Futurecat - Michael Karek

With the Windows Phone Developer Tools in Beta and Windows Phone 7 in Technical Preview, now is the time for you to build Windows Phone 7 apps in earnest. We have refreshed our developer documentation to help you build those apps, and we have two, new design-focused documents to help you make them look beautiful.

First up, the UI Design and Interaction Guide for Windows Phone 7 v2.0 has been updated from the ground up for beta. With additional information and a new layout we hope you will find more readable, this guide provides detailed information about UI elements and controls, UI system behaviors, and the interaction model for the touch interface based on the design system internally named Metro. Designers and developers should read this guide to learn about the dos and don’ts of UI implementations for their Windows Phone apps. We’ve made it easier to find specific guidance by putting it in bold in the right-hand column of each page.

Also available are the Design Templates for Windows Phone 7. These are a collection of 28 layered Photoshop template files and the Segoe WP font family that can be used to create pixel-perfect application layouts, to help guide UI development, or to pitch an idea. These design templates showcase many controls that are a part of the Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta. They also include examples of controls that are a part of Windows Phone, but are not available as a part of the Windows Phone Developer Tools.

Let us know what you think. If you have suggestions or feedback about these design resources, please email us at wp7des@microsoft.com and help spread the word – if you find these resources helpful, please tweet about them.

Eine gute Nachricht kurz vor dem Wochenende für alle Anwender, die einen Multitouch-fähigen PC oder Laptop besitzen: Das Microsoft Touch Pack kann jetzt von allen Benutzer eines Original-Microsoft Windows frei heruntergeladen werden. Microsoft Touch Pack…(read more)

Gastbeitrag von Georg Binder , selbständiger IT-Dienstleister und Autor von windowsblog.at . Nun, unbedarfterweise könnte man ja auf die Idee kommen und einfach einen Rechtsklick auf das Windows Verzeichnis zu machen und auf Eigenschaften zu gehen: Demnach…(read more)

I’m Kurt Brockett, Director of UX Evangelism at IdentityMine. We’re a user experience (UX) company specializing in Microsoft presentation technologies. In 2005 we hitched a ride on the Avalon train that morphed into Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) released in .NET 3.0. This is the technology root that has grown to include Silverlight, Microsoft Surface and most recently the preferred way to build touch applications in Windows 7.

Our foray into Sports & Entertainment started with a relationship we established with the New Orleans Saints. This past summer we created an application on Microsoft Surface that assists the team in searching and organizing stats and cross-referencing them with the vast video libraries they currently store. Our work with the Saints led to an introduction to the Miami Dolphins who were in the unique position of playing host to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl this year.

As a host organization, Miami was interested in demonstrating leadership by using specialized technologies within Sun Life Stadium for these two high-profile events as a first step in a venue wide rollout strategy. Today, the pursuit of success in professional sports is to increase sponsorship revenue while providing an enjoyable and compelling fan experience. The use of digital signage within venues can only take a brand so far before it crosses the line into distracting from the sport. Additionally, the actual effect of that type of advertising is impossible to measure. To combat this, IdentityMine has created a portfolio of application experiences which compels fans to interact with team and sponsor content due to their compelling and intuitive nature.

These unique experiences require a complete package from the software, hardware, operating system, and physical environment. Identity Mine and Microsoft teamed up with HP to place 30 of their new TouchSmart PCs in numerous luxury suites. In addition, the Microsoft Surface team provided 5 units that were used in various high-traffic areas.

Here’s a picture of our team doing a bit of the setup:

Chad Brown setting up one of the Microsoft Surface units.

The experiences we built are all built utilizing Windows Presentation Foundation targeted at both Windows 7 and Microsoft Surface. Below is a quick tour of the software applications that were deployed.

Flashcards – Fans were able to play memory and matching games with NFL specific content. In the sample set below you will see that users matched logos to their favorite NFL Teams.

Super Bowl Highlight Reel: Utilizing touch, fans were able to search a library of Super Bowl highlight content and play their favorite moments in Super Bowl history.

Merchandise Selector: Fans discovered and visualized various Super Bowl XLIV and NFL team merchandise that was available for purchase in the Club Level during the game. This experience leveraged Microsoft Tag technology allowing fans to capture links to the products directly on their Mobile Phones for later purchase.

Digital Memories: A touch-enabled experience allowed team and league executives and marketing partners the ability to review catalogs of photos taken during the festivities leading to game day including the exclusive Commissioner’s Ball and owners pre-party held at the Viceroy in Miami.

Miami Beach Sand: A beach themed entertainment application that illustrated the unique touch and gesture-enabled properties of Microsoft Surface and Windows 7. This application became an entertaining way for fans to uncover unique sponsored tokens “beneath” the “sand”.

 
(Above far right) Mark Brown of IdentityMine with some younger fans digging into Miami Beach Sand.

The experiences were a hit in the suites and the attendees were able to relive the event through relevant and recent content available within 24 hours of an event, bringing a personalization aspect that can’t be achieve utilizing static technologies. Additionally IdentityMine, Microsoft and HP were able to demonstrate to all the franchises in the NFL the real business and entertainment value that touch enabled interactive experiences can bring the sports and entertainment world.

We’re excited by this initial rollout and are currently working with other franchises to bring customized experiences to many more fans. For more information on IdentityMine services visit www.identitymine.com and be sure to come see us in the Commons Showcase area at the upcoming MIX10 conference being held in March in Las Vegas, NV.

Gastbeitrag von Ralf Schnell , Technical Evangelist in der Developer Platform & Strategy Group und zuständig für Windows Server 2008, ITIL und das Microsoft Operations Framework . Ein Kunde kontaktierte mich gestern mit dieser Frage: In seiner Windows…(read more)

Channel 9’s Larry Larsen pinged me earlier today to let me know of a video they just posted to Channel 9 on the default background in Windows 7. Larry was able to talk to Denise Trabona who is a Senior UX (User Experience) Lead on the Windows Design and Research Team. Denise shares insight into how we went about designing the default background see on Windows 7 desktops (the default) and also the logon screen. If you’re someone interested in UI and the thought processes behind how and why we make things look the way they do in Windows, this video is just for you.

Denise also stopped by Channel 9 back in August to talk to Larry about the other fantastic backgrounds see in Windows 7. You can check that video out here.

Another post worth checking out is this post from the E7 blog. In this post, Karen Wong who is a Program Manager on the Core User Experience Team shares how we designed the Windows 7 boot animation.

Gastbeitrag von Georg Binder , selbständiger IT-Dienstleister und Autor von windowsblog.at . Microsoft hört tatsächlich auf Feedback – man kann im Explorer endlich ohne Zusatzprogramm oder eigenartiger Abfolge über das Menü einen neuen Ordner erstellen…(read more)

An inaccurate quote has been floating around the Internet today about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was “borrowed” from Mac OS X.  Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed. If you’re interested in learning more about the design of Windows 7, I suggest reading this AP story with Julie Larson-Green as well as these WSJ (membership required) and Fast Company articles. And here is one of many blog posts on the E7 blog discussing the design process of Windows 7.

Gastbeitrag von Georg Binder , selbständiger IT-Dienstleister und Autor von windowsblog.at . Natürlich hat sich nicht nur im Hintergrund einiges getan, auch rein beim “Fensterlschubsen” gibt es *brauchbare* Neuerungen, die letztlich alle nur ein Ziel…(read more)

Today’s launch is something Corel’s software teams have been looking forward to for many months. Windows 7 and Windows Touch are the most exciting things we’ve seen in computing for a long time.

To coincide with the launch of Windows 7, Corel has released two all-new products that re-invent the typical menu-driven user experience, offering consumers more expressive and interactive creative environments. Engaging and dramatically different UI designs let users get the most out of Windows 7 by providing a more natural way of interacting with your PC. It’s all about removing barriers to creativity. Nothing gets between you and your inspiration.

Windows Touch has given our software teams the opportunity to push the limits of user experience. Sometimes computing can feel a bit detached – you sit at your computer, input info with your keyboard and mouse, and see the results displayed on screen. But with our new interface designs and Windows Touch, the computing experience gets an entirely new personal dimension, solidifying the PC’s place as the creative hub of the home.

Watch the video called “A new kind of software” at www.corel.com/windows7 to see Corel’s user experience designer, Jennifer Fraser, explain how Windows 7 and Windows Touch impacted our software design. Jennifer discusses how this amazing new OS offered Corel’s development team the opportunity to offer new experiences that foster creativity and build stronger connections between users and their content, whether it’s a painting, family snapshot or home movie. Jennifer explains our overall approach to designing consumer creative products and gives a quick glimpse at two of our new Windows Touch-enabled products, Corel Digital Studio 2010 and Corel Paint it! Touch, which was announced today.

With our long history of working closely with Microsoft, particularly around the introductions of new operating systems, we speak from experience when we say that they’ve really got it right with Windows 7. This new platform offers unprecedented power and stability, enabling Corel to deliver products that help customers create, connect and interact with their home PC in ways never before possible.

Joe Roberts
Executive Vice President – Products