As well as the overt implementation of the Metro tiles here, there and everywhere, Windows 8 rings in plenty more changes, and the MSDN blog has confirmed what we can expect with the Release Preview of Windows 8 – likely to be a clear representation of the features present in the OEM iteration.

There are a plethora of new features, but one of the significant changes is the scrapping of the Aero glass. First seen in the publicly flogged and almost forgotten Windows Vista, it was supposed to give Windows a slick, smooth interface, but in truth, it simply slowed things down. Although Metro does seem better suited to tablet devices, I have been using Windows 8′s Consumer Preview for a few months, and I have yet to feel compelled to revert to Windows 7 – despite initially missing theSTART Orb.

Microsoft confirmed its Aero cessation by stating:

We have moved beyond Aero Glass—flattening surfaces, removing reflections, and scaling back distracting gradients.

As techies, I think we’ve gotten a little carried away with Windows 8, and there will likely be some kind of backlash when Windows 8 is forced upon every new computer purchaser later this year. While I have plenty of tech-orientated friends, I can think of  several people who’ll take one look at Windows 8 with an expression of sheer confusion. Microsoft places emphasis on believing in “people and their ability to adapt and move forward,” and while many users will have familiarized themselves with ecosystems based on titles and icons, it will be more than intriguing to see the reaction after Windows 8 has had a couple of months in the shop window.

Whenever the Cupertino-based fruit company push out a new update to iOS, keen eyed users and researchers always sift through the build to see if they can find anything new or noteworthy. The release of iOS 5.1.1 is no different, with Gizmodo reporting that the said version of iOS returns some curious behavior and error messages when the ‘Enable 3G’ mode is toggled on and off during a FaceTime call.

To put this into context, in iOS 5.1.1 whenever a FaceTime call is in place over a Wi-Fi connection, disabling the ‘Enable 3G’ option through the device’s settings brings up a standard iOS action sheet containing an error message that states if 3G is disabled, the current FacrTime call may be terminated and prompting the user to accept whether or not they wish to continue with the action. A certain set of people believe that due to the fact the call remains active when the user proceeds with the action means that Apple are planning to implement 3G-based FaceTime calls in the very near future.

On the flip side of the coin, if the user decides to enable the 3G connection, a similar error message is presented that also threatens to end the current video call, but as you might have guessed, proceeding with the action has no effect. With Apple’s FaceTime service now being available on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and all of the Mac lineup, it seems as though we could soon be seeing consumers making those calls regardless of whether they have an active Wi-Fi connection or not.

I personally hope that we do soon get the ability to make those FaceTime calls over a cellular connection. Jailbroken users have been using extensions such as FaceBreak and 3G Unrestrictor for some time to enable 3G video calling without any issue at all.

(via Redmond Pie)

If a company like Microsoft are going to make changes to a product like Windows, they’re going to have to ensure that these changes are sufficiently intuitive for normal users to adapt to. And of course, this shouldn’t be a ball and chain that prevents them from making changes at all, as the OS should be intuitive to begin with. However, I feel that Windows 8 isn’t, and I’m already weeping in advance for all of the users that will panic when something as familiar as the Start button is missing on their new PC, for one. Yes, there is something in its place: The new Start screen, and a “Start Preview” that can be toggled by hovering in the bottom-left corner of the screen, but there’s nothing to indicate upon staring at the screen that these things exist.

Without exploration, there’s no way to tell that something happens when hovering over the hot corners, and I think that this will be an issue. Back to the topic of the start menu; it’s just, gone. Such a major, iconic paradigm of Windows has been removed with nothing to indicate the existence of its successor. So, assuming that people do manage to find the Start screen (likely after a tech support call to either their PC manufacturer or tech-savvy family member), they’re going to eventually inadvertently stumble upon one of those snazzy new Metro apps. They’re going to be trapped. See, with yet another paradigm removed – the infamous “x” in the corner of the window – Metro apps will essentially serve as flytraps of disoriented users.

Let’s hope that they at this point realize that the corners can be toggled so that they can get out, either by using the Charms bar or the new app switcher. In this post, I’m not even voicing my thoughts on the actual changes themselves or the aesthetics of Metro. In fact, I think it could work if more polish and time was put into the OS to make these new features more intuitive and discoverable (which they seem to be working on; apparently, hot corners are going to be a bit easier to toggle come the Release Preview.)

We shall see.