New Microsoft Windows 7 screenshots (Taskbar, Scenic Ribbon…)
Where to find and download new Windows 7 screenshots? What is new and what is improved in Windows 7? I’m bringing you very nice collection of Windows 7 screenshots and some commentary. Scenic ribbon? For sure! New Windows 7 taskbar? You betcha!
By clicking on pictures they will open in full size for your viewing pleasure wherever available.
New wallpaper, new glassy taskbar… Old taskbar concept has gone and now we have taskbar which is combining features of older Quick Launch and, let’s call it, classic taskbar. More on taskbar on following pictures and video.
Now your gadgets are free. No more Sidebar to occupy your screen space – just add gadgets wherever you want and play with them.
Windows 7 comes with brand new Calculator. Great looking, sleek design and very nice features. You need conversions between centimeters and inch, Celsius and Fahrenheit? New Windows 7 Calculator brings it all. I could go on and on with Calculator but that is only because I’m physics student so… go figure 
Start menu in Windows 7 has been redesigned too. And somewhat new interaction has been added. For example, if you click on Windows Explorer icon, in the right part of Start menu you will get access to most frequently used (visited) folders, to those you have been using recently etc. If you click on Paint or, let’s say, Word – you will get access to files you opened before. Very handy feature!
I mentioned that Taskbar has evolved. In Vista we were able to hover with mouse over the buttons in Taskbar and got image of currently open file / application. No clicking on it, no interaction – and besides – things were looking kind of small… Now your programs can rest on Taskbar, multiple instances are seen as previews, clicking on previews brings the app or document up and running and just hovering over it gives you peek – preview in full size! Very useful.
And yes – buttons can FINALY be removed and repositioned just as you want them to be. Windows 7 puts you in control, and that does not seem to be just another PR shout.
When you hover with your mouse over icons in new Taskbar they get nice glassy but colorful background. And guess what – that thing is dynamic – if you put icon with lot of green stuff – background will look green. It takes RGB values from icon and calculates one that is most likely to be “representative” for that icon and adds it as basic element for background.
Cool thing that is better seen on video bellow is that when you move mouse over those buttons – shiny sphere of light follows. Really good looking stuff – anyone interested in WPF control that will enable you to do just that? Let me know and I might start building one!
Yup, now you can control the preview – think of it as smaller, lighter Windows 7 Media Player.
Jump Lists are new UX element introduced with Windows 7. And what can I say, I love them already. Your buttons in Taskbar are not just places for starting your application or for accessing those previously opened. Now with JumpLists you can access files you have been playing with Media Player before, or documents you have been editing with Word… This concept is somewhat implemented in new Start Menu as I’ve explained earlier. When you right-click on an application on the new Windows Taskbar in Windows 7 – you get a “Jump List” of options. Simple as that and usable as well!
You want to connect to Internet? Well, now it is faster than ever before. Simple as that! One click in System Tray and there you go.
System Tray has been redesigned in Windows 7. No more cluttered stuff – you can set number and type of icons you want to be shown and fine-tune those settings. Remember all those notification balloons (Defender is downloading updates, Your virus database has been updated…) – Well now you can fine-tune those too and show just ones you need and when you need them. Same goes for User Account Control (UAC) in Windows 7 – fine tune it just the way you want it!
Libraries are a new feature in Windows Explorer, basically virtual folders for holding similar content types. Libraries can span multiple folders, drives, and even multiple PCs on a network. For example, the library shown gathers photos from such various places
- well PCMag describes it that way – I have nothing to add.
Yet another favorite of mine. You add a device (cell phone for example) and Windows 7 knows what to do with that device. To me this is just great – no need for some confusing manuals or special software packages. Take your device, plug it in and work, play, enjoy (yeah I know, I could write marketing stuff for Windows 7 team. And I would. For f(r)ee 
“Device Stage is an all-in-one view of a specific device on in your PC’s Printers and Devices Folder – a new folder in Windows 7. 3rd party hardware manufacturers can use Device Stage to give users all the options – or “Tasks” – they need and want to control their device whether it’s a printer or mobile device. The Device Stage experience is also services-enabled feature customizable for 3rd party hardware manufacturers”
- well this is what our MS guys tell you about Device Stage!
Customization? Yes! Changing appearance, colors, and themes? For sure. If you are UI tweaking guy like myself – you will love this one too. Again, MS guys are saying: “In Windows 7 – your desktop is YOURS. Windows 7 will ship with specific themes users can use for their PCs or customize and create their own. 3rd parties can create custom themes for Windows 7 and let you download them. We’re looking to offer theme downloads straight off of windows.com for users to enjoy”. Yes – you can create your own themes! I’ve already created mine
You know all those problems when trying to connect your computer / laptop to projector? You press F8 or some other key and you get picture on projector but not on your computer or the other way around or… Well, forget that… Windows 7 makes projecting things a piece of cake. For me – this is great – little icons are telling me what I can expect. No more unwanted surprises. I won’t miss those, that’s for sure!
Well this one is very special to me. Why? Well I’m not ableto say that (yet) but never mind. New ribbon interface called Ribbon Scenic is now built in Windows 7 apps like Word Pad (which now supports Office Opene XML format AND Open Document Format – ODF. Take that guys, you know on who I mean!) and in Paint. Yessss – Paint has new interface and some cool new features. Steven Sinfosky says that we redesign our applets every 15 years or so
Last, but not least – Windows 7 comes with support for multi – touch. Each and every application that is being run on Windows 7 can utilize multi – touch. Even older ones written before Windows 7, like Microsoft Office 2007 System (Word, Excel…) Drawing or writing with your fingers? Works. Gestures? Sure! Navigating web with “flicks” – it’s here as well.
Well this was one big post, expect more soon while I’m keeping my eyes on Windows 7 (all things UX related and more) here on UXPassion.com
Hope you had as much fun reading and watching pics as I am having.
For end just few quotes for bloggers and journalists from around:
Ed Bott from ZDNet had to say:
“This loaner machine certainly doesn’t feel like it’s running pre-beta code. It’s wicked fast and eerily quiet thanks to a solid state drive. In a very long day’s worth of use it has yet to crash or display any of the flaky behavior you might expect from a beta.”
Peter Bright at ArsTechnica says:
“Windows 7 may not change much under the hood, but the extent of these interface changes makes it clear that this is very much a major release.”
Lance Ulanoff from PC Magazine says:
“It (MSFT) ignored the advice of dozens of pundits and is now playing out a script that, in the end, could make the company look like a band of geniuses.”
Paul Thurrott says:
“Well, let me ruin the surprise up front. Windows 7 is Windows Vista done right. If you’re already a fan of Windows Vista, you’ll love Windows 7 because it’s a better rendition of that earlier OS. If you’re a Vista hater, take heart: The makers of Windows 7 have reevaluated virtually everything about Vista and made changes small and large across the board. The result is a better Windows, no matter how you slice it.”
Want more – go to: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsexperience/
Resources
10 Responses to “ New Microsoft Windows 7 screenshots (Taskbar, Scenic Ribbon…) ”
Trackbacks
- Can’t wait to try Windows 7 | Windows Server 2008 blog
- HOW TO: Make taskbar in Windows Vista to resemble one in Windows 7
- Benjamin A. Shelton | Blog » Blog Archive » Using Windows 7 RC, Months Later
Interesting is that first pictures have a date 30/9/2010 (and last have 10/20/2008, more interesting) , is this is a hint for release day?
No Kornelije – explanation is very simple – all pictures are not from the same computer. Regarding to RTM of Windows 7 I am not able to say anything else but just to repeat what Ars Technica has reported earlier: “Some time in 2009 has been widely assumed (thanks in no small part to some loose words by Bill Gates), but more official statements are “three years after Vista,” where “three years” means anything from “three years and zero months” to “three years and eleven months.” Vista went RTM at the end of November 2006 and was made generally available at the end of January 2007, so that pushes 7 to the end of 2009 or, more likely, to 2010. “
Eagerly Waiting forl the launch.
@praveen: I understand you completely
) Windows 7 is going to major new release and there are number of reasons for us to upgrade from Vista!
should i talk about blatant copying of KDE, OSX, Gnome or should i talk about the fact that it is sad that Microsoft did so poorly with vista, that they have to re-release it with added crappy imitations.
Can you point out whata exaclty MS has copied from KDE and/or other OS? Taskbar concept as such in WIndows 7 has been introduced in somewhat different manner as early as in firs versions of Windows! AeroPeek – also in KDE or OSX or Gnome? Aero generally? I would appreciate some more details… And since you asked should you talk about “blatant copying” – feel free to share your opinions… Regarding doing poorly with Vista – I think that most of people who have helped creating bad image for Vista haven’t even tried it and used it on their computers for significant amount of time… UAC – it’s easy to turn off, Aero effects – same story… But hey, why bother, much easier to bash product without trying it!
Windows 7 looks beautiful, unforunately my PC isn’t compatible with this new version, anyway I hope to try it soon.