Windows 8 news coverage here

[Jan Veteran]

I hope Microsoft allows desktop developers to set a tile icon - otherwise it's going to look awful :/

[pack34]

I hope Microsoft allows desktop developers to set a tile icon - otherwise it's going to look awful :/

It's just like the phone, you get to design your own.

[Zain Adeel]

be ready for some aweful looking tiles then :p

But i completely disagree. Adding such gradient just for the sake of some depth is stupid.

This goes against the design principles.

When u tap a tile. It turns around and takes the size of a screen. In a sense it has no depth at all. Its just a 2D object in a 3D environment. So adding a gradient seems like it has a curve or depth. I also noticed a glass like border added. I understand the need of a border because some apps may use color of the background of the start screen and those tiles would be hard to make out.

I think ill show a better way to add gradients. But ill need to make new icons for that. Metro icons. :p

[Zain Adeel]

So i had some DP screenshots around and the strength of gradient on the tiles in DP is perfect. I dont understand the need to boost them?

[Subhadip]

I think the gradients are looking bad due to the compression artifacts involved in these heavily compressed leaks. Let's wait to see how CP Start screen looks on our own monitors before dishing out judgments.

[Zain Adeel]

well i am taking that into judgment. Also they changed the hues of IE and Store. Actually like the new tones.

There should be an option to increase or decrease gradient strength pretty much like they had the transparency option for Aero. Its pretty useful and adds alot of depth to customization.

[Zain Adeel]

hi

Here i have made that leaked screenshot. With all the icons in high quality. To give an idea how they look. But what i wana show is the different between the gradients. My mockup uses the same strength gradient as in DP but at 25 degree Angle whereas the CP and DP use 45 degree Angle.

this gives an idea of the change from DP to CP.

Notice new Music and Video icons. And also changed shades. This just shows that the Icons are still up in the air. They are working with many different ones and this all might change when it RTMs. So this shows they are not really dont on anything yet. Changing it again and again to make it look better. Also look how the calendar app has the date in a weird place. Its aligned to nothing. So if this is a latest build there are alot more changes to come. Maybe another CP will follow this CP.

I just hope they reduce the gradient.

EDIT: forgot to mention .. The font for catagories there is not Segoe WP in the leaked screenshot. Its Segoe UI. Notice the I. It has serifs.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Tom Warren over at The Verge now says the Metro style Windows 8 flag is real: http://www.theverge....lag-metro-style

[Dolan]

Tom Warren over at The Verge now says the Metro style Windows 8 flag is real: http://www.theverge....lag-metro-style

Canouna is still saying it's fake!

[Zain Adeel]

Well Canouna and Tom Warren both are correct.

As this is a mockup. Its not the real thing.

Its a mockup of the real new logo (which Tom Warren said exists)

Lets see.

[Zain Adeel]

Also there is a problem with the new logo mockup. Either its a bad one or MS is yet to finalise it.

Because its just four squares with a perspective transform applied to it through Photoshop. But in reality if four squares are to be looked at from this perspective their width will look reduced. That is not the case here. I hope its a bad mockup. An actual design should look something like this if they are going this way and want to respresent tiles in motion.

ill add image later. Also the font is Segoe UI. I think MS are moving to Segoe WP if im not wrong. Now i dont know what font they traditionally use for Windows branding.

[pack34]

hi

Here i have made that leaked screenshot. With all the icons in high quality. To give an idea how they look. But what i wana show is the different between the gradients. My mockup uses the same strength gradient as in DP but at 25 degree Angle whereas the CP and DP use 45 degree Angle.

this gives an idea of the change from DP to CP.

Notice new Music and Video icons. And also changed shades. This just shows that the Icons are still up in the air. They are working with many different ones and this all might change when it RTMs. So this shows they are not really dont on anything yet. Changing it again and again to make it look better. Also look how the calendar app has the date in a weird place. Its aligned to nothing. So if this is a latest build there are alot more changes to come. Maybe another CP will follow this CP.

I just hope they reduce the gradient.

I'm noticing the gradient now. I've been waiting for the consumer preview before I load it on my machine to really see how it looks and feels. Perhaps a subtle texture to go along with the gradients on higher end machines. I'm a big fan of the phone and I love how the phone works but I feel that it's a little too flat when it comes to the UI elements and throwing in a subtle gradient and texture would make the solid colors less intense and more pleasing to the eye. It would be a difficult balance to nail down though so you wouldn't distract from the text and logo on the tiles themselves.

[SMELTN]

You know.. its like someone posted on verge. Just changing the logo direction makes all the difference.

This actually looks ok..

[Zain Adeel]

I bet its real

Here i made a little graphic to compare the leaked logo with the original with Segoe WP and also one where ive showed how the perspective actually looks like when start screen animation takes place.

Notice the heavier font. Its Segoe UI SemiBold.

You know.. its like someone posted on verge. Just changing the logo direction makes all the difference.

This actually looks ok..

yea i agree. Look at my mockup. I changed direction and also fixed the perspective stretch. Which i think looks odd and unrealistic.

[Guest]

Then squish it in a bit...

Oh zain beat me to it, with added style too :p

At this rate, the windows 9 logo with be a flat coloured square.

[Zain Adeel]

ditto!.. thats exactly what im talking about. now its not half bad.

But there is still a problem with such a logo.

The bend seems balanced due to the text next to it. But using it as an icon will make it look very weird. Like on the charms menu.

[Guest]

I kinda feel that if the logo as already seen is legit that they'll probably leave it somewhat like that, I mean as rectangles because it's more like tiles. Maybe they could do something where they combine rectangles and squares into the same form factor but I guess that'd look less like a window and loose it's windows connection.

[Zain Adeel]

You know what i personally think they should do?

Keep the flag like it is.

The flag is great. Tiles are not a flag. Keep the flag But.

Add an animation to it when windows start.

no colors. No nothing. Just the flag with waves and then the waves get stiffer till it turns into 4 solid squares. Thats all they need to promote tile aspect of Windows. Keeping the flag will keep the brand connection as they still have desktop. Lose the flag if they totally move on from desktop UI.

[Guest]

You know what I think would look great? A circle with a dip at the bottom and another part of a circle boolean extracted from the right hand side partially with a sort of pointed ellipse at the top in a single colour. Perfect.

[Quillz]

I don't think that logo looks half-bad. Extremely simple, and yet it's still recognizable as Windows, I think. So long as it remains colored. The mono-color logo (the one in a dark blue/green) looks even more generic.

[FaiKee]

delays,delays,delays :o

http://viennaos.net/microsoft-window...y.html#comment

[Zain Adeel]

ARGG!!!...

but the beta will be out right?

[FireRx]

what part of a urban transportation system inhibits downloading an ISO from MS servers in Redmond?

[pack34]

what part of a urban transportation system inhibits downloading an ISO from MS servers in Redmond?

I'm guessing they want to hold an event to show it off before they distribute.

[tomwarren Veteran]

I don't see how transport strikes in Barcelona will make any difference. The event is being held at a hotel and Microsoft will provide its own transport to and from the hotel for us. The event is still going ahead.