and you can also run either Mountain Lion or Mountain Lion Server as a virtual machine. The company also added support for Retina Display MacBook Pros, so that everything looks crisp on that 2,880 x 1,800 screen. Also of note: Fusion now supports USB 3.0, and Linux users get some love in the form of Open GL 2.1 graphics support.

The standard version of Fusion 5 is available now for $49.99, but people who bought Fusion 4 since the release of Mountain Lion can upgrade for free. There’s also a professional version ($100 for one license), which includes all the above features, and also lets IT departments lock down settings for employees’ virtual machines.

Continue reading VMware intros Fusion 5 virtualization software with support for Win 8, integration with Mountain Lion

Filed under: Software

VMware intros Fusion 5 virtualization software with support for Win 8, integration with Mountain Lion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch-friendliness is a centerpiece for the upcoming Office 2013, but don’t fret if you prefer to live in the world of Office Web Apps ahead of time. As of new preview versions of both OWA and Office 365, those using at least an iPad or Windows 8 will see larger, more finger-ready controls by default. The switch also tweaks the text selection, contextual menus and numerous other elements to work properly with the fleshier input, even going so far as to support multi-touch gestures like pinching to zoom. Windows users get a Touch Mode toggle if they’d rather flip back to traditional control methods. While the web support is still experimental and doesn’t have a completion date on the horizon, those willing to live ever so slightly on the edge can stay hooked on Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Word without having to use anything so archaic as a mouse and keyboard.

[Thanks, Suraj]

Filed under: Tablet PCs, Internet

Office Web Apps integrate touch support on iPad and Windows 8, brace us for an Office 2013 world originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to blame Microsoft for making bold decisions with its upcoming desktop operating system. But the renamed Windows 8-style UI (or Modern UI) instead of Metro might be too great a departure from known and trusted interactions found in the previous versions of Windows.

According to Raluca Budiu, User Experience Specialist with Nielsen Norman Group, who gave an interview to Laptop Magazine, some design decisions are confusing at best and, at worst, a cognitive burden that slows down the user.

Budiu used to do research in human-computer interaction at Xerox PARC, the very same company that invented the Graphical User Interface and gives therefore a valuable opinion on user interfaces and user experience.

Budiu states that the main problem with Windows 8 will be that users will have to deal with two completely different interfaces, that is to say the traditional Windows desktop interface and the tile-based Modern UI. Not only will some interactions be drastically different in Windows 8, but users will have to keep track of which action to use in which environment.

In addition to piling up two different user interfaces, Budiu believes that the app switcher is problematic. It shows each Modern style app in its own tile but all the desktop apps are regrouped in one tile. Users will have to remember the apps that are currently running on the desktop in order to avoid going back and forth between the desktop and the Start screen.

When it comes to finding a common point between these changes, the Start screen seems to incur Budiu’s wrath. It is both a waste of screen space and unintuitive. The Start menu button is gone and switching between the desktop and the Start screen is not evident at first — the button is hidden in a corner and you must hover to make it appear.

Many of the Modern interface paradigms are taken directly from Windows Phone 7. Buttons are not in plain view and most of the screen real estate is dedicated to content. It should have been adapted more thoroughly to the desktop environment.

The risks for Microsoft are clear. Windows users might react badly to UI changes by using the desktop interface as much as they can. Some will put off upgrading their operating systems. By stating that they won’t offer to boot straight to desktop, Microsoft is courageous. The question now is whether they will be able to stay the course and whether the Start menu is effectively gone forever.