Microsoft's Windows 8 UI undergoes another name change
Microsoft admitted it was abandoning the "Metro" name to describe its design language for Windows 8 in August after threats of a potential lawsuit from a German company surfaced.
At the time, Microsoft claimed "Metro" was merely a codename used during W8's development, and that it would switching it to a broader term closer to launch was always part of the plan.
Now, new information has surfaced indicating Microsoft is once again flip-flopping on the name of its UI design in the wake of ditching "Metro."
Microsoft design style
Based on terminology discovered in Microsoft's app design guidelines for Windows 8, it appears the company is opting for "Microsoft design style" as the final replacement for "Metro."
Any and all mentions of "Metro" have been seemingly stricken from the record, as Microsoft readies itself for the consumer launch of Windows 8 on Oct. 26.
Curiously, the new term isn't capitalized, giving some credence to the thought the title is more of a descriptor than an actual branded name.
For now, consumers and developers are stuck with this new branding, which doesn't exactly speak to simplicity like "Metro" or Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Having already gone through nearly half-a-dozen different names just to describe the look of the Windows 8 user interface, it wouldn't be that surprising to see yet another change happen in the future.
Bored of your One X? Fed up of the small storage and slow processor? Well, HTC has got a treat for you.
The One X+ is a step change from the original, but like the Sensation to XE transition, this is more incremental than complete overhaul.
The main change visually is the new matte finish, which, well, seems to make the black a little bit darker.
On top of that are new red accents adorning the softkeys on the front and around the camera - once again, very reminiscent of the HTC Sensation XE with its Beats Audio branding.
Speaking of that music boosting system, HTC has lumped a separate amplification chip under the speaker to boost sound, making bass sound bassier and separating out the vocal and mid-range sounds to produce a more pure sound.
It does actually work; while we wouldn't condone it for playing any music out loud on a bus, if you're watching a movie (privately and not within reach of others' ears) then it's certainly a step up.
You may notice a similar situation on the new HTC Windows Phone 8X, but that device has two amplifiers, for the speaker and the headphone jack, whereas we've just got the one of the One X+.
What else is new? Well, it's running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, comes with an updated overlay (cleverly dubbed HTC Sense 4+) and new features that allow easier access to photography and video apps.
The latter is based on HTC Watch 2.0, a more homogenous system that aggregates all your video-playing apps in one place. This is something HTC told TechRadar last year it would be bringing to the service, although it's odd that it's taken this long to appear.
HTC has been hard at work under the hood too, upgrading the inner components to ensure a longer-lasting, more hard-working One X is available to consumers. The battery has been updated to 2100mAh, the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor sped up to 1.7GHz and the internal storage increased to 64GB.
It's the first and last stats that really got us intrigued there, as the battery was the real problem with the original One X, and the larger internal storage makes up for the lack of microSD slot.
We're a bit perplexed over the need to speed up the CPU, as realistically there's no need for an extra 0.2GHz on each core, given it could have an impact on battery life.
Consumers won't notice much in terms of use (the original One X was hardly a slouch when it came to whizzing around under the finger) so it's a curious decision beyond just giving the Taiwanese firm something to shout about in terms of headline specs.
Android 4.1 is on board, giving access to Google Now and bringing with it Project Butter to make the OS that little bit smoother again. That's on top of Sense 4+, which brings slight tweaks like the Hub updates we mentioned earlier, slight camera UI alterations (you can now see how many pics you've got left, for instance) as well as keeping the camera running when you press the power button for easy access.
The front facing camera now raises its game to include a 1.6MP sensor, but more importantly it runs using the same imaging chip that's improved the camera quality of HTC's One series pretty effectively.
Things like autocorrecting pictures and smoothing out skin tone for portrait photos, as well as giving a little countdown before taking, show HTC has thought about the core audience for front facing pictures… it's a shame it doesn't automatically add duck lips and a fake tan for the ultimate teenage Facebook profile pic.
Another key feature of the HTC One X+ is the phone is PlayStation Certified, so will be able to make good use of the store when it goes on line later this year for improved gaming and such. Here's hoping that the Tegra 3 chip is less of a drain on power with the HTC One X+, as it was this area that let the first phone down so much.
The Media Link HD connection is once again strong on this HTC device, meaning that a simple three finger swipe will allow easy connection with your streaming device. HTC promises us that this has been updated as an app on the phone as well as on the device itself, as our previous tests were hugely disappointing.
However, combined with the reasonably-priced Watch service, we can see this being a bigger hit in the months to come.
The rest of the phone functions exactly the same as the HTC One X did in terms of performance, meaning we noticed no obvious slowdown in the use neither of the phone nor on the internet.
The web browser was phenomenally fast, even on a slower Wi-Fi connection, and even though the HTC One X+ won't be coming with a 4G flavour in Europe. This is again curious, as territories such as the US will get a quad core LTE version of the phone, but presumably the bands used aren't compatible with UK 4G.
Early verdict
Overall, the HTC One X+ is a good, good phone. It builds well on the power of the HTC One X and looks to iron out the bugs with the improved battery life and Android 4.1 on board too.
It's still got the same decent design and upgraded storage to 64GB is more than most will ever need, even with a strong HD video library and too many music tracks.
The display is clear and crisp, and the 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 screen is excellent under the touch as well. We're fans of the red accents, and the camera software is still top notch.
However, the only problem we can see is the fact it's going to be a little confusing to consumers how this phone is obviously different from the One X. It would be unfair to call it a whole new name, as it's too close to the original in terms of specs, but adding a + will annoy those that have forked out for the current One X and thought it was HTC's favourite.
We remember when the Sensation XE emerged to ruin the image of the original Sensation, and unless the One X gets a real price drop it's going to struggle to sell anything.
But on the plus side, the HTC One X+ release date has been set for early October, and the price – likely to be under £500 SIM free – looks very palatable indeed, especially when compared to the ridiculous cost of the iPhone 5.
We'll see how this one fares in the market, but there's a very good chance it could be our number one smartphone of 2012. For all the criticism above, that's only because it's so similar to the One X already, and that's a very, very good phone to be building on.
Google has passed Microsoft to become the world's second most valuable technology company.
It’s all-change at the top of the financial market charts, as old-hand Microsoft has been toppled from its lofty position as the second most-valuable technology company in the world, by young upstart Google.
At the close of trading on Monday, Google narrowly topped Microsoft’s total value, with reports showing Google hitting a valuation of $249.1 billion (Bloomberg.com puts the figure at $249.9 billion) compared to Microsoft’s $247.2 billion. The New York Post shows that the trend was evident when trading opened too, although the gap was much smaller at $248.8 billion for Google and $248.1 billion for Microsoft.
On the surface it appears that Microsoft’s stock has been falling, but it’s the opposite, as its share price has stayed fairly steady over the past few months, with a positive upturn occurring recently. But Google’s stock has been steadily rising, and a sudden drop-off for Microsoft provided the catalyst for the position swap.
Google is fresh from its astonishing performance during the second quarter of 2012, where IDC reported that 85-percent of all smartphones shipped between April and June this year had Android installed, giving the OS a massive 68-percent market share.
Microsoft on the other hand, should be in a similar position, with plenty of attention focused on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Both are due for release very soon — October 26 for Windows 8 and potentially, November for Windows Phone 8 — and hardware manufacturers have been busy announcing products for both. It’s surprising then, to see Microsoft slip at this stage.
So, with Google moving into second position, you may be thinking that it’s only a short leap before it become the world’s number one most valuable tech firm. While this is always possible, the leap is far from being short, as Apple holds the number one spot at the moment, and is worth more than Google and Microsoft combined at $618.1 billion.
Future Kindle Fires likely to be impacted by TI change of direction
Despite the explosive growth of wireless mobile devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, at least one longtime chipmaker looks to be shying away from that market.
Reuters reported that Dallas-based chipmaker Texas Instruments has started to expand its business beyond investments in mobile wireless, which currently includes powering Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet.
Amazon's latest Kindle Fire, the Kindle Fire HD, sports a TI OMAP 4470 processor.
In a webcast meeting with investors, Greg Delagi, TI's senior vice president for embedded processing, painted mobile as "less attractive" for the company moving forward, which analysts view as the beginning of the end of the company's smartphone and tablet ambitions.
Investor reaction
"TI made it very clear they no longer want to be in the business of proving application processors for smartphones or tablets," remarked Longbow Research analyst JoAnne Feeney to Reuters. "What remains uncertain is for how long they'll support customers."
For the time being, TI promises to continue supporting mobile application chip customers, but won't invest as heavily into its future roadmaps where tablets and smartphones are concerned.
Texas Instruments plans to instead focus its efforts on industrial clients, such as auto makers, where the company sees future growth for its embedded chip business.
Judging from the company's stock, the announcement on Tuesday made investors nervous, with a three percent decline over worries that TI's new direction would adversely affect their bottom line.
Little chip causing third-party adapters lots of problems (credit: Gizmodo)
If you're looking to save cash after dropping some change on the new iPhone 5, third-party Lightning adapters aren't the way to go.
Thanks to the dissecting handiwork of Peter - owner of Double Helix Cables, a cable speciality website - we now know Apple's new Lightning cables come with what he called a "mystery chip," something he said looks like an authentication system.
Though he doesn't know what the chip does exactly, he said the cable won't work properly without it.
This means any unauthorized third-party charging accessories are currently useless.
The chip is nestled between the adapter's USB contact and the power pin in the cord. Peter, who, citing privacy concerns, declined to give his last name, said the chip might be used for something other than authentication, such as to regulate power.
Magical mystery chip
The chip is pretty fancy, though, with a mirror-shined metal exterior and laser-etched numbering.
"At this point the chips could do just about everything, [but] what we do know is that the chips are only interacting with the V+ USB line [USB being data+, data-, V+, V- (ground)]," Peter told TechRadar in an email.
"The other three wires of USB go directly to the end of the Lightning plug," he continued. "The one thing that is almost certain is that they're proprietary [and] custom designed by Apple, and the cable won't work without them."
Authentication chips are nothing new, but most of the time we see them in higher end accessories. This marks one of the first times a chip of this kind has appeared on a basic connector cable.
Enter the Lightning-dome
Apple made quiet a stir when it announced it was changing its long-used 30-pin connector port for the iPhone 5. With the new Lightning connector costing about $29 (£18) each, iPhone 5 users are no doubt looking for something a little cheaper.
Peter warned that any kind of third-party Lightning adapter without the chip probably won't perform.
"There is basically no way those are functional cables," Peter told AppleInsider. "You can't just build a Lightning cable by making something with the same shape and connectivity, and my teardown proves that. The chip has to be there, and it is directly in the signal path of the V+ wire."
The new chips, then, will give a headache to anyone who's trying to sell knock off Lightning adapters without Apple's permission.
However, it may only be a matter of time before someone cracks the connector, Peter said, and he wouldn't count out unauthorized manufacturers from being successful at duplicating Lightning just yet.
Microsoft is retiring the Marketplace branding from Windows Phone, replacing it with the new Windows Phone Store.
The name change makes the Windows Phone Store more consistent with the Windows Store on Windows 8, while also introducing a redesign for parts of the store.
The Windows Phone Store now launches on a Spotlight section that shows tiles of recently released apps picked by Microsoft.
Once inside the store, browsing for apps is made easier as the old Marketplace categories for New, Free, and Top apps have been updated with the new categories Featured, Top Free, Top Paid, New+Rising, and Best Rated.
The search bar has also been improved, now using Bing search. It will be able to recognize similar apps that may not include your exact search term, and will learn through continued use to provide more relevant results.
Coming to a smartphone near you
The changes have already begun through the Windows Phone Store web portal. On the official Windows Phone website the updated store can be accessed through the newly labeled "Apps+Games" tab.
The redesign will be duplicated as the Windows Phone Store layout on Windows Phone 8 devices when they launch later this year.
To help get ready for the Windows Phone 8 launch, check out our roundup with all the latest launch details.
