Hasta La Gadget!

If Microsoft can’t use the Metro name, no one else can. Not in its company-owned Windows Store, at least. An update to the Windows 8 app criteria guide explicitly tells developers that any submitted Windows Store app with Metro in the title will “fail certification” — effectively, it’s banned. There’s a certain irony to the aggressive stance on naming when Microsoft itself still mentions Metro prominently across many of its pages, but the restriction isn’t a laughing matter for developers already trying to support an OS that doesn’t ship for another two months. One of the most popular apps in the pre-release Windows Store, MetroTwit, likely faces imminent exile without a name change; there’s also worries that mass transit apps might get the boot for entirely innocuous uses of the word. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on its legal rights in the area. In the meantime, it’s safe to say that “metro” is only to be spoken in hushed tones anywhere near Microsoft’s official content portals.

Update: Word from WPCentral is that the language restricting developers from using the Metro name wasn’t a new addition to the Windows 8 app criteria guide. Turns out, it was an older error that has since been removed. Rejoice, developers! It appears that the word is not off limits. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for confirmation and will update when we hear back.

Filed under: Software

Microsoft bans use of Metro name in Windows Store apps (Update: May not be banned after all) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MarkedUp, Ars Technica  |  Windows Dev Center, WPCentral (Update)  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft might be wavering on the well established Metro moniker that it ascribes to its flat, live tile design aesthetic, but that doesn’t make it any less pervasive in Windows 8’s final build. Care to see? Impatient Windows fans have pilfered a handful of screenshots from Google and Windows Store previews, revealing what appears to be the final look for several of Windows 8’s apps. Gumshoes at the Neowin forums uncovered fresh previews of the Photos, Mail, Messaging, People, Calendar Xbox music, Xbox video and Xbox SmartGlass applications. Liveside followed up on the forum’s findings with a peek at the OS’ baked in Bing integration. The camera interface’s crop and video playback features make an appearance too, as do the operating system’s legacy time wasters: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong — slacking off never looked so good. Check them out for yourself in the gallery below, and agonize over how far away October 26th suddenly seems.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

Windows 8’s stock apps get pictured, tease its final build originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Neowin, Liveside  | Email this | Comments