Electronista is reporting that a new Windows 8 leak (build 7989) reveals possible geolocation and SMS integration with the next generation version of Windows. But that’s not all, as some have speculated that Windows 8 will have a per-feature licensing feature, so instead of buying a specific edition of Windows, users would pay per feature. Finally, there is a new and improved virtual keyboard, which appears to be a near identical copy of Windows Phone 7′s built-in keyboard.

None of this is really surprising, or at least it shouldn’t. We’ve already seen what Windows 8 will look like, at least touch-interface wise as shown off by Steven Sinofsky at D9. It looks very similar to Windows Phone 7, period. So a keyboard that is identical to the one in Windows Phone 7 wouldn’t be of any surprise at all.

The geolocation and SMS API’s are certainly interesting, but it as we can see Windows is beginning to merge into a single platform, which will run on almost anything imaginable. Why make a phone platform use a different version of the Windows operating system (CE, that is)? It makes sense for them to have a single code base, which would make it very easy for a developer to create an application for Windows 8 on the desktop, and it would work on the phone as well, because the interfaces are very similar. By having a single underlying platform, it would also cut down on costs for Microsoft, because they wouldn’t need completely separate development teams, for the underlying system, that is.

As for the per-feature licensing, I sure hope that speculation is completely wrong, because that will be even more ridiculous than the current setup of how Windows is being sold, as I have said many times.

Here is my speculation: enabling features is itself a feature. Microsoft has slowly allowed users to disable features of the operating system, it started with Windows Vista, and progressed even further in Windows 7 to where users can turn off Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and more. It simply means Microsoft is making Windows even more modular to where components aren’t required for the normal operation of the system. If Windows 8 is going to be the “platform to rule them all,” then there will be certain features that won’t need to be used by certain devices, allowing Windows to be lighter and run faster. For example, the SMS integration, will a desktop need it? Don’t think so, so it will be disabled on the desktop, but enabled on phones and maybe certain tablets.

This is, of course, pure speculation on my part — as is everyone else’s ideas.

There has been a lot of worry with the unveiling of Windows 8, for developers — that is. The reason being is that Steven Sinofsky revealed that Windows 8, codename Windows 8, will be able to run applications programmed using HTML5 and JavaScript, but not much was mentioned about the future of Silverlight or the .NET Framework in regards to these new “immersive” applications coming in Windows 8.

These worries were not without merit, as Microsoft was locking discussion topics about this issue on MSDN, along with them being very quiet about the issue as well.

“HTML5 and Silverlight are complementary technologies serving different needs, and Microsoft is committed to both,” said a Microsoft spokesperson, in regards to my question about whether applications using this newer Metro-like interface will be able to be created using using Silverlight/.NET.

After all, Sinofsky did say that the applications demonstrated running on Windows 8 were running in Internet Explorer 10, and that, “The browser that we showed runs Silverlight and it will still run on the desktop.” The Microsoft spokesperson I talked to also pointed me to the video transcript of Sinofsky at D9, so if D9′s transcript contained anything inaccurate, Microsoft wouldn’t be referring to it themselves.

Another question is: “What about tools for HTML5?” After all, Microsoft does provide excellent development tools for Silverlight/.NET in the form of Visual Studio, but currently when developing HTML5 “applications” you are left with good old Notepad. Many developers would simply laugh out loud if they were told to use such “tools” to create tools for the next generation of Windows, but I was also pointed by the Microsoft spokesperson to a recent blog post on the Silverlight blog talking about HTML5 and Silverlight. In the blog post is concluded with, “over the coming months we’ll be  particularly demonstrative of our emphasis on HTML5, in Internet Explorer and in tools.”

Well, looking back we can see that this blog post may have been an allusion to that of what was recently announced with Windows 8. We have yet to see any “tools” for developing HTML5 “applications,” but we may be seeing that soon, or more likely at the BUILD conference this September.

With Windows 8 revealed to the world, Microsoft has begun to detail some specifics about what they want to see for Windows 8 tablets. These recommendations (or specifications, as it is not very clear right now) are similar to what they are doing for Windows Phone 7 hardware.

For starters, in order for a user to get the “full experience” of the new tile interface (or the new “Start screen”), it is recommended that the devices have a 16:9 aspect ratio (high-definition). If a screen has a lower aspect ratio than 16:9, the device will not be capable of the “snap” feature, which allows two applications to appear side-by-side, such as Aero Snap in Windows 7 (this feature works a bit differently than it does now, so take a look at the video at the end to better understand why). Also, if a device’s screen width is less than 600 pixels, the new Start screen will be completely disabled, according to Nick Eaton, of the Microsoft Blog.

Some other recommendations Microsoft detailed included: edge-to-edge touch screen sensitivity, where the entire front of the device is, as it sounds, sensitive to touch — this is likely because there are gestures (as seen in the video below) which would benefit from this ability; placement of buttons; and even the bezel size of the device.

Microsoft is also recommending that hardware manufacturers and chip-makers work together, from start to finish. That means both of these manufacturers should work very closely to ensure the device works well, instead of a manufacturer slapping in a chip in willy-nilly without much thought to performance, battery-life, and so on. Electronista is reporting that Microsoft would give such manufacturers “incentives” for cooperating closely. It is unclear as to what these “incentives” would be, though if I were to take a guess, it would be better deal on Windows 8 licenses.

These recommendations have not come without criticism, with J.T. Wang, Acer CEO, saying that, “They’re really controlling the whole thing, the whole process,” according to Bloomberg. Wang also said, at the COMPUTEX conference in Taipei, that these recommendations of hardware manufacturers and chip-makers working together are “very troublesome.”

Credit: allthingsd.com

Yesterday was a big day for Windows.Next, where Steven Sinofsky — President of the Windows Division — talked about codename Windows 8. Some of the features talked about and shown off were previously rumored — such as the Tile interface — but now we know a few things about Windows 8 for sure.

When Sinofsky took the stage at D9 yesterday, Walt Mossberg began by asking how he felt being left out of the “Gang of Four” which are running the Internet (Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook).

Sinofsky replied, “You know, I’m watching it and feeling like the guy who’s in the race and not winning it.” In addition, nothing that starts as a “Gang of Four” ends well, either.

There was a lot Sinofsky talked about, so let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

No More “Oomph” Required

Everyone probably remembers what a major jump in system requirements Windows Vista brought along with it, but Windows 7 changed that. When Windows 7 came out, if your computer could run Windows Vista, it could run Windows 7, and Microsoft is doing that again.

“Windows 8 won’t require any more hardware oomph (memory, disk space graphics, etc) than Windows 7,” said Sinofsky.  Sinofsky said they “look really hard” and figured out how to change the operating system, without increasing resources required. Once again, just as with Vista, if your computer can run Windows 7, your computer will be able to run Windows 8.

Legacy Support and Applications

As always, businesses want to make sure their applications will still work properly on newer versions of Windows, sometimes people do the same — but not as often.

Sinofsky says that yes, as always, applications will continue to run on Windows 8 if they run on Windows 7.

However, there will be a new way to create applications for Windows 8: HTML5 and JavaScript. Yes, applications can be developed using HTML5 and JavaScript, which will run in the next major release of Internet Explorer, IE10. These applications running in the browser will likely have access to API’s to integrate itself into the operating system, such as Tiles, notifications, and so forth. Microsoft says that websites on IE9 Mobile (for Windows Phone 7 “Mango”) will inherit Windows Phone-esque design, such as buttons and check boxes, to make them feel more like actual applications, so I will just assume the same will occur for HTML5 applications in Windows 8.

But don’t worry — every application won’t have to be written in HTML5. The “old” model (such as .NET Framework, C++, etc.) will still exist, and even with the new tile interface, older applications won’t require any updating. Now it is probably a great idea for developers to update their applications to feel more natural, but if they are not, they will open up and appear almost identical to current Windows 7 applications, according to Sinofsky.

There is one caveat for what I said about “application will continue to run on Windows 8 if they run on Windows 7,” as that is only true if your computer is still using an x86 chipset. If your computer is running on ARM, such as a tablet, applications would need to be updated to work on the new platform.

There were rumors of a Windows 7 Mode for ARM to run x86 applications without issue, but Sinofsky says, “That turns out to be technically really challenging.”

Designed for Touch

Microsoft’s current tablet strategy is to shove Windows 7 on a tablet, and then enabling “touch-friendliness” to make it a more usable interface. The problem is that enabling “touch-friendliness” makes buttons slightly bigger — which is still a pain.

Windows 8 was designed with touch in mind, with the new tile interface front and center. People asked for Windows Phone 7 on a tablet, and while it won’t actually be Windows Phone 7 on a tablet, it will certainly look like it (as seen in the image in the introduction).

Let’s not forget about the good ol’ mouse and keyboard, because those still have their place, especially if you are using a desktop. Julie Larson-Green, Corporate VP of the Windows Experience,  says the solution is to “design for touch and then allow the OS to translate that input from the mouse if necessary.”

Credit: withinwindows.com

Other characteristics of Windows 8 will be inherited from Windows Phone 7, such as the lock screen which will be swiped to unlock. This lock screen will have the current time, upcoming appointments, just as Windows Phone 7 does.

Mossberg asked an interesting question, “How is Windows 8 different from [HP's] TouchSmart? Isn’t this just a layer on top of Windows?” Larson-Green said that the tile interface is not a layer, but that it is “a seamless experience.”

Don’t Worry, the Desktop is Just Hiding

For those wondering, the Windows desktop is still there, it is simply hiding under the new tile interface. Mossberg asked whether OEM’s could turn off the “traditional” Windows desktop, that way a user would never see it, to which Larson-Green replied, “You can’t turn the desktop off. You can choose never to go there… but it’s always
there.”

The same applies to the new tile interface as well, it cannot be turned off either, because it is the start screen. I asked Microsoft if there would be a way for the user to choose which screen they saw first, after all, if the user doesn’t have a tablet, the tile interface may not be all that intuitive. I simply received a response suggesting I take a look at the video and image gallery over at the Microsoft Press Center, but I didn’t see anything that actually answered my question. So that is still an unknown.

But once you get to the desktop, it will be just like Windows is now — with likely changes — where the user can access the file system and anything else.

The Need for… Boot Speed

Windows is known as the King of Boot Time, poor boot time, that is.

People expect on-the-go devices such as tablets and phones to be ready-to-use within mere seconds, but that is something Windows 7 cannot provide. My desktop takes around 30 seconds to get to the log on screen, then another 2 minutes before everything is done loading — this is unacceptable for a tablet.

This topic came up during the conference, “Will all these new devices start up as fast as a MacBook Air or iPad?” asked Mossberg. Sinofsky didn’t answer the question directly, but he suggested Windows 8 would be able to boot very quickly.

So When Will Windows 8 Arrive?

There have been some rumors going around which said that Windows 8 tablets could be available as early as later this year, but Sinofsky put such rumors to rest. Sinofsky said outright, “It won’t be this fall.”

Seeing as Windows is on a release schedule of every two to three years, Windows 8 will be out sometime next year, likely to be finalized by mid-year.

It may not be that long until people can test drive Windows 8, as the BUILD conference (what was once known as PDC) will start September 13, and go through September 16. Microsoft may release a public beta of Windows 8, but last time, for Windows 7, the beta was only available to a select few, opening up to the public a month or so later.

If you want to take a look at Windows 8 in action, check out this YouTube video uploaded by Microsoft:

As Steven Sinofsky continues to talk Windows 8 at the D9 conference, he has said something very interesting: Windows 8 won’t require any more “oomph.”

Sinofsky said, very specifically, “Windows 8 won’t require any more hardware oomph (memory, disk space graphics, etc) than Windows 7.” The same thing occurred with Windows 7 as well. Nothing special or new will be required to run this next version of Windows. An example which occurred in Windows 7 would be Aero, which required a good graphics card, which mine did not support in Vista, but it did become available (and works well) in Windows 7.

This next version of Windows can run new applications built using HTML5 and JavaScript, which would look much like native applications. These applications could also do things such as widgets. However, Windows 8 will also be able to run older applications as well, and will look almost like they do now.

There is some stuff Sinofsky does not want to reveal (which appeared in screenshots, such as buttons labeled “search,” “share,” “start,” “connect,” and “settings”), but will do so at PDC later this year (mid-September). This event has apparently been renamed to BUILD.

Check out this article which lists a few things that won’t be answered at D9.

More soon!