Microsoft trots out Windows 8 mockups circa 2010, details the OS design process (video)

Microsoft trots out Windows 8 mockups circa 2010, details the OS design process (video)

Microsoft's Jensen Harris, who wears the hat of Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience team, showed off some Windows 8 mockups minted in early 2010 during a talk at last summer's UX Week 2012. Now, a video of the presentation has been posted online, giving us a look at the reference designs. Despite roughly two years separating mockup creation and the launch of Windows 8, the OS remained remarkably true to its conceptual roots. During the hour-long talk, Jensen covers the birth of Windows 8, its driving principles and even mentions some distaste for the faux leather aesthetics in some iOS apps, calling them "cheesy visual effects." Hit the adjacent gallery to catch a peek of the early Start screen, on-screen keyboard, Charms Bar and lock screen. For a video of the hour-long talk covering the story of how Redmond's operating system came to be, head past the jump.

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Via: The Verge, istartedsomething

Source: UX Week

Hands-on with the Nyx Mobile Lyuba Max and Fun mockups

Hands-on with the Nyx Mobile Lyuba Max and Fun mockups

When PR reps have something they think is truly special, things can get a little cloak and dagger. While we were hanging around the Nyx Mobile booth, a rep quietly sneaked up on us, to offer a glimpse of two new handset his company is working on. When we enthusiastically agreed (after our heart rate dropped), he led aside -- away from prying eyes -- and produced a pair devices, delicately wrapped in a silk handkerchief, from his suit's inside pocket. We won't lie, things got a tad disappointing when we realized they were non-functioning mockups, but if the company can pull of these frame-less designs we'll be quite impressed. Due to begin manufacturing within the next two or three months, the Lyuba Max and Lyuba Fun aim to make bezels a thing of the past. The lack of a frame on the five-inch, 63mm wide Max makes it even trimmer than the significantly smaller-screened Galaxy Nexus, which checks in at about 68mm wide. While we won't make too many judgments on the feel and design based on a non-functioning prototype we actually found the Max easier to hold and reach all corners of the screen with a single hand than the Nexus or the Note. The four-inch Fun, felt a good half-inch smaller than its specs -- more akin to an iPhone in size.

Both devices will come rocking Ice Cream Sandwich, but it'll be powered by some rather mid-range hardware. Both will pack a 1.2GHz processor, likely of the single-core variety, and neither is boasting impressive screen resolutions. The Max is checking in with a decidedly dated 800 x 480 LCD, while the Fun drops to a lowly HVGA panel. Check out the gallery below for some images of the mockups.

Hands-on with the Nyx Mobile Lyuba Max and Fun mockups originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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