Microsoft brings interactive SpaceTop 3D desktop interface to life

Now that we can navigate a computer screen through gestures, could a three-dimensional interface that recognizes gestures be far behind? According to Jinha Lee, who created a 3D desktop when he interned at Microsoft’s Applied Sciences Group, the future could be closer than you think.

Lee, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad student, showed off his SpaceTop 3D desktop interface at this week’s TED conference in Long Beach, California.

Powered by a transparent LED display and a system of two cameras – with one tracking the user’s gestures and the other watching their eyes to automatically adjust the projection – the SpaceTop 3D interface makes it possible to use your hands to interact with 3D graphic,s like documents and webpages, as if they were physical objects.

Unlike using the Xbox Kinect’s stereoscopic cameras to navigate your video game console from your couch, the SpaceTop interface is designed for you to literally reach your hands under the computer screen to manipulate the 3D projections.

As you can see in the demo below, the ability to manipulate digital objects in 3D makes a lot of sense for engineering and architecture where you can rotate objects with your hands rather than with your computer mouse. Although the interaction is facilitated by a computer and requires you to learn specific gestures to control the SpaceTop interface, it seems like a more intuitive way to use a computer.

There are no plans to bring SpaceTop to market just yet, though we hope a company out there will see the benefit of introducing a more efficient and natural way of using a computer. “It shouldn’t be in the hands of scientists, it should be in the hands of normal people,” Lee said. After all, the technology to bring this type of 3D environment to life clearly exists, so we hope our next computer will have a 3D home screen rather than live tiles.

 

When she is not tinkering with gadgets, Gloria is covering computing news for Digital Trends. She's a regular contributor to Tom's Hardware and Shaw Media, and has previously written for ZDNet and FastCompany.com. She also served as a judge for the 2013 CODiE Awards for the Best Mobile App for Consumers. In her off(line) hours, you will likely find her skating at a rink or watching a hockey game.

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Microsoft announces that Windows Phone Store surpasses 130,000 apps

In this world of smartphones, many manufacturers are doing a pretty decent job of keeping up with all of the advancements in mobile technology. But let’s face it: most normal users aren’t really all too concerned with the processor, contrast ratio, or specifics about the audio formats. They’re interested in battery life, speed, camera, and the number of apps available to download.

It’s the app selection that many operating systems are struggling to keep up with. Of course, iOS and Android dominate the market by a landslide. App offerings are so important, in fact, the beefed up Blackberry App World was one of the biggest selling points for the suffering phone manufacturer when it recently released its new line of phones.

But, ahead of them, is Microsoft. The company just reported on its blog that the Windows Phone Store recently surpassed 130,000 app offerings. To boot, Microsoft is starting to see a huge boost in the number of downloads. The company saw an astounding 91 percent bump in paid app revenue, with an overall download increase of 75 percent. The number of apps downloaded per user has also steadily increased to 55 each.

Helping to increase these downloads, no doubt, is the increase in Windows Phone sales, which, over the 2012 holiday season, increased to four times the normal number. They also claim to have 10 percent of the market share in a number of countries, but didn’t reveal which ones.

Since the launch of the Windows Phone 8 last October, 15,000 pre-existing Windows apps have been upgraded for the latest operating system. And Windows Phone 8 SDK downloads have surpassed 500,000, meaning that this growth is expected to continue, as more and more developers continue to work on creating new apps.

We’re excited to see where all this leads, particularly because we enjoy a little friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition, and it’s nice to see a former underdog begin to make some headway.

Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power Rangers, it's really no surprise that all things digital would continue to inspire Josh to the point that he would one day make a living writing about the things he loves. After graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2006 with a degree in journalism/anthropology, he spent years working as an editor for Travel + Leisure. Josh doesn't look forward to a Cylon takeover, but he does eagerly await the day he can become half cyborg.

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Microsoft Surface tablet now available through Best Buy and Staples

Microsoft has announced that it will expand sales of its Surface tablet to third party retailers.

Some analysts have blamed the Surface tablet’s slow start on its limited retail availability, but now Microsoft is looking to change that. On Tuesday, the longtime PC-software maker announced that it plans to bring the Surface to third party retail locations in addition to its own stores.

“The public reaction to Surface has been exciting to see,” Panos Panay, general manager for Microsoft Surface, said in a statement. “We’ve increased production and are expanding the ways in which customers can interact with, experience and purchase the Surface.”

Microsoft will start rolling out its tablet to stores in the U.S. and Australia beginning in mid-December. On Wednesday, the Windows RT tablet officially made its debut on Best Buy’s website and is expected to hit the company’s brick and mortar locations on Sunday. Staples has also begun offering the tablet through its online store.

“Our plan has been to expand the retail presence for the Surface after the first of every year,” Steve Schueler, corporate vice president for Microsoft Retail Sales and Marketing, said in a statement. “Based on interest from retailers, we are giving them the option to carry Surface with Windows RT even earlier.”

This move directly echoes the words of brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton from earlier this month. In its research notes, the company blamed poor reception of Microsoft’s tablet to a lack of availability and distribution. Detwiler specifically cited Best Buy, saying that the tablet’s minimal exposure at outlets such as these could have been “severely depressing sales.”

In addition to adding the Surface to Best Buy and Staples’ holiday gadget lineup, Microsoft will be extending its holiday pop-up stores into the new year. These retail locations will be made into permanent Microsoft stores or specialty locations, the company said in its statement on Wednesday.

Before today, the tablet was only available through Microsoft’s online store, the company’s 31 retail stores and 34 previously temporary locations. A wider availability could be what Microsoft needs to give the Surface an edge going into the new year. Tablet shoppers will have the chance to get their hands on the device, get a feel for it, and compare it alongside other similar gadgets in person.

Microsoft has not commented on retail availability for its Surface tablet beyond the US and Australia.

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Microsoft sells 40 million Windows 8 copies a month after launch

Despite mixed reviews and rumored slow start, Microsoft claims to have sold 40 million copies of Windows 8 merely a month after it was made available for purchase.

If you’re one of those tried-and-true Windows XP or Windows 7 users who has a strong dislike for Windows 8 and its controversial Metro UI, we’ve got some news for you. You’ll be seeing the OS on more and more computers in the near future. In a blog post written Tuesday by Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc, the company announced that since its October 26 launch, 40 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold to date.

This revelation comes after a number of reports of Windows 8 being off to a slow start, and that Microsoft is failing to reach its target sales numbers. Those reports weren’t difficult to believe either, as opinions about the system’s new user interface have been divided even prior to release due to Windows 8' layout, which is more suited for mobile devices than computers. Moreover, many Windows 7 users are actually fond of – and prefer – their current systems. 

Microsoft selling 40 million licenses within four weeks means Windows 8 has sold as well as Windows 7 did when it was first launched. The much-loved (much, much more than Windows Vista, at least) Windows 7, which became the fastest-selling operating system upon release, also hit the 40 million mark within its first month. According to PCWorld, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer for Windows, Tami Reller, called Windows 8 the company’s biggest project since Windows 95, and said that “Windows 8 is shaping up as one of the company’s most successful products.”

Still, that doesn’t mean there are 40 million people out there using Windows 8. According to Reuters, most of the sales came from PC manufacturers whose computers will ship preloaded with the new operating system, and many of these computers have yet to be bought. Research firm StatCounter puts the actual number of Windows 8 users to roughly 15 million or around 1 percent of the 1.5 billion PC users around the globe. While Microsoft didn’t detail where the 40 million sales came from, Reller – as well as LeBlanc, as evidenced by the blog post announcement – suggests that aside from sales that came from computer manufacturers, the company’s also raking in numbers by way of Windows 8's relatively inexpensive $40 upgrade option. 

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Foxconn linked to own-brand Amazon and Microsoft smartphones again, mid-2013 release currently being targeted

Foxconn has again been linked with Amazon and Microsoft's future own-brand smartphone plans, with the Chinese manufacturer said to be preparing devices for both companies, ready for a mid-2013 release date.

Two of the most enduring mobile industry rumors of the past year have received another boost along the road to becoming reality, as Foxconn may have taken orders from both Microsoft and Amazon to their own-brand smartphones. The report comes from notorious gossipers DigiTimes, which doesn’t instill us with all that much confidence, however it’s not as if the news is coming out of the blue.

Quoting sources inside the “upstream supply chain,” the phones are supposedly headed for a mid-2013 release, but will have a “limited shipment volume initially.” Amazon almost always releases its hardware in the U.S. first, and prefers to wait at least a year before sending them out into the world, so this at least sounds consistent with its previous hardware strategy.

Rumors of Amazon’s smartphone plans started gathering pace during the summer, when several news sources linked Foxconn with the retailer, and mentioned a late 2012 or early 2013 date for when production would begin. Although last minute rumors pointed to the phone being launched at Amazon’s September event, it failed to materialize.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos isn’t helping the rumors surrounding an Amazon phone die either. In an interview with Charlie Rose earlier this month, he responded to a question regarding the mythical device by saying “we’re very reluctant to discuss our future roadmap … I will have to decline to answer that question,” to which Rose responded “because it might incriminate you?” Bezos laughs, “yes, I’ll just have to ask you to stay tuned.” His response was almost verbatim to the one he gave in an interview with CNN Money, again asking us to “stay tuned” regarding an Amazon smartphone. Just before this, Bezos told AllThingsD’s Tricia Duryee that the company would be launching new hardware “not anytime soon, but next year.”

As for Microsoft, any Windows Phone 8 — which DigiTimes sources say the new phone will run — handset it releases will inevitably cause friction between it and its existing hardware partners, so perhaps the new phone will be sold where Windows Phone has yet to make an impact, in a effort to help reduce tension. This would be one explanation for an initially low supply run.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, recently said the company was “obviously” looking at releasing new hardware, but didn’t specifically mention smartphones. However, another source claimed the software company had already started testing such a device.

Microsoft needs Windows Phone 8 to be successful, and in the same way as it used the Surface tablet to promote Windows RT, a Surface phone could give WP8 a boost in new territories too. Several of its partners took a dim view of the Surface tablet, with Acer’s CEO telling the company it was no good at manufacturing hardware. Microsoft hasn’t taken a “tread carefully” approach with its Windows 8 strategy so far, so Acer’s warnings will have likely fallen on deaf ears.

Should a mid-2013 launch date for Amazon and Microsoft’s new phone hardware prove accurate, then the period between June and August next year could be equally as busy as it was this year, when Google, Microsoft and Apple all paraded new hardware and software in front of the world at huge events. However, right now, this is all speculation, and we expect there is plenty more of it to come too.

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How’s your Surface? Microsoft launches owner feedback program

Keen to learn what it's done wrong and what it's done right with its first attempt at a tablet, Microsoft is inviting Surface owners to enroll in a feedback program.

If you spent time carefully examining all the tablets on the market and opted for Microsoft’s Surface RT device, are you happy with the choice you made? Or is there something about it that’s bugging you? Whatever it is – whether it’s the lack of apps, the lousy cameras, or its failure to function as an effective mode of transport as demonstrated by Microsoft’s former head of Windows Steven Sinofsky before he was given the boot, the Redmond-based computer giant wants to hear from you.

Microsoft is inviting anyone with its new tablet to enroll in the Surface Owner Feedback Program, hosted for the company by consumer research firm Gfk. All you need to do is fill out a short online form with a few personal details together with your device’s 12-digit serial number (located on the back of the Surface’s box or on the back of the device itself).

In a couple of weeks, you’ll receive an email from Microsoft inviting you to tell them about your experiences with its tablet, giving you the perfect opportunity to totally let rip on why things really aren’t working out, or gush with gratitude over how it has changed your life and made you a better person.

While the company has no doubt been monitoring blogs and forums to gauge the response to its new mobile offering, its feedback program will allow it to better organize and evaluate the collected data, enabling it to better understand what it’s done right and where it’s messed up.

The launch of the Surface in October marked the computer company’s first attempt at making its own branded computing device as it tries to play catch-up in an increasingly crowded market. Check out DT’s in-depth review of the Surface here.

Oh, and anyone in two minds about enrolling in Microsoft’s feedback program might be interested to know that the company will enter everyone who signs up into a draw. The prize? A bunch of accessories for your tablet worth $200. Your Surface tablet, that is.

[Windows Observer via TNW]

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Microsoft also unveiling Windows Phone 8 at event in Spain

Microsoft is set to hold an event on October 29th for Windows Phone 8 in Madrid, Spain. The company plans to unveil the next version of its mobile operating system to the world, which will pave the way for hardware to be released and carriers to begin rolling out new plans for Windows Phone 8 devices. Much like Munich, Germany and Milan in Italy, Microsoft appears to be attempting to synchronise each event to progress simultaneously.

Windows Phone Central will be heading along to the events that are being held in San Francisco and merry ol' London, so be sure to stay tuned to our feed and homepage for all the details from the day.

via: WindowsPhoneApps.es

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Microsoft tightens rules surrounding customer privacy and personal data collection

Microsoft, the company that has been plagued by security concerns with Internet Explorer in the past, has announced that it would change its new disclosure policy to inform customers explicitly that it will not use personal information obtained from product and service usage. This will protect customers from data being passed onto third-party companies for marketing and advertising.

This action follows a letter sent from Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and co-chairman of the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus, to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressing concern about the policy, which went into effect last Friday. Markey pointed out that Microsoft's new services agreement gave the company leeway to collect and use personal information obtained from consumers of both Hotmail and its recently launched Outlook.com email services.

Microsoft has issued a statement on the matter:

"One thing we don’t do is use the content of our customers’ private communications and documents to target advertising. We could have been clearer about this when we rolled out our updated Services Agreement. We appreciate the feedback we’ve received, and as a result, we will update the agreement as soon as possible to make that point absolutely clear."

According to the New York Times report, the policy provided Microsoft identical rights as Google, which actively scans contents of emails sent through Gmail. We've previously covered Microsoft's humorous Gmail Man campaign, which pokes fun at the search giant's desire to creep through messages sent and received by users. As well as this, Verizon was in the spotlight last week by selling accumulated customer data to third-parties for marketing purposes.

The Gmail Man

Speaking of Internet Explorer, Microsoft has stated that a "do not track" option will be set as default to true, which will protect users from having web browsing information collected by Microsoft. It's good to see the company react to such concerns, as privacy is particularly important to users, especially with consumers being ever more connected to the Internet.

Source: NY Times; Microsoft

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Microsoft Windows 8 Launch live stream and chat

Today, Microsoft is launching Windows 8 OS today (8:15 a.m. PDT/11:15 a.m. EDT) and above is the Live stream (Silverlight required, will probably fail). Watch and join our live chat room after the break!

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Microsoft opening up Microtropolis in New York, all are welcome

Oh, looking very abstract indeed.

No, it's not an upcoming movie. A new article has been published on the Windows Experience Blog, which details something special that Microsoft has planned for New York. With the imminent release of both Windows 8 and Window Phone 8, as well as Xbox, Office and other product goodness, the company is going social. Literally.

The Microsoft team has created a stylised one hundred and sixty foot version of New York City in an art installation, named Microtropolis. It's stated to be Manhattan experienced through Windows 8, with the erected city acting as a backdrop for the ultimate Windows hands-on experience. Sounds extreme so far, right? Hold onto your hats, it gets better.

Walking into the installation Microsoft has created, one will actually be wandering through avenues and streets with visible skyscrapers above. The interactive experience boasts hundreds of devices located on rooftops within the city, customised to the neighbourhoods in which they are situated. It's a bold attempt to create an immersive experience using products.

A total of twenty-five neighbourhoods will each light up with content that represents people, places and culture that make them stand apart. Microsoft intends to use Windows 8 to show attendees how it can be personalised to create a more individualised experience compared to previous versions of Windows.

"Notable New Yorkers helped us curate Start Screens with the apps and websites they felt best experienced and explore the neighborhoods they call home. To see their curated Start Screens on the various devices is akin to getting an insider’s tour of the city."

A number of individuals and institutions famed for contributions to New York will serve as curators for Microtropolis, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, Keren Craig of Marchesa, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, the cast of Annie the Musical on Broadway and more.

Should you be in New York between October 26th and November 3rd, you're welcomed by Microsoft to head on down to the event at Hudson River Park's Pier 57 to check out Windows 8, Surface tablets and a number of OEM partner products available. A number of talks and events are planned to be held, with a full calendar available over on the Windows Experience blog post.

Below is a list of public events:

Open hours of Microtropolis

Stop in to experience the city with no RSVP or invite needed:

Oct 27: 12pm-6pm*

Nov 1–3:  10am-6pm*

*The shop where one can purchase Surface will be open until 10pm.

Surface shop at Microtropolis:

Be one of the first to explore and purchase Surface by visiting our store.

Oct 25: midnight-1am

Oct 26-27: 10am-10pm

Nov 1-3: 10am-10pm

XBOX Video goes to the movies at Microtropolis

Catch a few minutes of a favorite New York movie or settle in with some popcorn for the full feature. Xbox Video adds to the vibe of Microtropolis with famous NYC flicks projected onto the walls surrounding the city. Screening Manhattan, Muppets Take Manhattan, King Kong (1933) and Ghostbusters. No RSVP or invitation needed.

Oct 27: 10am-6pm

Take a tour in Microtropolis

Real NYC Tours take visitors on hourly tours around the stylized city, giving real information about New York as they guide people from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. No RSVP or invite needed.

Nov 1: 10am-6pm

Nov 2: 10am-2pm

Nov 3: 10am-6pm

Vimeo watches videos in Microtropolis

A day of short films and interviews with some of Vimeo’s most exciting New York directors. The best, most artistic and creative films of the city, presented by Vimeo. RSVP recommended via the Windows Facebook page on or after 10/25, but not required.

Nov 2: 2:30pm-6:30pm

There are also a number of private and RSVP events that requires one to head on over to the Windows Facebook page to reserve a spot on desired activities. As mentioned above, such events are listed over on the Windows Experience Blog.

Be sure to check out and follow @Microtropolis on Twitter, read up on more details on the website or by searching through the #microtropolis hashtag.

Source: Windows Experience Blog

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Elop: Nokia and Microsoft unveiling all of Windows Phone 8 tomorrow

Image from the WSJ Live interview with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop

In an online video interview just posted to WSJ Live, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop discusses Nokia’s strategy going forward with Windows Phone, their regular phone business and what to expect tomorrow.

While no specifics were revealed, it has been confirmed that Nokia will be showing off a fully-functional Windows Phone 8 OS on their new devices—rubbing the point home that Samsung was unable to do this just a week ago. From the interview..

“Any company can choose to stand up and hold a device and say “We’re launching it”. We’re proud, tomorrow, to be showing the very first working Windows Phone 8 device with everything unveiled”

Elop also drives the point home that they will be unveiling new consumer features in their hardware not done by other Windows Phone vendors, nor even Apple—an experience that they need to “break through” to consumers but are confident that they can.

Finally, Elop mentions how these will be the first devices where you see Nokia’s research and development (R&D) team's “full power” brought to consumers, things that have been “years in the making”.

Needless to say, we’re excited and are ready to be impressed. Tune into Windows Phone Central early tomorrow morning for our live coverage of the Nokia event as we’re on location in NYC.

Source: WSJ Live; Thanks, TheAsbo, for the tip

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Microsoft fixes Marketplace certificate issue for Windows Phone. App submissions are a go.

News Posted on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 5:04 pm EDT by Daniel Rubino

Marketplace fix has been applied but it may take a day or two deploy

As expected, Microsoft has begun deploying the digital certificate fix for the Marketplace that has resulted in some Windows Phone users unable to either install or update a select few apps (notably WhatsApp, NY Times and Translator). In a recent change to the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Todd Brix notes:

“We fixed the digital certificate problem and last evening resumed publishing new apps. It will take a day or two for the repair to fully deploy and newly-published apps to begin appearing in Marketplace again.  If your app was in the process of being published, you don’t need to take any action.  We have applied the fix and the app will continue through the certification and publishing workflow as normal.”

Of course as mentioned above that does not mean you can now instantly re-install or update those apps with issues as it can take time for the changes to rollout across their servers. Still, users should be begin to see updates by the end of the weekend.

Let us know in comments if you have had any success. Thanks, ThisIsMetro, for the heads up

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Are Nokia and Microsoft planning a surprise launch for Windows Phone 8?

How close are we to a Nokia Windows Phone 8 device?

If there is one thing we can say about Nokia and Microsoft lately is that both companies have faith in their products. Whatever the sales or marketshare figures show, the Windows Phone OS and Nokia hardware are a brilliant combo.

So we’re relishing the words by Chris Webber, Nokia’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, who Tweeted this morning a nice little message to rival Samsung:

“Samsung take note, next generation Lumia coming soon.”

It is a bit unusual for companies to directly call each other out so publicly, which is why this probably has garnered so much attention. If we wanted to deconstruct that tweet a bit we could highlight the usage of “note” by Weber as a hint to Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phone 8 plans. Samsung has quite successfully launched and sold a few GALAXY Notes in recent months (see our hands on when we compared it to the HTC Titan).

While there is no evidence that Nokia will be offering a massive 5”+ device come early September, rumors around the Nokia ‘Phi’ have suggested a device with a quite large 4.65” screen, akin to the HTC Titan series. (We’ve previously expressed to Nokia the desire for large screen devices back at Mobile World Congress; at the very least they were interested in our appeal).

Then again, that’s probably reading a bit too much into it and instead was just a playful jab at Samsung. But it does raise some other interesting questions for discussion.

The Lumia line of phones for Nokia so far have been a critical success but it remains to be seen if they can catch on with mass adoption. With what appears to be an accelerated launch plan, Microsoft and Nokia may be rushing their next-generation devices to market sooner than expected.

Gearing up for production?

Those recent leaks of parts for upcoming Nokia handsets suggest that pre-production units have already rolled out and mass-production is gearing up. That’s good news as we may be getting some Nokia devices with Windows Phone 8 sooner than the previously anticipated “end of October” timeframe.

With Apple expected to announce the iPhone 5 on September 12th, Nokia and Microsoft will beat them to the punch for revealing their next contender for Über-smartphone one week earlier.

But Apple is still predicted to actually launch their phone sooner. That’s because Apple enjoys unparalleled control over the OS and hardware that Microsoft lacks, not to mention the ability to dictate launch-dates to carriers. For even if Microsoft and Nokia have their next-generation Lumia ready, it still needs to bend to a carrier’s launch cycle (presumably AT&T, maybe Verizon) adding a wrinkle to any planned “surprise” unveiling. And that’s really the issue here: How long will we have to wait until we can actually purchase a Nokia Windows Phone 8 device?

At the very least, it does look like Microsoft and Nokia are fast-tracking plans, which shows a new, more agile strategy for both companies.  That’s good news. But are we now expecting too much, too soon?

Let’s hope they adapt well and don’t disappoint come September 5th.

Windows Phone Central will be covering the Nokia-Microsoft event live from NYC, on September 5th starting at 9:30am ET.

Source: Twitter;  Tweet Image and via: Pocketnow

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What's in a color? The influence of Nokia on Microsoft design.

Microsoft all of a sudden loves cyan & magenta, we wonder why. Oh, right...

Throw this under just observations we’ve noticed in the last few months with some of Microsoft’s new hardware but it looks to us like they are adopting some of Nokia’s more bold design efforts.

The latest being the usage of cyan and magenta for some of their hardware, like the Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, which gained two new Nokia colors this week.

These colors look familiar

Whether it’s the Surface coming with a cyan or magenta cover/keyboard, the new mouse colors, Nokia’s Lumia line or the new color schemes in Windows 8, Microsoft seems to have ripped some of the design principles right of Nokia’s book.

Or perhaps this is part of that deeper partnership growing between the two companies? After all, they are swapping services with each other and working closely on that whole Windows Phone thing, so much so that both companies are doing a joint-press conference on September 5th. That’s a first for Windows Phone.

Those design principles are really nothing new, of course. Nokia discussed this at length on their Conversations blog in the past, describing the theory on colors. In an interview with Tiina Aarras, a design at Nokia, the following inspiration was presented for the Lumia line of colors:

Returning to the idea of purity, Aarras was inspired by the CMYK colour group (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black) which was invented as a primary colour group for printing when newspapers began to produce colour comic strips in the 1890s.

“Those colours are pure, defined and exceptional. They’re distinctive modern design icons and people recognise them. Because these are primary colours they contrast with each other – put them together with a black glass screen, and they are ideal for producing a bold and confident approach.”

Much like Metro UI (or whatever it will be called), the focus on pure and simple colors is a brilliant and obvious design choice, one that Microsoft now seems to be embracing.

Cyan and more cyan.Yes, please!

Microsoft never received too much credit for some of their consumer hardware offerings, but their mice, webcams, keyboards and even devices like the Zune HD and yes, Kin, do push the boundaries on design with often great (but under-appreciated) results. Now with Nokia in the mix, they seem to be getting that extra edge to really have products that just “pop” when you look at them—why else is the Surface so fascinating if it weren’t for that design and those colors?

The joke in fashion is often that “black is the new black” but in this case, we’re going with cyan and magenta as being the “it” colors this year and next. Let’s watch what both Microsoft and Nokia do with colors and design over the next few months, as our bet is we’ll see even more overlap.

And we’re thrilled with that idea.

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