A number of Google properties are getting a redesign. The new designs are a little more sleeker than previous versions and make Google look a little more modern in terms of the interface that millions of people use. To get a look of which way Google is headed in the designs, look at Google search, Adsense, Analytics, Docs as well as Google+ to get a glimpse of how things look.
The image below shows a leaked shot of what Gmail will look like when it gets a new design. The video showing the new design was uploaded by Google to Youtube and for the few minutes it was online (before being pulled), it also showed a number of new features.
The design is based on the Preview theme already available since June in Gmail. New features include a better way to read emails which are now shown as a conversation along with photos (where available) of the person you are having a discussion with.
Search in Gmail is also getting a little more enhanced. When doing a search the regular operators also pop up for you to select from. At the moment Gmail search requires that you type in sent: from: etc... This will be more automated in the new update.
Another nice set of features revolve around resizing the window, setting the size of each email and adjusting the sidebar. Resizing the Windows now makes the whole Gmail window shrink down a little in size so that it adapts to the current condition. For setting the size of emails you get to choose from options such as Cozy or Compact to name 2 of the three so that you can space messages out or squash them up together. Also, the sidebar is also adjustable. If you use labels more than you chat then you can slide the chat bar down a little to make it smaller and provide more space for your labels to appear.
We don't know when Google [GOOG] will launch the new interface and design, but expect it within the next few months, perhaps within days or weeks if the video was uploaded just a little too early. The team in the first source link below managed to get a copy of the video and re upload it. We don't know if this will be taken off line as well, so take a look while it's still available.
Windows 8 looks like it could do extremely well when it launches. When Microsoft [MSFT] first announced it recently, bloggers around the world were positive with what they saw.
Today we get to take another look at how the OS will work when running on a tablet.
The main focus of the video demonstrates how portrait mode can be used and how the apps can adapt to the aspect ratio of the screen which obviously differs from the landscape mode. What we also get to see is a little more of how multitasking can work as well as how to access the menu bar. If you want to open another running app you slide on the left of the screen and if it's not the right app, you repeat the sliding motion to skip to the next app. The menu bar appears on the right side and is hidden when not used.
Overall, Windows 8 on the tablet looks like it could do very well. As you might be aware, the OS isn't just limited to the tablet form factor though as Microsoft has created the OS to be versatile enough to work on a number of screen sizes with a number of input methods. Enjoy the quick demonstration video below:
Next week could see a new BlackBerry Bold launch numbered the 9980. This new model has a design created by Porsche Design. The device has been previously named the Knight. We are hearing rumours today that indicate the Bold 9980 will be unveiled in Dubai by Porsche and RIM on the 27th October which is next Thursday.
The event is being held in the most impressive skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifam, in the highest restaurant in the world which is called the At.Mosphere.
It is expected that the device will be more of a limited edition due to the design and the exclusive launch. It isn't known if the device will go worldwide or if it will be restricted to a few regions and for people who are willing to pay a little more than average for it.
The hardware is unknown at the moment but we expect it will be similar in specs and performance to the other BlackBerry Bold, the 9900. The main difference is the design of the device from what we can see although RIM might include a few UI tweaks based on the Porsche brand although we're just guessing at this point.
If it does follow along with the technical specs of the Bold 9900 it will come with a 2.8 inch touchscreen and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor. 8GB of RAM is included and the camera can capture at 5 megapixels and has 4x digital zoom.
Windows 8 received quite a warm welcome when it was first announced. The new metro layout along with how it functions on the desktop and tablet was one of the many interesting new features about the operating. Today though, we're taking a quick look at the task manager and although the task manager is a place that's rather boring to visit for most users, Microsoft has made a number of improvements to make it more user friendly.
The image above shows a couple of task managers. The one on the left is what many of you will have on your Windows based PC now. The one on the right is the Windows 8 way of doing things. You'll notice that things are quite a bit more friendly in that the new version simply shows what programs you are running and then allows you to easily close out any programs that cause problems.
The reason it has been made more simple is that research shows that most people navigate around the first 2 tabs and a common thing that users do is kill processes and apps... particularly those that cause the machine to go sluggish.
Although the task manager has been simplified, this is purely in looks from what we understand. Microsoft is making the most used functions available in a more friendly way but also tucks the power away so that it can be accessed if needed.
A heat map has also been added to the task manager and now shows visually which programs are eating up the most resources.
We quite like the look of the new task manager. Take a look at the video below to see a demonstration of it.
