Developer SweetLabs released a Windows 8 version of its popular and free software utility Pokki in October, which adds its version of a Start menu to the desktop UI. In December, the company announced it had 500,000 Windows 8 downloads of Pokki.
Today, SweetLabs made two new announcements. One is that Pokki has now seen 1.5 million Windows 8 downloads since its launch and the other is that the software program has received a major UI revamp. SweetLabs says the new interface has "improved visual clarity, discoverability, and readability in the Menu." It also has a thinner design for the Start menu that allows for more room to place Windows 8 app icons.
SweetLabs has included a new "Light" version of the UI that will be the default theme from now on, although users are free to switch to the regular theme. The Pokki Notifications panel has also been moved in the new version to become a dropdown box. SweetLabs says this allows for a "reduced Start menu width and easy access to alerts from your favorite apps."
The new version also has an improved search function for quicker access to apps, files and folders. The revamp includes a better way to access Windows settings, including the ability to show recently used apps, a way to add files and folders to the favorites panel of the Pokki Menu from Windows Explorer and a way to customize the Sidebar shortcuts. Finally, users can now switch the taskbar button from showing the Pokki acorn to the familiar Windows logo.
Source: SweetLabs | Images via SweetLabs
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